He3 Bi-monthly Meeting – Minutes
Date: Thursday - January 29, 2026 (10:15 AM start)
Focus: Planning around Weijun’s visit to Bates and ongoing work there
Attendees (from transcript)
Prajwal MohanMurthy
James E. Kelsey
Richard G. Milner
Bob Redwine
Frank Rathmann
Haixin Huang
Maggie Kerr
Others mentioned: Weijun, Joe, Holger (associate director)
Agenda (as discussed)
- Status of ongoing work at Bates related to Weijun’s visit
- Technical status of the bellows and leak check
- Scheduling and support for Weijun’s return visit (Friday)
- Budget and funding situation, including the additional 250k and risk of a stop order
Discussion and updates
1. Work status at Bates and Weijun’s visit
- Jim reported that Andy Gallant has already done needed machining work as a favor, which enables Weijun to complete the task he has been working on.
- Weijun is planning to come to Bates on Friday (tomorrow) to finish his work.
- Weijun’s availability after this visit is very limited over the next few months, so making use of this visit is important.
2. Bellows and leak check
- The bellows assembly is being leak-checked; the team expects to finish the leak check today.
- In normal operation, the internal pressure is expected to be under about 1 psi, which should be safe for the bellows.
- The bellows “squirms” only when there is significant internal pressure; around atmospheric pressure this becomes an issue.
- A failure mode was discussed: if there is a vacuum incursion in the outside tank, there could be a risk of bellows failure.
- Despite this, the team can proceed with leak checking and operation, with this risk in mind.
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3. Schedule for Weijun and local technical support
- Only one technician is strictly needed to work with Weijun during this visit.
- James has already spoken with Joe; the plan is to proceed today, complete the leak check, and characterize the bellows “squirm,” then adjust tomorrow’s plan as needed.
4. Budget and funding status
- Prajwal reviewed the accounts related to the work at Bates. One of the relevant project accounts is in good shape, and the other is in red.
- For the next fiscal year, Holger (associate director) has indicated that, without some form of commitment, he will issue a stop order as early as next Monday.
- There is a pending additional 250k in funding. Without clarity on this, work may have to stop again for several months.
- Holger appears willing to let the account go negative for a time if there is a reasonable expectation that the 250k will arrive.
Decisions
- Proceed with the leak check of the bellows at Bates today and characterize the “squirm” behavior.
- Tentative plan is for Weijun to come to Bates on Friday; likelihood estimated at 80–90 percent, pending final confirmation from Prajwal and coordination with Holger.
- Only one technician will be assigned to work with Weijun during his visit.
- A follow-up funding discussion will be held (Prajwal, Frank, Richard, and Haishen / Hyzin) to clarify the status and timing of the additional 250k and to address the risk of a stop order next week.
Action items
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James Kelsey & Techs:
- Complete the bellows leak check today and assess the squirm behavior.
- Coordinate with Joe and inform Weijun of Fri's visit.
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Prajwal MohanMurthy
- Organize or participate in the follow-up discussion with Frank, Richard, and Haixin regarding the additional 250k and long-term funding.
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Frank Rathmann, Haixin Huang, and Richard G. Milner
- Join the follow-up discussion on funding and help clarify the commitment and timing for the additional 250k so that work at Bates can continue without interruption.
Next steps
- Await results of the bellows leak check and squirm assessment.
- Resolve questions surrounding the 250k funding and the potential stop order before early next week.
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