Open-pool Australian Lightwater Reactor
OPAL (Open Pool Australian Lightwater reactor) is a 20 megawatt (MW) pool-type nuclear research reactor that was officially opened on 20 April 2007 at the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) Research Establishment at Lucas Heights, located in South Sydney, Australia.
The main reactor uses are:
- Irradiation of target materials to produce radioisotopes for medical and industrial applications
- Research in the field of material science using neutron beams and its sophisticated suite of experimental equipment
- Analysis of minerals and samples using the neutron activation technique and the delay neutron activation technique
- Irradiation of Silicon ingots in order to dope them with phosphorus and produce the basic material used in the manufacturing of semiconductor devices
The reactor runs on an operation cycle of 28 days nonstop at fullpower, followed by a stop of 2 days to reshuffle the fuel.
During year 2010 OPAL ran a total of 286 days at power which represents a worldwide leading availability.
Read more about Open-pool Australian Lightwater Reactor: History, Facility Details, Neutron Scattering At OPAL, July 2007 Shutdown
Famous quotes containing the word australian:
“Beyond the horizon, or even the knowledge, of the cities along the coast, a great, creative impulse is at work—the only thing, after all, that gives this continent meaning and a guarantee of the future. Every Australian ought to climb up here, once in a way, and glimpse the various, manifold life of which he is a part.”
—Vance Palmer (1885–1959)