High Flux Australian Reactor

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High Flux Australian Reactor (HIFAR) was Australia's first and only operating nuclear reactor. It was built at the Australian Atomic Energy Commission (later ANSTO) Research Establishment at Lucas Heights.

Based on the DIDO reactor at Harwell in the UK, HIFAR was cooled and moderated by heavy water, and the fuel was enriched uranium metal. There was also a graphite neutron reflector surrounding the core. Like DIDO, its original purpose was nuclear materials testing, using its high neutron flux to give materials intended for use in nuclear power reactors their entire expected lifetime neutron exposure in a relatively short period of time.

HIFAR was used for research, particularly neutron diffraction experiments, production of neutron transmutation doped (NTD) silicon, and for production of medical and industrial radioisotopes.

HIFAR first went critical at 11:15 pm local time on January 26, 1958^[1], and was first run at full power of 10MW (thermal) in 1960. The initial fuel load was highly enriched uranium, but over the years the enrichment level of new fuel was steadily reduced, in line with international trends designed to reduce the danger of diversion of research reactor fuel for weapons programs. HIFAR completed conversion to low enriched uranium fuel (LEU) in 2006. Of the six DIDO class reactors built including DIDO itself, HIFAR was the last still in operation. HIFAR was permanently shutdown on 30th January 2007^[2].

Starting in 2006, OPAL, a 20MW replacement reactor, is being commissioned on an adjacent site. OPAL will be served by the same complex of research, isotope production and remote handling laboratories. The two reactors were run in parallel for six months while OPAL was being tested. HIFAR was then permanently shut down and OPAL took over its role. Decommissioning of HIFAR is expected to take around ten years from shutdown^[1].

[edit] References

^ ^a ^b ANSTO staff. "HIFAR Media Backgrounder", ANSTO Media Releases, Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation, 2007-01-30. Retrieved on January 30, 2007.
^ ABC staff. "Science Minister turns off nuclear reactor", ABC online, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 2007-01-30. Retrieved on January 30, 2007.