The National Science Foundation has awarded a $1.8 million grant to UF for the renovation of its helium liquefaction and recovery system.
Neil Sullivan, a UF physics professor and principal investigator for the project, said the main purpose of the facility is to make, store and transport liquid helium in a system more than two miles long. The product is then used for studies, applied research and practical uses.
He said the renovation will impact more than 100 students and faculty that use helium in their research as well as outside groups and individuals that use the facility.
The proposed installation will upgrade the current facility to support large scale users, such as the McKnight Brain Institute and the Center for Quantum Turbulence, as well as a variety of small interdisciplinary projects.
The facility at UF is unique, Sullivan said, in that it is able to achieve the lowest temperatures in the world. He said the university has one of the most efficient facilities as it recovers about 95 percent of the helium used.
Although the university was granted the award in July, the money was finally released this month, Sullivan said.
The renovations are slated to be finished by the end of 2013.
