Today, ANSTO welcomed the approval of the modified fuel design for the OPAL reactor and future use of the fuel, by the independent regulator ARPANSA. The OPAL reactor was shut down last July following the partial displacement of some fuel plates discovered during a routine fuel change.
ANSTO now looks forward to receiving the approval to re-start the OPAL reactor. Prior to the shutdown, OPAL had successfully operated for a year during its commissioning process. After the shutdown, investigations indicated the problem was caused by a combination of factors, including inadequate design and fuel manufacture techniques.
Consequently, changes to the fuel design to avoid future plate movements were made and these have now been approved.
There have been no abnormal safety or radiation issues. ANSTO has kept the community and customers regularly updated on progress during the shutdown, and will continue to do so during the re-start period.
Published: 01/05/2008