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ScienceQuiet 10d · day 11

ANSTO's OPAL reactor marks 20 years powering Australian nuclear medicine and silicon supply

Australia's only nuclear reactor, running since 2006 at Lucas Heights, is now also central to battery research.

newest coverage 10d agosummary written 10d ago4 pieces2 likes & upvotes NewswiresRedditMastodonHacker News

What to know

  • OPAL is Australia's only nuclear reactor and has operated at ANSTO's Lucas Heights site near Sydney since 2006.
  • It produces isotopes for nuclear medicine used to diagnose and treat diseases including cancer, and irradiates silicon used in trains, EVs, hospital equipment and power grids.
  • ANSTO says it supplies more than half the global market for this higher-grade irradiated silicon.
  • Neutron-scattering research at the adjacent facility, enabled by the reactor, is now informing battery technology, including findings on strain from charging beyond 90%.

“There's probably only one other place globally that does all three of those components in one place, so ANSTO is almost unique.”

Shaun Jenkinson, ANSTO CEO · ABC Australia ↗ · Sep 12

Shaun Jenkinson ANSTO CEOKirrily Rule Senior instrument scientist, Australian Centre for Neutron ScatteringANSTO (Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation) Operator of the OPAL reactor

How it unfolded 1 development · click the chart to see its coverage articlesposts

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Sep 14Sep 15Sep 16Sep 17Sep 18Sep 19Sep 20Sep 21Sep 22now · 6:44 AM ET
  1. background

    ANSTO scientists detail neutron research into battery degradation — Senior instrument scientist Kirrily Rule describes findings from the adjacent Australian Centre for Neutron Scattering showing that charging a rechargeable battery beyond about 90% significantly strains its crystal structure, informing future battery material research.

  2. background

    ANSTO marks OPAL reactor's 20th anniversary — ANSTO celebrates two decades of the OPAL reactor, highlighting its role producing nuclear medicine isotopes for diagnosing and treating diseases such as cancer, and irradiating silicon used in trains, EVs, hospital equipment and power grids; ANSTO says it supplies more than half the global market for this higher-grade irradiated silicon.

  3. 1

    Story circulates on Reddit, Hacker News and Mastodon

    The ABC report on OPAL's 20th anniversary is shared without added commentary across r/... on Reddit, Hacker News, and Mastodon, with no substantive discussion generated.

    “In nuclear medicine, what they're doing is diagnosing, staging and treating diseases like cancer.”
    — Shaun Jenkinson, ANSTO CEO · source
  4. background

    OPAL reactor begins operating at ANSTO's Lucas Heights site — The Open Pool Australian Lightwater (OPAL) reactor, a 20-megawatt facility using low-enriched uranium-235 fuel, starts operation at the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation on Sydney's outskirts, becoming the country's only nuclear reactor.