Antinuclear

Lucas Heights nuclear reactor’s slips and leaks

Radiation leak fear at Sydney’s Lucas Heights as four workmen contaminated, Linda Silmalis The Sunday Telegraph April 15, 2012   FOUR workmen at the Lucas Heights nuclear reactor suffered low-level radiation contamination late last year.
An investigation by the nuclear safety watchdog of the reactor log books to ensure it was meeting its licence conditions has found a rise in the number of contamination events recorded in November and December..

…Two reactor trips were also recorded, while “unusual” water leakage was identified coming from one of the control rods, the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency report said…. While the watchdog ticked off the operations at the reactor as complying with safety regulations, it recommended the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) consider increasing the level of detail it recorded for events.

It noted a number of events and items of interest that had been recorded in the Reactor Operation Event Management System and log book. “The number of minor contamination events at OPAL has increased recently,” it said..

…  OPAL replaces the high flux reactor, which began a $50 million decommissioning phase in 2007. The process is expected to take 10 years, with dismantling of the structure only to begin in 2016 after short-lived radioactive materials in the reactor have decayed. http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/sydney-nsw/radiation-leak-fear-in-sydney/story-e6freuzi-1226326493993

April 16, 2012 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | New South Wales, safety