System conception of argon purification, regeneration and condensation for large scale facilities to be used in the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE) of Fermilab

• Grant number: 20/01522-4
• Support type: Research Grants - Innovative Research in Small Business - PIPE
• Duration: May 01, 2020 - June 30, 2021
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Chemical Engineering - Chemical Process Industries
• Principal researcher: Cesar Celeste Ghizoni
• Grantee: Cesar Celeste Ghizoni
• Company: Equatorial Sistemas S/A
• CNAE: Fabricação de gases industriais ; Pesquisa e desenvolvimento experimental em ciências físicas e naturais
• City: São José dos Campos

Abstract

This grant proposal is an integrated initiative between the academy and industry within São Paulo State in Brazil to tackle chagelling scientific and technological problems associated with mass production, purification and regeneration of liquid Argon (LAr) and related cryogenics in large scale facilities. Massive LAr cryogenics play a crucial role in the International Long-Baseline Neutrino Facility (LBNF) project, which provides the infrastructure for the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE) hosted by the U.S. Department of Energy's Fermilab in Batavia-IL. This project is an international flagship study to unlock the mysteries of neutrinos, which are the most abundant matter particles in the universe and, even though they are all around us, we still know very little about them. It's by studying these neutrinos that scientists at LBNF/DUNE will be able to paint a clearer picture of the universe and how it works.Playing a crucial role on LBNF/DUNE project, "Gleb Wataghin" Physics Institute (IFGW) at Unicamp and Equatorial Sistemas Ltda (Equatorial) come together with Fermilab to celebrate a scientific agreement to perform research and development, testing and modeling and prototype construction to overcome challenging scientific and technological problems associated with mass production, purification and regeneration of liquid Argon (LAr) and related cryogenics in large scale facilities, especially when they must be placed deep underground. As such, this joint proposal is aimed to apply for FAPESP funding through combined Special Research Grant (Auxílio Regular de Pesquisa Especial) to IFGW/Unicamp and two Grants for Innovative Research in Small Companies (PIPE) for Equatorial Sistemas Ltda for research, development and innovation regarding the Phase-1 of the LBNF/DUNE project. Fermilab lab will collaborate with the scientific and technical details of project and will fund a series of visits of researchers from IFGW and Equatorial to Fermilab. This partnership is a unique opportunity for development of science and technology in industry and universities in São Paulo when participating in an extraordinary and unprecedent experiment at the frontiers of Particle Physics, with possibility of important discoveries with great impact on Particle Physics and about the origin of the Universe. This experiment will be a focus of great attention by the whole scientific community worldwide for decades. (AU)