April 1, 2017. The moderator and reflector system for the China Spallation Neutron Source (CSNS) has been successfully installed on April 1, 2017. It is the first time in China to develop and install such an equipment.

The moderator and reflector system is one of the core components of CSNS target station, which plays a significant role in reflecting, moderating and generating neutrons. Mainly made of beryllium, stainless steel and aluminium alloy, the reflector consists of three cylinders in different sizes. The lower reflector has cooling channel inside, while the intermediate and upper reflectors are solid construction which shield the leaking neutrons.

After 50 days hardworking, the CSNS staff finally finished the whole installation process of the moderator and reflector system, including the pre-installation of the reflector plug, the cryogenic test of the moderator, and the field welding and radiographic test of pipelines. The installation accuracy of moderator and reflector system is less than 0.2mm, and the test results show that all of the physical requirements are satisfied.