$2 Million Synchrotron Magnet Contract Awarded

Posted May 24, 2000


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE ? Monday, May 15, 2000 2000-05-07-OTHER

$2-MILLION SYNCHROTRON MAGNET CONTRACT AWARDED TO UK FIRM

The University of Saskatchewan has awarded a $2-million contract to
England-based Tesla Engineering Limited for huge magnets that will help
focus the light produced by the stadium-sized synchrotron now being
constructed on campus.

Six bids were received and all were from outside Canada.

The contract was approved on Friday by the university?s board of governors.

The Tesla Engineering contract includes the design, fabrication, testing and
supply of the 25 dipole magnets that will be used in the Canadian Light
Source (CLS) synchrotron project.

The contract includes $34,000 in spare parts that will be needed in the
future.

A synchrotron is a high-tech machine that accelerates a stream of electrons
and manipulates them to create an extremely bright light. The light can then
be used by industrial and university scientists as a revolutionary new tool
to observe structures and chemical reactions at the molecular level.

Tesla Engineering is one of the largest international dipole magnet
suppliers for major synchrotrons in the world.

Dipole magnets work as a lens to focus the electron beam. The magnets are
used to keep the electrons travelling in a circle, emitting synchrotron
light and keeping the beam absolutely true. Each dipole magnet weighs 6,000
kilograms.

CLS project construction contracts to date total about $40 million, of which
$26 million has gone to Saskatchewan-based companies.

Construction of the $173.5-million national facility is on time and on
budget.

For more information contact:

Barry Hawkins or Kathryn Warden
CLS Project Manager Communications Officer
University of Saskatchewan Office of the Vice President Research
(306) 966-6065 (306) 966-2506 Phone
(306) 966-2411 Fax
kathryn.warden@usask.ca