physics

High Flux Australian Reactor

High Flux Australian Reactor is a physics topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand High Flux Australian Reactor rather than just read about it. In short: The High Flux Australian Reactor (HIFAR) was Australia's first nuclear research reactor. It was built at the Australian Atomic Energy Commission (AAEC) research establishment at Lucas Heights, Sydney, New South Wales.

Key takeaways

High Flux Australian Reactor belongs to physics; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect High Flux Australian Reactor to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of High Flux Australian Reactor from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The High Flux Australian Reactor (HIFAR) was Australia's first nuclear research reactor. It was built at the Australian Atomic Energy Commission (AAEC) research establishment at Lucas Heights, Sydney, New South Wales. The reactor was in operation between 1958 and 2007, when it was decommissioned and replaced with the multi-purpose Open-pool Australian lightwater reactor (OPAL), also in Lucas Heights. Both HIFAR and its successor OPAL have been known simply as the Lucas Heights reactor.

Background and operation

Based on the DIDO reactor at Harwell in the UK, HIFAR was cooled and moderated by heavy water (D2O), and the fuel was enriched uranium. There was also a graphite neutron reflector surrounding the core. Like DIDO, its original purpose was nuclear materials testing, using its high neutron flux to give materials intended for use in nuclear power reactors their entire expected lifetime neutron exposure in a relatively short period. HIFAR was used for research, particularly neutron diffraction experiments, production of neutron transmutation doped (NTD) silicon, and for production of medical and industrial radioisotopes. HIFAR went critical at 11:15 pm local time on 26 January 1958, and was first run at full power of 10 MW (thermal) in 1960. The initial fuel was highly enriched uranium, but over the years the enrichment level of new fuel was steadily reduced, in line with international trends designed to reduce the danger of diversion of research reactor fuel for weapons programs. HIFAR completed conversion to low enriched uranium fuel (LEU) in 2006. Of the six DIDO class reactors built including DIDO itself, HIFAR was the last to cease operation. Permanent decommissioning of HIFAR commenced on 30 January 2007 and was expected to be completed by 2025. In the second half of 2023, a licence application for HIFAR Phase A decommissioning was considered by ARPANSA. Phase A decommissioning means decommissioning of the peripheral plant and equipment associated with the reactor. The Phase B decommissioning, licence to which is to be considered at a later time, means demolition of the reactor containment structure and reactor building, rendering the reactor site a green-field site. The full Phase B decommissioning was expected to be completed by about year 2030. On 12 August 2006 Open-pool Australian lightwater reactor (OPAL), the 20 MW replacement reactor located on an adjacent site, went critical. OPAL is served by the same complex of research, isotope production and remote handling laboratories. The two reactors ran in parallel for six months while OPAL was being tested. HIFAR was then permanently shut down and OPAL took over HIFAR's role of Australia's only operating nuclear reactor.

Engineering heritage award The reactor is listed as a National Engineering Landmark by Engineers Australia as part of its Engineering Heritage Recognition Program.

Illustrations

High Flux Australian Reactor: Structure of the HIFAR reactor and building — Structure of the HIFAR reactor and building

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with High Flux Australian Reactor

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what High Flux Australian Reactor claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In physics, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to High Flux Australian Reactor before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about High Flux Australian Reactor ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of High Flux Australian Reactor

In research: High Flux Australian Reactor appears in physics research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses High Flux Australian Reactor in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: High Flux Australian Reactor is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1958 establishments in Australia, 2007 disestablishments in Australia, Defunct nuclear reactors, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for High Flux Australian Reactor outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study High Flux Australian Reactor in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what High Flux Australian Reactor means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain High Flux Australian Reactor out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is High Flux Australian Reactor in simple terms?

Why does High Flux Australian Reactor matter?

Because it connects several physics ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study High Flux Australian Reactor?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on High Flux Australian Reactor.