OPAL News

As we write, OPAL is operating well at 20 MW; five instruments are taking data either for users or as part of hot commissioning, and the cold-neutron source continues to run without any glitches.

Since OPAL's return to full power on May 23rd, we have operated for 56 days, ~60% of the scheduled days. This availability is not as high as we would have liked and it largely reflects a series of unrelated operational teething problems, all of which are now resolved. In the next 3 months, OPAL's inventory of heavy water will be replaced during a shutdown in October/November, and we anticipate steady operation from then on.