Emergency response planning

Contact: 

Hefin Griffiths,
Manager, Safety, Environmental and Radiological Assurance (SERA),
Locked Bag 2001, Kirrawee DC, NSW, 2232, Australia

Overview

ANSTO acknowledges there are concerns about nuclear reactors and the possibility of radiological incidents.

Addressing these concerns is an on-going challenge, so the best way to tackle this is by providing the public with information on ANSTO’s activities and the safety of its reactor.

Because of its size, design and integrated safety features, ANSTO's Open Pool Lightwater research reactor (OPAL) is extremely safe.

As a result, the likelihood of a radiological release from the research reactor is extremely low. We have detailed information on the reactor’s safety features and design, which can be found here.

While the reactor is safe, ANSTO has a comprehensive emergency response plan in place. To view the plan click here. 

For further information on ANSTO’s activities and the safety of its reactor, we encourage you to visit our site in Sydney.

We offer free tours and aim to answer all of your questions. To register for one of our daily tours, click here.

Common concerns and questions
 

Could there be an accident at ANSTO like Chernobyl or Fukushima?

The nuclear accidents at Chernobyl, Ukraine in 1986 and Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in 2011 were clearly two very different incidents, but both have had the effect of increasing fears about the safety of nuclear power.

The Chernobyl reactor had a flawed design and poor safety features that failed to guard against human error. 

Designed in the 1960s, the power plant at Fukushima suffered major damage from the 9.0 earthquake and subsequent tsunami that hit Japan on March 11, 2011.

It’s important to distinguish OPAL from these power reactors to illustrate that a replication of such events are impossible here.

• Firstly, OPAL is a research reactor and as a result uses much less uranium for fuel than a power reactor (approx 25kg vs hundreds of tonnes)
• OPAL runs at cooler temperatures – around 45 degrees celcius, the temperature of a hot shower, compared to the temperatures of around 300 degrees celcius used in power reactors.
• The site on which OPAL is situated has been confirmed as geologically stable by expert geologists

• OPAL is a modern facility that relies upon natural convection of the cooling water to keep the reactor core cool, which is not affected by a complete loss of power and would have no impact on the reactor

Could radiation leak out of the reactor?

The OPAL reactor building is constructed out of reinforced concrete, which provides the physical boundary to contain radiation emissions.

In the unlikely event of an external accident, OPAL has a containment system in place to ensure minimal amounts of radioactivity escape into the environment. If necessary, the reactor building can be isolated from the external environment. The containment includes systems to trap radioactive material in high efficiency particulate filters, as well as activated charcoal for trapping radioactive iodine.

What would happen if a plane struck, or there was an earthquake?
 

The reactor building also protects the reactor from external events, including aircraft collisions and earthquakes. Indeed, OPAL is able to withstand much greater earthquake loads than other industrial buildings, high rise units and dams.

Shutdown

OPAL's automated and highly reliable safety features include two independent safety systems that are able to quickly and independently shut down the reactor core.

OPAL's first shutdown system quickly inserts (by gravity and assisted with compressed air) the five control rods into the reactor core, absorbing neutrons in the core and thus stopping the nuclear chain reaction. The second shutdown system partially drains the reflector vessel of its heavy water, allowing more neutrons to escape the core and thus stopping the nuclear chain reaction. 

Both shutdown systems are fail-safe and can function independent of electrical power.

Response plan

ANSTO's emergency response plan is based on international best practice.

It is supported by internal operating procedures, as well as NSW emergency service organisations such as NSW Police, NSW Fire Brigade, NSW Rural Fire Services, Ambulance Services of NSW and other bodies such as Sutherland Shire Council.

Review

ANSTO’s current emergency plan maintains a number of administrative controls to mitigate the consequences of the most severe accident that were used during the operation of its High Flux Australian Reactor (HIFAR), which served the Australian people for 50 years and was shutdown on 30 January 2007.

ANSTO believes that the investment in engineering controls incorporated into HIFAR's replacement, OPAL, has removed some of the requirements defined in the current emergency arrangements.

However, as part of the licensing process for OPAL, ANSTO's nuclear regulator, ARPANSA, required that the existing emergency arrangements be maintained. ANSTO welcomes the opportunity to open a debate as to whether the current arrangements are the most appropriate means of managing the much reduced residual risks associated with current operations.