Here we will post some words and pictures from the installation of our new Bruker Avance-800. Updated October 22, 2007 - JSH.
February 2007
I thought it might be interesting to start with a few pictures of the LB124 lab prior to the arrival of the 800. These pictures show the space after some clean-up had been done, as the space had turned into a kind of NMR-equipment junkyard. These pictures also show the removable wall panels. These are interlocking steel panels approximately 2' wide, and since they are steel they have to be replaced with something non-magnetic. This was one of the hardest parts of this project. Jerry spent a lot of time finding a replacement wall, then we had to engineer the upper and lower attachment methods ourselves. We also had to remove the old panels and install the new ones ourselves too, not trivial given the weight of the panels. In these pictures the space looks huge - but it gets filled up later!
August 24th, 2007
Here are a couple of pictures of the arrival of the magnet. It was craned into the LB124 lab via the adjacent airshaft and then moved in through the removable wall on air-skates. Thanks go to Cardinal Contracting for all their help with this phase of the install.
Above, the magnet is lifted off the truck, uncrated, and then lifted into the airshaft using a special bracket (yellow). Below, it arrives at the lower basement level and rests on air skates, the latter allow it to be moved into the lab. It is then lifted again using a hydraulic gantry and finally (for today) placed onto its temporary stand.
Here are some more pictures from the delivery. The three pictures below show the shipment being unloaded and then the magnet being uncrated.
We all love our new magnet!
Away it goes on its trip to the lab. No trees were harmed during the installation of this magnet!
August 28th - September 2nd, 2007
First off we start with a picture of the two Bruker engineers from Germany who came over to work on this installation, Norbert Koneiczny (L) and Peter Rimmelspacher (R). A big thank-you goes to Norbert and Peter for their great work! Next we see the magnet is now on its correct stand, and then we see that the platform around the magnet is taking shape. Thanks go to Electric Metal Fab, Inc., of Nashville, IN, who made the platform (in kit form).
Below, first we show the magnet with the aluminum platform around it completed. Then, voila, the gantry is gone (it wasn't that easy in real life) and the hole in the removable wall is also gone (ditto). In the last picture we are starting the liquid-N2 pre-cooling process, and also the upper fixings for the wall panels have all been installed (finally!).
September 7th, 2007
Now the magnet has been cooled to liquid-N2 temperature, and it is time to start cooling with liquid-He. Peter has gone back to Germany but Norbert is still here working. Here are a couple of pictures of the He filling. We are starting our own He-dewar farm, it seems.
September 11th, 2007
The magnet was cooled to He temperature a couple of days ago, and now the charging process has started. Today we are at about 150 amps out of 196 total. The first picture shows the charging stick installed in the magnet. The second shows engineer Bill Bartsch from Bruker Billerica (how's that for alliteration?) who arrived last Friday to take over from Norbert, who returned home yesterday. Thanks again, Nobi, for all your great work! The third picture shows the console, pumping station, desk and so forth that was set up during the weekend.
September 13th, 2007
WE HAVE AN 800!! The magnet was brought to field today, and then to overfield and back down again without incident. The magnet will be left to settle for three days prior to cryoshimming starting on Monday.
September 24th, 2007
Cryoshimming was completed today, and the charging stick was removed from the magnet, with NO QUENCH! Things are really on a roll now.
Mid-October, 2007
The installation has been completed now and the spectrometer signed-off. There were a couple of minor issues but those have been worked out. Below are a few pictures of the installation now that everything is completed. Maybe I can post a few test spectra soon. Big thanks go to everyone who worked on this effort, especially Bill Bartsch who made the console installation go so smoothly! -JSH.
