ANSTO this week submitted a proposal to the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA) regarding repairs to the reactor pool tank.
This follows ANSTO’s advice to ARPANSA last month that an Australian manufacturer had made an error in the alignment of penetrations in the reactor pool tank, part of the replacement research reactor currently being constructed at Lucas Heights.
The proposal, which has been reviewed by the Welding Technology Institute of Australia (WTIA), includes a strategy to replace all of the incorrectly located tank penetrations.
ANSTO intends that any repairs previously done by the manufacturer be re-done to a uniform design, and with close supervision, to eliminate any question about structural integrity.
To ensure the timeliness and quality of these repairs INVAP, the Argentinian company contracted to build the replacement reactor and JHEDI JV, the prime Australian subcontractor responsible for building and construction work, will provide some additional oversight staff at the tank manufacturer’s premises.
All other work on the replacement reactor is continuing. ANSTO does not expect there to be an overall delay in the replacement reactor construction process.