Bragg Institute
News
Small-angle Scattering Detector installed in QUOKKA
9 May 2008
Today, for the first time, the 1m2 two-dimensional position-sensitive detector was installed in the QUOKKA small-angle neutron scattering instrument.
OPAL Reactor runs again
9 May 2008
The OPAL reactor was taken critical today at 12:15 pm. Today's criticality was the first since the reactor was shutdown in July 2007, following the identification of a number of displaced fuel plates in the reactor core. According to ANSTO's "return to service program" it is expected that full power operation will be achieved before the end of May. We would like to take this opportunity to thank: all the ANSTO staff who have been involved in the shutdown activities, fuel modification submission and the "return to service" program; people from a number of national & international organisations that assisted and supported these activities; our users and customers for their understanding and patience during this difficult period; and staff from the Australian nuclear regulator, ARPANSA, for their focus and rigour of the fuel submission.
Bragg Institute
The Bragg Institute is the strongest neutron and X-ray scattering group in Australia. It is located at the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation's (ANSTO) site just outside Sydney, in New South Wales, Australia. The Institute is named as a tribute to the father-and-son team of William and Lawrence Bragg, who were jointly awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1915 for pioneering the analysis of crystal structures by means of X-rays
The centrepiece of our activities is the new OPAL research reactor, along with its state-of-the-art neutron-beam instruments, and our user programme is anticipated to begin mid to late 2007. This will place Australia at the leading edge, with facilities, staff and support competitive with the best facilities in North America and Europe. Our sophisticated in-house X-ray facilities complement our neutron instruments and are now available to experimenters. Finally, we provide access to overseas X-ray synchrotrons in Japan, the USA and Taiwan through the Australian Synchrotron Research Program, which we manage on behalf of the nation.
Much of our work is conducted in collaboration with our users and we pride ourselves on the excellent customer service we offer. Access to neutron beam instruments is by peer review based on merit, with no charge for beam time if results are published in the open literature. Access for proprietary work is available on a fee-for-service basis.
The Bragg Institute has substantial partnerships with other leading research organisations in Australia and is keen to develop more such relationships both within Australia and around the world. We intend to attract new users from Australia's scientific research community and the business sector.