Super-Kamiokande Detector Uses SEPAREL® For Gas Removal, Researchers Win 2015 Nobel Prize In Physics

On October 6, 2015, Professor Takaaki Kajita and Dr. Arthur B. McDonald were jointly awarded the 2015 Nobel Prize in Physics for using the Super‐Kamiokande Detector to discover neutrino oscillations which confirm that neutrinos are not massless as previously believed.

The Super‐Kamiokande Detector consists of a stainless steel tank filled with 50,000 tons of ultrapure water and 11,129 photomultiplier tubes on the tank wall. The ultrapure water in the tank is continuously reprocessed in a circulation system to reduce the number of particles larger than 0.1 micrometer to 100 particles per cubic centimeter. Additionally, dust, bacteria particles, ions, and radon are removed to reduce background noise as well as scattering of Cherenkov radiation, a blue light caused by particles travelling faster than the speed of light.

To ensure consistent, repeatable results, SEPAREL® hollow fiber membrane modules from the DIC Corporation were installed in the ultrapure water circulation system to remove dissolved gases, especially radon and oxygen.

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