The business of building custom-made nuclear research reactors is not straightforward. A reactor is a complex and unique piece of engineering but these complexities can turn the apple cart over. Australia's only nuclear reactor, OPAL, is no exception.
The business of building custom-made nuclear research reactors is not straightforward. A reactor is a complex and unique piece of engineering but these complexities can turn the apple cart over. Australia's only nuclear reactor, OPAL, is no exception.
Opened over a year ago in April 2007 by the former Prime Minister John Howard, in July of that year, OPAL was first confronted with an ongoing issue, where tiny amounts of normal water surrounding the reactor began seeping into heavy water which helps keep the chain reaction going by reflecting neutrons back into the core.
This would not have prevented operation but when a fuel design fault was also noted during a routine shutdown, OPAL had to be shut down for nearly ten months. Happily though, after painstaking steps to fix the design fault and after lengthy regulatory assessment, OPAL is operating once more.
Its been a frustrating time for scientists, engineers and management at the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) which operates the reactor and is devoted to getting the $400 million project up and running. This is mainly because OPAL has a leading role in Australia and all are keen to get things rolling. OPALs function is that of a neutron factory where the nuclear fission process provides neutrons for scientific research and medical purposes.
For medicine, OPAL will irradiate material to provide life-saving radiopharmaceuticals for hospitals and medical research, and for science, state-of-the-art neutron beam instruments have been built alongside the reactor. These instruments are in the final phase of testing and are designed to use OPAL neutrons to analyse materials such as food, polymers and metals at the atomic and molecular levels. Having this information can help scientists develop new materials, manufacturing processes and therapeutic drugs.
ANSTOs Acting CEO, Dr Ron Cameron said that with OPAL operational again the instruments commissioning process could recommence and reports there are already results.
"Before the forced shut down in July 2007, OPAL had operated successfully for nearly a year, during which time two of our first seven instruments received their first neutrons and produced their first neutron scattering patterns, which provides information about the structure of the material being analysed," he said. "This June three more instruments also came online bringing the total to five.
"Neutron scattering is at the cutting edge of science. It is used to investigate a wide range of materials such as polymers, emulsions, geological samples, alloys, superconductors, ceramics and biological molecules like proteins and membranes," said Ron.
"It's, therefore, an incredibly useful tool for helping us to understand the structure of materials and how these can be affected by properties such as heat and pressure."
According to Ron, scientists will also be able to conduct in-situ experiments by recreating situations, such as heat, moisture or pressure at the site of the neutron beam so the changes in the atomic structure of materials during these processes can be detected and recorded as it happens.
"ANSTOs neutron beam instruments are some of the most powerful in the world and scientists are lining up to use them. It's, therefore, most important that we ensure these are operational as soon as possible, not just for the sake of Australian science but also the international scientific community," he said.
All seven neutron beam instruments have different focuses and functions. Their scientific names are long and technical so they have been given Australian animal names to identify them, which has appeal to many, particularly visitors who are not scientists. The five instruments that have produced their first neutron beam patterns are Echidna, Wombat, Platypus, Kowari and Koala and licences to officially start using the instruments for research have been granted to Echidna and Wombat.
The instruments will be used as follows:
- Echidna can accurately resolve complex atomic and magnetic structures of powders and will be used, amongst other things, for research into batteries and creating better building products;
- Wombat is one of the most powerful powder diffractometers in the world. It can detect millions of neutrons to produce data on the structure of material in a matter of seconds. Its focus will include studying novel energy storage materials and molecules for drug-delivery;
- Platypus can study surfaces of thin films and membranes, surfaces that interact with air or liquid. It will be particularly useful for studying biological material such as membranes or polymers used for coatings in the development of new biotechnologies for tissue growth for example;
- Kowari can look at stresses in materials such as jet engines or gas pipes; and lastly
- Koala can look at crystal structures which can help in the development of new pharmaceuticals and materials.
The two instruments yet to come on-line are Quokka and Taipan. Amongst other things, Quokka, which is the largest instrument, will have a strong focus on food research and Taipan will be used to study superconductivity.
"Overall the OPAL facility and associated neutron beam instruments has a great deal to offer Australian and international science. ANSTO is therefore determined to deliver the products and services it set out to do. While there are still issues to be resolved, ANSTO is committed to pressing ahead on all fronts to reach the goal of being one of the top three research reactors in the world," Ron concluded.