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At least 793 records · Page 44

Evaluation of the hyperspectral radiometer (HSR1) at the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Southern Great Plains (SGP) site

Abstract. The Peak Design Ltd hyperspectral radiometer (HSR1) was tested at the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) user facility Southern Great Plains (SGP) site in Lamont, Oklahoma, for 2 months from May to July 2022. The HSR1 is a prototype instrument that measures total (Ftotal) and diffuse (Fdiffuse) spectral irradiance from 360 to 1100 nm with a spectral resolution of 3 nm. The HSR1 spectral irradiance measurements are compared to nearby collocated spectral radiometers, including two multifilter rotating shadowband radiometers (MFRSRs) and the Shortwave Array Spectroradiometer–Hemispheric (SASHe) radiometer. The Ftotal at 500 nm for the HSR1 compared to the MFRSRs has a mean (relative) difference of 0.01 W m−2 nm−1 (1 %–2 %). The HSR1 mean Fdiffuse at 500 nm is smaller than the MFRSRs' by 0.03–0.04 (10 %) W m−2 nm−1. The HSR1 clear-sky aerosol optical depth (AOD) is also retrieved by considering Langley regressions and compared to collocated instruments such as the Cimel sunphotometer (CSPHOT), MFRSRs, and SASHe. The mean HSR1 AOD at 500 nm is larger than the CSPHOT's by 0.010 (8 %) and larger than the MFRSRs' by 0.007–0.017 (6 %–18 %). In general, good agreement between the HSR1 and other instruments is found in terms of the Ftotal, Fdiffuse, and AODs at 500 nm. The HSR1 quantities are also compared at other wavelengths to the collocated instruments. The comparisons are within ∼ 10 % for the Ftotal and Fdiffuse, except for 940 nm, where there is relatively larger disagreement. The AOD comparisons are within ∼ 10 % at 415 and 440 nm; however, a relatively larger disagreement in the AOD comparison is found for higher wavelengths.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Ice nucleating particle concentrations measured by the PNNL-CFDC during the AGINSGP field experiment

Real-time, immersion mode ambient ice nucleating particle (INP) concentrations were measured at ARM’s Southern Great Plains (SGP) site during the AGINSGP field experiment using a continuous flow diffusion chamber (CFDC) from Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL). The PNNL-CFDC is an ice-thermal gradient diffusion chamber that optically detects the freezing of single aerosol particles (Kulkarni et al. 2020). The instrument was located in the guest instrument facility (GIF) and measured INP concentrations from April 8th to April 29th. Air was drawn into the GIF through custom aluminum stack inlets (6” inner diameter) attached vertically to the outer GIF wall and the GIF outside platform. A blower pulled air through the stacks at a velocity of 1 m/s. Aerosol instruments subsampled via wall ports, through either 3/8” or 1/4" copper lines, depending on sample flow of the instrument. Kulkarni, G., Hiranuma, N., Möhler, O., Höhler, K., China, S., Cziczo, D. J., & DeMott, P. J. (2020). A new method for operating a continuous-flow diffusion chamber to investigate immersion freezing: Assessment and performance study. Atmospheric Measurement Techniques, 13(12), 6631–6643. https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-13-6631-2020.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Ice nucleating particle concentrations measured by the CSU-CFDC during the AGINSGP field experiment

Real-time, immersion mode ambient ice nucleating particle (INP) concentrations were measured at ARM&rsquo;s Southern Great Plains (SGP) site during the AGINSGP field experiment using a continuous flow diffusion chamber (CFDC) from Colorado State University (CSU). The CSU-CFDC is an ice-thermal gradient diffusion chamber that optically detects the freezing of single aerosol particles (Rogers 1988; Rogers et al. 2001; and Eidhammer et al. 2010). The instrument was located in the guest instrument facility (GIF) and measured INP concentrations from April 8th to April 29th. Air was drawn into the GIF through custom aluminum stack inlets (6&rdquo; inner diameter) attached vertically to the outer GIF wall and the GIF outside platform. A blower pulled air through the stacks at a velocity of 1 m/s. Aerosol instruments subsampled via wall ports, through either 3/8&rdquo; or 1/4" copper lines, depending on sample flow of the instrument. Rogers, D. C., Development of a continuous flow thermal gradient diffusion chamber for ice nucleation studies, Atmospheric Research, 22(2), 149-181, doi:10.1016/0169-8095(88)90005-1, 1988. Rogers, D. C., P. J. DeMott, S. M. Kreidenweis and Y. Chen, A continuous flow diffusion chamber for airborne measurements of ice nuclei, J. Atmos. Oceanic Technol., 18, 725-741, doi:10.1175/1520-0426(2001)018<0725:ACFDCF>2.0.CO;2, 2001. Eidhammer, T., DeMott, P. J., Prenni, A. J., Petters, M. D., Twohy, C. H., Rogers, D. C., Stith, J., Heymsfield, A., Wang, Z., Haimov, S., French, J., Pratt, K., Prather, K., Murphy, S., Seinfeld, J., Subramanian, R., and Kreidenweis, S. M., Ice initiation by aerosol particles: Measured and predicted ice nuclei concentrations versus measured ice crystal concentrations in an orographic wave cloud, J. Atmos. Sci., 67, 2417-2436, doi:10.1175/2010JAS3266.1, 2010

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Fluorescent bioaerosol particle concentrations measured by the DU WIBS during the AGINSGP field experiment

Real-time, immersion mode ambient fluorescent bioaerosol concentrations were measured at ARM’s Southern Great Plains (SGP) site during the AGINSGP field experiment using a Wideband Integrated Bioaerosol Sensor (DMT Inc.; WIBS-4A). The WIBS-4A is an optical particle counter that also measures single particle fluorescence in three channels, along with particle asymmetry. Particles are grouped into different types depending on which channels they fluoresce in. The instrument was located in the guest instrument facility (GIF) and measured fluorescent particle concentrations from April 7th to April 29th. Data presented here are the concentrations for each particle type, binned in 5 minute increments. Air was drawn into the GIF through custom aluminum stack inlets (6” inner diameter) attached vertically to the outer GIF wall and the GIF outside platform. A blower pulled air through the stacks at a velocity of 1 m/s. Aerosol instruments subsampled via wall ports, through either 3/8” or 1/4" copper lines, depending on sample flow of the instrument. Particles were dried using a silica diffusion dryer prior to analysis.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

TBS FROST Data from 2023 at SGP C1

The FROST provides chemical analysis of four time-resolved sorbent samples on a LECO GCxGC Bench Time of Flight Mass Spectrometer, using a Gerstel MPS Thermal Desorption System. Samples collected via FROST can be analyzed on one of two Sandia National Laboratories' instruments. One instrument will provide ultra-high mass spectrometer resolution (up to four decimal points or m/z data) and can be used for identification of true unknowns. Data can include suspected formulas of species not included in any current mass spectra database. This instrument also has a low limit of detection of known species (tens of femtogram range). The second instrument can provide an order of magnitude lower limits of detection (into the single-digit femtogram range) for known species currently in mass spectra databases. This system is also more resilient to environmental samples that contain higher levels of moisture.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Size resolved particle volatility for 30, 60, and 90 nm particles collected at the EPCAPE Mount Soledad site from 04/23/2023 to 06/15/2023

VTDMA GF-PDF: Growth factor probability density functions from the Gysel inversion are located here, where probability is out of 200. The instrument measured three different diameters 30 nm, 60nm and 90nm each diameter was selected for an hour. During that hour three different temperatures where scanned (40°C, 80°C, 160°C) in between each temperature a bypass scan was taken at room temperature. Each scan took 10-minutes and scanned growth factors from 0.2-1.2. Calibrations of the instrument with NaCl were performed on 4/26/2023 from 11:20 to 14:20, on 5/16/2023 from 11:40 to 16:00, and on 5/30/2023 from 10:20 to 14:20. Calibrations with (NH4)2SO4 were performed on 5/8/2023 from 11:45 to 14:40, on 5/23/2023 from 11:20 to 3:00, and on 6/14/2023 from 13:00 to 16:00. Time is recorded in seconds since 1/1/1904. GF_Vol_avg: Growth factor volume average calculated by the Gysel inversion. The instrument measured three different diameters 30 nm, 60nm and 90nm each diameter was selected for an hour. During that hour three different temperatures where scanned (40°C, 80°C, 160°C) in between each temperature a bypass scan was taken at room temperature. Each scan took 10-minutes and scanned growth factors from 0.2-1.2. Calibrations of the instrument with NaCl were performed on 4/26/2023 from 11:20 to 14:20, on 5/16/2023 from 11:40 to 16:00, and on 5/30/2023 from 10:20 to 14:20. Calibrations with (NH4)2SO4 were performed on 5/8/2023 from 11:45 to 14:40, on 5/23/2023 from 11:20 to 3:00, and on 6/14/2023 from 13:00 to 16:00. Time is recorded in seconds since 1/1/1904.

30nm growth factor volume average at 160C (GF_vol_↗

AGC-4 Experiment Irradiation Monitoring Data Qualification Final Report

The Graphite Technology Development Program ran a series of six experiments to quantify the effects of irradiation on nuclear grade graphite. This report focuses on the fourth experiment, Advanced Graphite Creep 4 (AGC 4). The Advanced Reactor Development (ARD) Technology Development Office (TDO) Program for research and development activities require documentation of qualified monitoring data to design and license the first high-temperature reactor nuclear plant. Qualified data meets the requirements for use as described in the experiment planning and quality assurance documents. Failed data do not meet the requirements and provide no useable information. Trend data may not meet all requirements but still provide some useable information. Use of Trend data requires assessment of how any deficiencies affect a particular use of the data. AGC-4 began with Advanced Test Reactor (ATR) Cycle 157D on May 30, 2015. After irradiating the graphite for two cycles, the capsule was removed from the reactor after ATR Cycle 158A, which ended on January 2, 2016, due to interference with another experiment. Irradiation was resumed with Cycle 162A on October 7, 2017 after the interfering experiment was removed from the reactor. AGC-4 irradiation completed by the end of Cycle 166B on January 10, 2020. Between Cycles 162A and 166B, AGC-4 capsule was removed from the reactor core during two Powered Axial Locator Mechanism (PALM) Cycles 163A and 165A to avoid overheating. All thermocouples (TCs) have functioned throughout the AGC-4 experiment. A total of 9,256,184 out of all 11,167,213 temperature records (or 82.9%) are Qualified for use by the ARD Program and 1,911,029 missing values are Failed. Argon, helium, and total gas flow data were within expected ranges, except only eight out-of-range values occurred during outages. A total of 21,240,627 out of all 22,288,5103 gas flow rates (or 92.8%) are Qualified for use by the ARD Program and 1,644,476 are Failed records mostly due to missing values. Discharge gas line moisture values were consistently low during full ATR power, except for 162B, when moisture content was increasing to more than 200 ppmv by the end of this cycle. During outages, moisture content reached as high as 700 ppmv. 1,089,941 out of a total of 1,107,331 moisture values (or 98.4%) are within the measurement range of the instrument and are Qualified for use by the ARD Program and 17,390 missing moisture values are Failed. Graphite creep specimens were subjected to one of three loads: 393, 491, or 589 lbf. For a brief period during Cycle 157D between 12:19 on June 2, 2015, and 08:23 on June 11, 2015, the load cells were wired incorrectly, resulting in missing stack load data. Missing stack loads were estimated from measured ram pressures using regression equations developed from the existing data from Cycle 157D. Estimated stack loads during this period are considered to be an accurate representation of actual load applied to the stacks. These loads deviate slightly from the planned loads. This deviation does not prevent the data from being Qualified for use but must be taken into account when analyzing the effect of load on creep. 6,095,728 out of a total of 6,403,985 moisture values (or 95.2%) are within the measurement range of the instrument and are Qualified for use by the ARD Program and 308,257 missing load values are Failed. Stack displacement increased consistently throughout the eight cycles, with total displacement reached highest value of 2.4 in by the end of irradiation. During ATR outages, a set of pneumatic rams raised the stacks of graphite creep specimens to ensure the specimens were not stuck within the test train. This stack raising was performed seven times throughout irradiation. All stacks were raised successfully each time. 4,744,974 out of a total of 6,094,513 displacement values (or 77.9%) are within the measurement range of the instrument and are Qualified for use by the ARD Program and 1,349,539 displacement values are Failed mostly due to missing values. Analyses were conducted on correlations between TCs to look for trends and step changes that might indicate instrument degradation or failure. Correlation analysis was used to identify instances when TCs form short circuits, referred to as virtual junctions, which result in TCs reporting temperatures from some location in the capsule other than the location where they were intended to read. No evidence of virtual junctions was found. Analyses were also conducted on control charts of temperature differences of between two TCs, which are expected to behave consistently throughout the entire irradiation period. Upward or downward trend over time indicates at least one TC in the pair was drifted. Examining control charts for all 66 possible pairs out of twelve TCs installed in the AGC-4 capsules reveal no clear drift failures occurred, except unstable behavior of two TCs in Zone 3, TC-7 and TC-8, over irradiation time. In conclus

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

Methods for aligning a spectrometer

An example method for aligning a spectrometer is described herein. The spectrometer includes a radiation source, a crystal analyzer, and a detector that are all positioned on an instrument plane. The method includes rotating the crystal analyzer about an axis that is within the instrument plane and perpendicular to a rotation plane such that (i) a reciprocal lattice vector of the crystal analyzer is within the instrument plane or (ii) a component of the reciprocal lattice vector within the rotation plane is perpendicular to the instrument plane. An origin of the reciprocal lattice vector is located on the axis. The method further includes tilting the crystal analyzer or translating the detector such that the reciprocal lattice vector bisects a line segment that is bounded by the detector and the radiation source. Example spectrometers related to the example method are also disclosed.

Mortensen, Devon R.↗

Method for housing nuclear reactor modules

An in-core instrumentation system for a reactor module includes a plurality of in-core instruments connected to a containment vessel and a reactor pressure vessel at least partially located within the containment vessel. A reactor core is housed within a lower head that is removably attached to the reactor pressure vessel, and lower ends of the in-core instruments are located within the reactor core. The in-core instruments are configured such that the lower ends are concurrently removed from the reactor core as a result of removing the lower head from the reactor pressure vessel.

Keller, Michael↗

Integrated Operations for Nuclear: Work Reduction Opportunity Demonstration Strategy

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The Light Water Reactor Sustainability Program Plant Modernization Pathway has been working with industry for a number of years to leverage digital technology to extend the life and improve the performance of the existing fleet through modernized technologies and improved processes for plant operation and power generation. This includes development of modernization solutions to improve reliability and economic performance while addressing US nuclear industry’s aging and obsolescence challenges. The objective of these efforts is to deliver a sustainable business model that enables US nuclear industry to remain competitive. Digital Infrastructure (DI) research has established a technical foundation for these efforts. This effort began with technical analysis and support for a safety-related instrumentation and control (I&C) pilot upgrade being performed at Constellation Energy Generation’s Limerick Nuclear Plant. The following publicly available reports were produced as part of this effort. • INL/EXT-20-61079, Vendor-Independent Design Requirements for a Boiling Water Reactor Safety System Upgrade [1] • INL/EXT-20-59371, Business Case Analysis for Digital Safety-Related Instrumentation & Control System Modernizations [2] • INL/EXT-20-59809, “Safety-Related Instrumentation and Control Pilot Upgrade: Initial Scoping Phase Implementation Report and Lessons Learned [3] • INL/RPT-23-72105, Safety-Related Instrumentation and Control Upgrade: Conceptual – Detailed Design Phase Report and Lessons Learned [4]

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗

Anomalous behavior detection by an artificial intelligence-enabled system with multiple correlated sensors

Multi-metric artificial intelligence (AI)/machine learning (ML) models for detection of anomalous behavior of a machine/system are disclosed. The multi-metric AI/ML models are configured to detect anomalous behavior of systems having multiple sensors that measure correlated sensor metrics such as coolant distribution units (CDUs). The multi-metric AI/ML models perform the anomalous system behavior detection in a manner that enables both a reduction in the amount of sensor instrumentation needed to monitor the system's operational behavior as well as a corresponding reduction in the complexity of the firmware that controls the sensor instrumentation. As such, AI-enabled systems and corresponding methods for anomalous behavior detection disclosed herein offer a technical solution to the technical problem of increased failure rates of existing multi-sensor systems, which is caused by the presence of redundant sensor instrumentation that necessitates complex firmware for controlling the sensor instrumentation.

Serebryakov, Sergey↗

Design of a Loss of Coolant Blowdown Capsule for Remote Assembly with High Burnup Fuel

The Transient Water Irradiation System is an enhanced capability capsule type irradiation vehicle designed to support fuel safety research for light water reactor specimens in the Transient Reactor Test Facility and is designed to simulate loss of coolant and reactivity-initiated accidents. The capsule was designed, deployed, and commissioned with fresh fuel specimens to validate instrumentation and prepare for previously irradiated high burnup specimens. The irradiation system features an extensive in-situ instrumentation package to detect phenomena typical to light water reactor fuels. To accommodate the assembly with high burnup specimens inside the Hot Fuel Examination Facility, and to ensure instrumentation integrity is maintained throughout assembly, the design was updated to support remote handling. The updated design features a hinge mechanism which allows for remote pre-irradiated specimen loading and assembly while protecting sensitive instrumentation by relocating during loading. Fixtures and equipment have been developed to handle the experiment capsule and components in cell, and to support remote assembly. The experiment module also includes radiation shielding and contamination control to support operations after removal from the hot cell.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

Supports with integrated sensors for nuclear reactor steam generators, and associated systems and methods

Supports with integrated sensors for nuclear reactor steam generators, and associated systems and methods, are disclosed. A representative method for forming a nuclear-powered steam generator includes forming an instrumented support, the instrumented support including a carrier portion and a retainer portion, with at least one of the carrier portion or the retainer portion being integrally formed with a sensor via an additive manufacturing process. The method can further include coupling the sensor to a communication link, supporting a helical steam conduit on the instrumented support, and installing the helical steam conduit and the instrumented support in a nuclear reactor. The helical steam conduit is positioned along a primary flow path, which is in turn positioned to circulate a heated primary flow in thermal communication with the helical steam conduit.

Welter, Kent↗

The Magnetic Electron Ion Spectrometer: A Review of On-Orbit Sensor Performance, Data, Operations, and Science

Measurements from NASA’s Van Allen Probes have transformed our understanding of the dynamics of Earth’s geomagnetically-trapped, charged particle radiation. The Van Allen Probes were equipped with the Magnetic Electron Ion Spectrometers (MagEIS) that measured energetic and relativistic electrons, along with energetic ions, in the radiation belts. Accurate and routine measurement of these particles was of fundamental importance towards achieving the scientific goals of the mission. We provide a comprehensive review of the MagEIS suite’s on-orbit performance, operation, and data products, along with a summary of scientific results. The purpose of this review is to serve as a complement to the MagEIS instrument paper, which was largely completed before flight and thus focused on pre-flight design and performance characteristics. As is the case with all space-borne instrumentation, the anticipated sensor performance was found to be different once on orbit. Our intention is to provide sufficient detail on the MagEIS instruments so that future generations of researchers can understand the subtleties of the sensors, profit from these unique measurements, and continue to unlock the mysteries of the near-Earth space radiation environment.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗

Initial Temperature Testing of Advanced Manufactured Melt Wire Package

As a part of the In-Pile Instrumentation Program, The Idaho National Laboratory (INL) has recently established in-house capabilities to fabricate and test new advanced manufactured sensors for measuring the peak irradiation temperature inside a nuclear test reactor. Although nuclear test reactors can use standard methods of real-time temperature monitoring, such as thermocouples, the complexity of feedthroughs and attachment complications to collect real-time measurements greatly increases the cost of the experiment. Passive monitoring techniques may be utilized that exploit the melting point of well characterized material (standard melt wires), however, the limited space available for instrumentation during experiments is also a challenge. To accommodate the challenge, INL has expanded its temperature detection instrumentation capabilities paired with the advancement of in-house advanced manufacturing options to include printed melt wires for peak irradiation temperature measurement. The advanced manufactured melt wire package can determine peak temperatures in experiments that can fit the challenging space available during irradiation. Recent results and knowledge from this ongoing work have made it possible to develop unique temperature sensors that can accomplish user specific temperature ranges inside the harsh environments experienced during radiation testing. This report summarizes the initial temperature testing using fabricated melt wires with two different melting temperatures, silver (melting temperature of ~960 °C) and solder (melting temperature of ~160 °C), that were initially tested for their relative melting points using non-standard method of furnace and hot plate testing under normal air conditions. Future work will include more controlled way of testing printed melt wires under inert gas with multiple temperature measurements followed by comparison of standard melt wire package performance for baseline characterization.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

10 Boron-film-based gas detectors at ESS

The development of detectors for the European Spallation Source is an important parallel element to the effort put into the design and construction of the neutron source and instruments. The 10Boron-film-based detector developments that started over a decade ago as basic detector concepts have now reached technical maturity after intense prototyping work and numerous testing campaigns. Several of the ESS beamlines that will soon enter the commissioning phase started welcoming the detector systems built with the 10 B-film converter technology. The real-size demonstrators evolved in the last 2–3 years into a diverse suite of gas proportional counters for use in diffraction, reflectometry and small-angle scattering studies in spite of the operational complexity posed by the requirements for large-area coverage, low material budget and robustness for operation in the high-flux and high-radiation environment of ESS. The detectors are now being shipped to ESS or undergoing the last performance and calibration tests before being handed over to the instrument teams for installation in the host beamlines. A common feature of these detector systems is the very large number of readout channels that they are instrumented with in order to fulfill the demanding requirements for sensitivity, spatial resolution and count-rate capability. Across all of the detector types that will operate at ESS, the integration, testing and commissioning of the read-out technologies and software tools for data reduction, calibration and analysis are the focus of the detector and integration teams. These will yield a wealth of knowledge about their operation as well as initial results on the in-situ performance, a very important asset to ensure rapid commissioning of the detectors when neutrons from the ESS source become available. In this paper we will give an overview of the 10 B-film-based detector technologies included in the ESS detector suite that are currently facing the transition from the production phase to installation and integration with the other beamline components, which comes with its own specific challenges of both organizational and technical nature.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗

Performance Assessment of Portable Optical Particle Spectrometer (POPS)

Accurate representation of atmospheric aerosol properties is a long-standing problem in atmospheric research. Modern pilotless aerial systems provide a new platform for atmospheric in situ measurement. However, small airborne platforms require miniaturized instrumentation due to apparent size, power, and weight limitations. A Portable Optical Particle Spectrometer (POPS) is an emerged instrument to measure ambient aerosol size distribution with high time and size resolution, designed for deployment on a small unmanned aerial system (UAS) or tethered balloon system (TBS) platforms. This study evaluates the performance of a POPS with an upgraded laser heater and additional temperature sensors in the aerosol pathway. POPS maintains its performance under different environmental conditions as long as the laser temperature remains above 25 °C and the aerosol flow temperature inside the optical chamber is 15 °C higher than the ambient temperature. The comparison between POPS and an Ultra-High Sensitivity Aerosol Spectrometer (UHSAS) suggests that the coincidence error is less than 25% when the number concentration is less than 4000 cm –3 . The size distributions measured by both of them remained unaffected up to 15,000 cm –3 . While both instruments’ sizing accuracy is affected by the aerosol chemical composition and morphology, the influence is more profound on the POPS.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗

The Psyche Gamma-Ray and Neutron Spectrometer

A Gamma-Ray and Neutron Spectrometer (GRNS) instrument has been developed as part of the science payload for NASA’s Discovery Program Psyche mission to the M-class asteroid (16) Psyche. The GRNS instrument is designed to measure the elemental composition of Psyche with the goal to understand the origin of this mysterious, potentially metal-rich planetary body. The GRNS will measure the near-surface abundances for the elements Ni, Fe, Si, K, S, Al, and Ca, as well as the spatial distribution of Psyche’s metal-to-silicate fraction (or metal fraction). These measurements address three of the five Psyche mission science objectives: determine if Psyche is a core; determine whether small metal bodies incorporate light elements into the metal phase; and determine whether Psyche was formed under reducing conditions. The Gamma-Ray Spectrometer (GRS) uses a cryocooled, high-purity Ge (HPGe) sensor to detect cosmic-ray generated gamma rays in the 60 to 9000-keV energy range. The HPGe sensor is surrounded by a borated plastic anticoincidence shield that provides three functions: active background rejection from charged particle interactions in the HPGe sensor; fast neutron measurements; and direct measurements of the incident galactic cosmic ray flux. The Neutron Spectrometer (NS) uses three 3 He gas proportional sensors, each with different material wraps to measure thermal (<0.4 eV), low-energy epithermal (0.4 eV to 1 keV), and high-energy epithermal (up to 100 keV) neutrons. This paper provides an overview of the Psyche GRNS, including: its science and measurement objectives; the design of the instrument hardware, software, and operation; pre-launch performance measurements and its initial performance in space; and an overview of its data products and expected operation for different Psyche mission phases.

Engineering - Instrumentation related to nuclear s↗