OPAL News
At the time of writing, the OPAL Reactor and its cold neutron source are both running well, after a return to service from a long shutdown on 14th December 2009. During the shutdown, problems with the cold neutron source cryogenic system were resolved, and major work (in the form of applying some sealing clamps) was performed to stem the seepage of light water into the heavy-water reflector vessel. While the latter has no safety consequences, and has a minimal effect on the neutron beam program, it has substantial cost implications for the operation of OPAL.
The emphasis at OPAL will now be on achieving higher reliability, in terms of running to the published schedule. At the time of writing a total of 24 papers have been published using data from OPAL, with a further 6 papers submitted (to our knowledge).