Australian Atomic Energy Commission
Encyclopedia
The Australian Atomic Energy Commission (AAEC) was a statutory body of the Australia
n government.
It was established in 1952, replacing the Atomic Energy Policy Committee. In 1981 parts of the Commission were split off to become part of CSIRO, the remainder continuing until 1987, when it was replaced by the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation
(ANSTO). The Commission head office was in Coogee
, and its main facilities were at the Atomic Energy Research Establishment at Lucas Heights, established in 1958.
Highlights of the Commission's history included:
Other significant facilities constructed by the Commission at Lucas Heights included a 3MeV
Van de Graaff
particle accelerator
, installed in 1964 to provide proton
beams and now upgraded to become ANTARES, a smaller 1.3MeV betatron
, and radioisotope production and remote handling facilities associated with HIFAR reactor.
Significant research work included:
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n government.
It was established in 1952, replacing the Atomic Energy Policy Committee. In 1981 parts of the Commission were split off to become part of CSIRO, the remainder continuing until 1987, when it was replaced by the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation
Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation
The Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation is a statutory body of the Australian government, formed in 1987 to replace the Australian Atomic Energy Commission. Its head office and main facilities are in southern outskirts of Sydney at Lucas Heights, in the Sutherland Shire...
(ANSTO). The Commission head office was in Coogee
Coogee
Coogee may refer to:*Coogee, New South Wales, a suburb of Sydney*South Coogee, New South Wales, a suburb of Sydney*Electoral district of Coogee, an electoral district in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly, based around the area...
, and its main facilities were at the Atomic Energy Research Establishment at Lucas Heights, established in 1958.
Highlights of the Commission's history included:
- Major roles in the establishment of the IAEA and the system of international safeguards.
- The construction of the HIFARHIFARHigh Flux Australian Reactor was Australia's first nuclear reactor. It was built at the Australian Atomic Energy Commission Research Establishment at Lucas Heights....
and MOATAMOATAMoata was a 100 kW thermal Argonaut class reactor located at Lucas Heights near Sydney, Australia. Moata went critical at 5:50am on 10 April 1961 and ended operations on 31 May 1995. The reactor has since been permanently shutdown, and is in the final stages of dismantling ..Moata is an...
research reactors at Lucas Heights. - The selection of the preferred tender for the construction of the proposed Jervis Bay Nuclear Power PlantJervis Bay Nuclear Power PlantJervis Bay Nuclear Power Plant was a proposed nuclear power reactor in the Jervis Bay Territory on the south coast of New South Wales. It would have been Australia's first nuclear power plant, and was the only proposal to have received serious consideration...
. - The Ranger Uranium MineRanger Uranium MineThe Ranger uranium mine is surrounded by Kakadu National Park, in the Northern Territory of Australia, 230 km east of Darwin. The orebody was discovered in 1969, and the mine commenced operation in 1980, reaching full production of uranium oxide in 1981...
joint venture.
Other significant facilities constructed by the Commission at Lucas Heights included a 3MeV
Electronvolt
In physics, the electron volt is a unit of energy equal to approximately joule . By definition, it is equal to the amount of kinetic energy gained by a single unbound electron when it accelerates through an electric potential difference of one volt...
Van de Graaff
Van de Graaff
Van de Graaff can refer to the physicist Robert J. Van de Graaff or machines named in honor of the physicist. The devices include:* Van de Graaff generator* The linear particle accelerator design that bears his name....
particle accelerator
Particle accelerator
A particle accelerator is a device that uses electromagnetic fields to propel charged particles to high speeds and to contain them in well-defined beams. An ordinary CRT television set is a simple form of accelerator. There are two basic types: electrostatic and oscillating field accelerators.In...
, installed in 1964 to provide proton
Proton
The proton is a subatomic particle with the symbol or and a positive electric charge of 1 elementary charge. One or more protons are present in the nucleus of each atom, along with neutrons. The number of protons in each atom is its atomic number....
beams and now upgraded to become ANTARES, a smaller 1.3MeV betatron
Betatron
A betatron is a cyclotron developed by Donald Kerst at the University of Illinois in 1940 to accelerate electrons, but the concepts ultimately originate from Rolf Widerøe and previous development occurred in Germany through Max Steenbeck in the 1930s. The betatron is essentially a transformer with...
, and radioisotope production and remote handling facilities associated with HIFAR reactor.
Significant research work included:
- RadiochemistryRadiochemistryRadiochemistry is the chemistry of radioactive materials, where radioactive isotopes of elements are used to study the properties and chemical reactions of non-radioactive isotopes...
. - Neutron diffractionNeutron diffractionNeutron diffraction or elastic neutron scattering is the application of neutron scattering to the determination of the atomic and/or magnetic structure of a material: A sample to be examined is placed in a beam of thermal or cold neutrons to obtain a diffraction pattern that provides information of...
. - SodiumSodiumSodium is a chemical element with the symbol Na and atomic number 11. It is a soft, silvery-white, highly reactive metal and is a member of the alkali metals; its only stable isotope is 23Na. It is an abundant element that exists in numerous minerals, most commonly as sodium chloride...
coolant systems. - Use of berylliumBerylliumBeryllium is the chemical element with the symbol Be and atomic number 4. It is a divalent element which occurs naturally only in combination with other elements in minerals. Notable gemstones which contain beryllium include beryl and chrysoberyl...
as a neutron moderatorNeutron moderatorIn nuclear engineering, a neutron moderator is a medium that reduces the speed of fast neutrons, thereby turning them into thermal neutrons capable of sustaining a nuclear chain reaction involving uranium-235....
. - Movement of spheres in a closed-packed lattice.
- Gas centrifugeGas centrifugeA gas centrifuge is a device that performs isotope separation of gases. A centrifuge relies on the principles of centripetal force accelerating molecules so that particles of different masses are physically separated in a gradient along the radius of a rotating container.A prominent use of gas...
development. - Health physicsHealth physicsHealth physics is a field of science concerned with radiation physics and radiation biology with the goal of providing technical information and proper techniques regarding the safe use of ionizing radiation...
. - Environmental scienceEnvironmental scienceEnvironmental science is an interdisciplinary academic field that integrates physical and biological sciences, to the study of the environment, and the solution of environmental problems...
. - Development of synrocSynrocSynroc, a portmanteau of "synthetic rock", is a means of safely storing radioactive waste. It was pioneered in 1978 by a team led by Dr Ted Ringwood at the Australian National University, with further research undertaken in collaboration with ANSTO at research laboratories in Lucas...
. - Molecular laser isotope separationMolecular laser isotope separationMolecular laser isotope separation is a method of isotope separation, where specially tuned lasers are used to separate isotopes of uranium using selective ionization of hyperfine transitions of uranium hexafluoride molecules. It is similar to AVLIS...
and support of laser development for atomic vapor laser isotope separation.