OPAL : Commissioning a New

Research Reactor

IAEA Conference, Sydney, November 2007

 Project Timeline

¾ Government announcement 1997

¾ Design and licence application 2000/2001
¾ Construction Licence April 2002
¾ Construction 2002-2006
¾ Cold Commissioning Feb-May 2006
¾ Operating Licence July 2006
¾ First critical 12 Aug 2006
¾ Hot Commissioning Aug 2006 – May 2007
 OPAL Reactor
• Multi-purpose facility – neutron beams,
radiopharmaceuticals, irradiation of materials
• 20 MW thermal power
• Compact core (~300 kW/L)
• Plate type Low Enriched Uranium fuel
• D2O reflector
• Upward coolant flow (light water)
• 2 independent & diverse shutdown systems
 Si Irradiation Rigs
RSPCS Rigs
Reflector Vessel Cooling Branch

Chimney
Pipe Inlet
of RSPCS

Pneumatic Transfer
Bulk irradiation Facility
System Tubes
PCS Suction
Line

Flap Valves
of PCS
Commissioning Organisation
Management Group
ANSTO/INVAP
ARPANSA

Commissioning
Safety Review
Committee RRR Safety &
Licensing Mngr

Commissioning Group

-INVAP Comm. Mgr.

-RRR Prj Eng Mngr
-Comm Reactor Mngr

Operation Group Construction ANSTO

Group Group

Commissioning Teams
ANSTO/INVAP

QA
Audit

Quality
Assurance Group
 Staffing and Training
• Experienced HIFAR staff
• Shared HIFAR/OPAL staff
• Staff seconded from within ANSTO
• New recruitment
• Contractors
• Training courses
• Simulator
 Documentation
• Prepared by INVAP, reviewed by ANSTO
¾ Commissioning Plan
¾ Commissioning Test Procedures
¾ Safety Analysis Report
¾ Design, Operations and Maintenance Manuals

• Operating Limits and Conditions

• OPAL Business Management System

 Commissioning Stages

• Pre- Commissioning
• Stage A – Cold commissioning
• Stage B1 – First criticality
• Stage B2 – Low power tests
• Stage C – Power ascension and full power tests
 Precommissioning
• Previous tests include:
• Factory acceptance tests
• Installation tests
• Functional tests
• INVAP responsible for all commissioning
• ANSTO project team provides oversight
• ANSTO witness and support precommissioning
activities
 Stage A Cold Commisioning
• 47 test procedures completed:
¾ Safety system tests (FSS, SSS, Containment)
¾ Instrumentation and Control system tests (FRPS,
SRPS, PAM, RCMS, RMS)
¾ Reactor State tests (Power, Physics Test, Shutdown,
Refueling)
¾ Plant procedure verification
¾ Loss of Normal Power test
¾ Emergency drill
¾ 36 hr cold run
OPAL Control Room
 Hot Commissioning
• ARPANSA issued the Operating Licence
in July 2006 allowing fuel to be loaded
• Reactor Operations by accredited ANSTO
operators under INVAP supervision
 Stage B1
• Start up core with three different uranium
loadings.
• First critical 12 August 2006 with 14 fuel
assemblies loaded
• First Shutdown System shutdown value
measured
 First Core FA Distribution

A1 B1 C C1 D1
~ 212 g U235 / FA without BP
R
1
A2 B2 C2 D2
~ 383 g U235 / FA with BP

CR 2 CR5 C R3

A3 B3 C3 D3 ~ 484 g U235 / FA with BP

C (standard type)
R
A4 B4 4 C4 D4
 Stage B2
• Completed loading of full core 16 fuel
assemblies
• 22 main tests at powers up to 400kW
• Irradiation of gold wires for determination
of power peaking factor, reactivity worth of
facilities and calibration of nuclear
instrumentation
• All feedback coefficients confirmed
negative
 Stage C
• Reactor power increased in steps to 20
MW
• Nucleonic instrumentation calibration at 3
MW from thermal balance
• Loss of normal electrical supply test from
full load
• 20 MW achieved 3 November 2006
 11-Nov-06
9-Nov-06
Power Profile (MW)

7-Nov-06
5-Nov-06
3-Nov-06
15 MW

1-Nov-06
20 MW
Stage-C Power Profile

30-Oct-06

Date
28-Oct-06
26-Oct-06
24-Oct-06
22-Oct-06
10 MW
20-Oct-06

5 MW
18-Oct-06

3 MW
16-Oct-06

1 MW
14-Oct-06
20

15

10

0
Core Power (MW th)
 Commissioning Issues
• Noise in nucleonics instrumentation
• Wide range nucleonics detectors change
from pulse to Campbell mode
• CNS turbine
• Core outlet temperature sensors
• Cooling tower performance
• Delay in completion of irradiation facilities
 Reactor pool

Reflector vessel

Core
Repairs to OPAL reflector vessel
Helium gas leak test

gas bubbles

planned duration of each process is ~ 1 month

 Reactor Core
Reactor Core

Hf Control
Rods

Central
Control Rod

Fuel
Assemblies
Fuel Plates

Coolant Channels
between Fuel Plates