ANSTO has commenced cold commissioning of its new research reactor, OPAL. This involves testing all reactor systems and equipment without fuel being loaded.
During cold commissioning the reactor’s designers, INVAP, and ANSTO will check that all systems operate and perform as expected. ANSTO will then provide the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA) with detailed results. Consideration of those results will be one factor in ARPANSA’s decision as to whether it issues an operating licence.
If ARPANSA issues ANSTO with the licence, fuel can be loaded and hot commissioning commenced. This will be a slow process, with power starting at around one watt, which is less than an average light bulb. The power level will slowly be increased as tests are undertaken and operational safety is demonstrated.
As reactor power is increased over some months to full power of 20 Megawatts, testing and measuring will continue to ensure OPAL’s performance is consistent with its design.
ANSTO is hopeful that OPAL will be in full operation by the end of this year. Cold commissioning is anticipated to take around twelve weeks to complete.
Like the current reactor, HIFAR, OPAL will provide Australians with over 70 per cent of the nuclear medicines needed for diagnosis and treatment of diseases such as cancer. A major improvement over HIFAR will be the range of neutron energies it will provide, enabling state-of-the-art materials research, which will put ANSTO in the top ranks of international nuclear science. OPAL will also have a larger capacity to irradiate silicon for the semiconductor industry.
Published: 16/02/2006