The OPAL Reactor returned to service today after a short routine shutdown.
We have had good thermal-neutron reliability throughout the first three months of 2011, and 84% of this beam time has been used for user experiments on our 5 operating thermal-neutron instruments.
However, the cold neutron source did not return to service, due to continuing difficulties with the helium gas system that drives the cryogenic system.
ANSTO has been working with all the relevant contractors to understand and ameliorate this situation, and we are hopeful that cold-neutron service will resume on 14th May after the next planned shutdown.
Published: 02/04/2011