physics

SAFARI-1

SAFARI-1 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 SAFARI-1 rather than just read about it. In short: SAFARI-1 is a 20 MW light water-cooled, beryllium reflected, pool-type research reactor, initially used for high level nuclear physics research programmes and was commissioned in 1965. The reactor is owned and operated by South African Nuclear Energy Corporation (NECSA) at their facility in Pelindaba, South Africa.

Key takeaways

SAFARI-1 belongs to physics; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect SAFARI-1 to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of SAFARI-1 from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

SAFARI-1 is a 20 MW light water-cooled, beryllium reflected, pool-type research reactor, initially used for high level nuclear physics research programmes and was commissioned in 1965. The reactor is owned and operated by South African Nuclear Energy Corporation (NECSA) at their facility in Pelindaba, South Africa. The reactor is a tank in pool type reactor and is designed to run on enriched uranium. Currently the fuel in use is the remains of the decommissioned South African nuclear weapons.

History The reactor was built in cooperation with the Atoms for Peace program run by the US Dept Of Energy in the 1950s and '60s. Planning started in 1960 and construction occurred between 1961 and 1965. In March 1965 the reactor was commissioned and initially operated at 6.75 MW, a limitation imposed by the capacity of the secondary cooling circuit. Output was increased to 20 MW in 1968 after the secondary cooling circuit was upgraded. Initially the reactor was fueled with High Enriched uranium (HEU) supplied by the United States, but in 1975 exports of HEU from the USA to South Africa was suspended in protest of South Africa's nuclear weapons program and the construction of the Valindaba Y-plant. In order to conserve the available fuel supply, reactor output was reduced to 5 MW and operating hours were dramatically reduced In 1979 the Valindaba Y-plant started producing 45% HEU and in 1981 the first fuel assemblies from Valindaba were made available to fuel SAFARI-1. Operating hours were increased, but power was kept at 5 MW until 1993 when it was increased to 10 MW and eventually 20 MW due to the commercialisation of NECSA operations. The reactor was shut down for repairs in 1988 after a water leak was detected in the pool. In 2005 it was announced that the reactor is to be converted from using High Enriched uranium to Low Enriched uranium as fuel.

Use One of Safari-1s primary uses is the production of radio isotopes for radiopharmacology use in nuclear medicine, specifically the production of molybdenum-99. Radio isotopes are distributed through NTP Radioisotopes, a subsidiary company of NECSA

See also Pelindaba South African Nuclear Energy Corporation Atoms for Peace

References

External links SAFARI-1 at the Nuclear Threat Initiative NTP Radioisotopes Archived 2013-08-12 at the Wayback Machine Reduced Enrichment for Research and Test Reactors Program The Woodrow Wilson Center's Nuclear Proliferation International History Project or NPIHP is a global network of individuals and institutions engaged in the study of international nuclear history through archival documents, oral history interviews and other empirical sources.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with SAFARI-1

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what SAFARI-1 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 SAFARI-1 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 SAFARI-1 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 SAFARI-1

In research: SAFARI-1 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 SAFARI-1 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: SAFARI-1 is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1965 in South Africa, Buildings and structures in North West (South African province), Nuclear research reactors, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for SAFARI-1 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 SAFARI-1 in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what SAFARI-1 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 SAFARI-1 out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is SAFARI-1 in simple terms?

Why does SAFARI-1 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 SAFARI-1?

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 SAFARI-1.