In a project that will rival the works of avant-garde artist Christo, the building housing the nuclear research reactor at Lucas Heights will soon be shrink-wrapped in white plastic. However the project has less to do with art than with preparations to give the building a fresh coat of paint.
The reactor, known as HIFAR (HIgh-Flux Australian Reactor), will continue to operate, producing radioisotopes for medicine and industry, and will still be open to the public for tours.
However, Ian Kemp of ANSTO’s Nuclear Technology bDivision said that because of the need to protect the environment from dust and paint, the building was being surrounded with plastic in a process known as encapsulation.
"The contractors, Transfield Services Australia Limited Corrosion Protection, have moved onto the site to surround the building with scaffolds. The scaffolds will be wrapped with plastic sheeting so that the outside of the building will be effectively encapsulated for the process of removing layers of paint accumulated over many years. The paint and dust will be contained within the temporary structure so that it can be safely extracted. After the old paint is stripped back, the building will be repainted white."
Ian said that although the Replacement Research Reactor will commence operation by early 2006, the HIFAR building will still need to be maintained for many years.
Coatings Manager of Transfield Services Australia Limited Corrosion Protection, Steve Bond, said that the project would be a major logistical effort involving local employees and sub-contractors. He said the plastic surrounding the building hould be in place towards the end of May and would form an igloo shape. The project is due for completion by the end of July.