?oa x>i^oO 194

S E G O jID J i r O E .  J O R  ; v  4 - 3  H E IG H T S

S t a t e m e n t  by t h e  M i n i s t e r  f o r  N a t i o n a l  D e v e l o p m e n t ,

S e n a t o r  t h e  Hon. V/.F, S p o o n e r , L.M.

Â«Â«. secon d n u c l e a r  r e a c t o r  i s  b e i n g  i n s t a l l e d  a t  L u c a s  H e i g h t s

by  t h e  A u s t r a l i a n  a t o m i c  E n e rg y  Commission,

I n  a n n o u n c i n g  t h i s  t o - d a y , t h e  M i n i s t e r  f o r  N a t i o n a l  D e v e l o p m e n t ,

S e n a t o r  S p o o n e r , e x p l a i n e d  t h a t  i t  would be a  s m a l l  a nd  s i m p l e

a p p a r a t u s  by c o m p a r i s o n  with, t h e  C o m m i s s i o n ' s  f i r s t  r e a c t o r ,  KIFa.R,

I t  would be u s e d  i n  t h e  C o m m i s s i o n ' s  g e n e r a l  programme f o r  t h e

d e v e l o p m e n t  o f  a h i g h  t e m p e r a t u r e  g a s - c o o l e d  r e a c t o r  a nd  would be

c o m p l e m e n ta ry  t o  H1FAR, wh ic h was a 1 0 , 0 0 0  k i l o w a t t  m a t e r i a l s

t e s t i n g  r e a c t o r  u s e d  a l s o  f o r  m ak i n g  r a d i o - i s o t o p e s .  P r o d u c t i o n

o f  i s o t o p e s ,  w h i c h  had a l r e a d y  b e g u n ,  formed an i m p o r t a n t  p a r t  o f

t h e  L uca s H e i g h t s  programme, rllR.R had been  o p e r a t i n g  a t  f u l l

power s i n c e  t h e  b e g i n n i n g  o f  t h e  y e a r ,

Hl'R.R was p r i m a r i l y  i n te n d e d ,  f o r  t e s t i n g  t h e  m e t a l l u r g i c a l

and c h e m i c a l  b e h a v o u r  o f  r e a c t o r  m a t e r i a l s  u n d e r Â· e x t r e m e  c o n d i t i o n s

o f  r a d i a t i o n  a nd t e m p e r a t u r e .  The i n t e n s e  r a d i a t i o n  n e c e s s a r i l y

meant t h a t  e x p e r i m e n t s  i n  'Ã¢ÂÂ¢ÃÂÃÂ¡-vR were c o m p l i c a t e d .  Many p r e c a u t i o n s

h i d  t o  be t a k e n  i n  h a n d l i n g  e q u i p m e n t  and m a t e r i a l s .

The new r e a c t o r  would p r o d u c e  10 k i l o w a t t s  o f  h e a t  and would

be a s i m p l e  s y s t e m  t o  a s s e m b l e , o p e r a t e  and u s e .  I t  would be

employed f o r  many t e s t s  a nd m e a s u r e m e n t s  where t h e  i n t e n s e  r a d i a t i o n

o f  HIRiR was v r . . n e c e s s a r y ,  t h e s e  would i n c l u d e  p h y s i c s  s t u d i e s

o f  r e a c t o r  m a t e r i a l ,  and sam ple c o r e s  ( f u e l  a s s e m b l i e s )  f o r  f u t u r e

power r e a c t o r  s y s t e m s .

Because  o f  i t s  s i m p l i c i t y  and i n h e r e n t  s a f e t y  o f  o p e r a t i o n ,

t h e  new r e a c t o r  would a l s o  be u s e d  f o r  t r a i n i n g  s t a f f  who would

e v e n t u a l l y  work on o t h e r  r e a c t o r s *

The new r e a c t o r ,  known a s  a. UTR-10 t y p e , was a f l e x i b l e

i n s t r u m e n t ,  p r o v i d i n g  a r e a d i l y  v a r i e d  s o u r c e  o f  n e u t r o n  f l u x .

The e x p e r i m e n t a l  f a c i l i t i e s  a v a i l a b l e  i n c l u d e d  a number o f

i r r a d i a t i o n  c a v i t i e s , two e a s i l y  a c c e s s i b l e  g r a p h i t e  f a c e s  t o

p r o v i d e  a l a r g o - a r e a  n e u t r o n  s o u r c e , and a l a r g e  r a t e r - f i l l e d  t a n k

f o r  r a d i a t i o n  s h i e l d i n g  s t u d i e s .

The whole r e a c t o r  Assembly would be p r o t e c t e d  by a c o n c r e t e

s h i e l d ,  the o v e r a l l  d i m e n s i o n s  b e i n g  a p p r o x i m  t c l y  20 f e e t  l o n g ,

17 f e e t  wide a n d  10 f e e t  h i g h .  The r e a c t o r  would be c o n t r o l l e d

from a s m a l l  c o n s o l e  a b o u t  6 f e e t  l o n g , 6 f e e t  h i g h  a nd  3 f e e t

d e e p .

S e n a t o r  S p o o n e r  s a i d  t h a t  t e n d e r s  had b e e n  c a l l e d ,  an d t h e

c o n t r a c t  to s u p p l y  a n d  co mmission t h e  r e a c t o r  had: b e en  a ward ed  t o

a d v a n c e d  T e c h n o lo g y  L a b o r a t o r i e s ,  a d i v i s i o n  o f  A m e r i c a n - S t a n d a r d ,

o f  Mou nta in View, C a l i f o r n i a ,

B e ca use  a l l  t h e  b a s i c  f a c i l i t i e s , s t a f f  a nd  s e r v i c e s  r e q u i r e d

t o  o p e r a t e  i t  were a l r e a d y  a t  L u ca s H e i g h t s ,  t h e  r e a c t o r  would be

i n s t a l l e d  and c o m m is s io n e d  f o r  a r e l a t i v e l y  m o d e s t  sum o f  a b o u t

Â£ 6 5 , 0 0 0 .  (HIR.R and i t s  a s s o c i a t e d  f a c i l i t i e s  c o s t  r o u g h l y  Â£2

m i l l i o n ) o  Ã¢ÂÂ

The c o m p l e t e  r e a c t o r  would be s i t u a t e d  m  a new b u i l d i n g ,

s h o r t l y  t o  be e r e c t e d  a t  L uca s H e i g h t s ,  T e n d e r s  f o r  t m s  b u i l d i n g

would be c a l l e d  w i t h i n  t h e  n e x t  two or t h r e e  w e ek s . Th rough t h e

A u s t r a l i a n  I n s t i t u t e  o f  N u c l e a r  S c i e n c e  and E n g i n e e r i n g ,  whose

h e a d q u a r t e r s  /ore a l s o  a t  L uca s H e i g h t s ,  t h e  r e a c t o r  would be

a v a i l a b l e  t o  a l l  - v s t r a l i a n  u n i v e r s e  t i e s _  f o r  t h e i r  own r e s e a r c h

and t r a i n i n g  p ro g ra m m e s , s u b j e c t  t o  Commission r e q u i r e m e n t s ,

S e n a t o r  Spooner a d d e d .  Ca n b e r ra "  March' J T I 960

