Partnerships & Stakeholders
OPAL's worth to science, industry and the community is significant. As a result, a number of strategic partnerships and beneficial relationships with stakeholders have been established.
Bragg Institute
The prime responsibility of ANSTO Reactor Operations is to provide high-quality reliable beams of thermal and cold neutrons to the Bragg Institute, which ANSTO established in 2002 to maximise the scientific use of the new reactor.
Bragg Institute scientists are working with OPAL's cutting-edge neutron scattering facilities and have been responsible for the design and implementation of the initial suite of eight neutron beam instruments which enable studies at different temperatures, pressures and magnetic fields. There is potential for future expansion with additional instruments and a second neutron guide hall.
OPAL will help to place the Bragg Institute at the forefront of the world?s best neutron research facilities. In some areas, such as time-resolved powder diffraction (useful for determining the make-up of semiconductors, pharmaceutical drugs and organic compounds, for example) and small-molecule crystallography (for revealing the precise position of light atoms such as hydrogen), it could be the world leader.
Silicon Irradiation Business
The OPAL Reactor is one of the few facilities in the world that can provide a high quality silicon irradiation service to companies that want to irradiate 8" ingots. The NTD silicon process is superior to conventional doping techniques because of its controllability and homogeneity, and is widely used by the semiconductor manufacturing industry in development of high-power devices.
This is desirable because the industry is developing from small to larger silicon ingot diameters. The major uses of NTD silicon include power thyristors, power transistors, rectifiers, diodes, sensor devices, IGBTs (Insulator Gate Bipolar Transistors), and MOSFETs (Metal Oxide Semiconductor Field Effect Transistors).
ANSTO Radiopharmaceutical and Industrials (ARI)
ANSTO has more than 40 years of experience in the development and production of radioisotopes for medical, industrial and environmental applications. ANSTO Radiopharmaceutical and Industrials (ARI) supply most of Australia's nuclear medicine, as well as that of a number of overseas countries, especially in the Asia-Pacific region. It also meets Australian industrial needs for radioisotopes, with clients operating sectors such as transport, construction and energy.
Institute for Environmental Research
ANSTO'S Institute for Environmental Research uses radiotracer techniques to validate mathematical models of sediment and contaminant transport in the coastal zone, thereby contributing to sustainable development. The Institute is also using radiotracers to study the fate and behaviour of contaminants and particulates in rivers, estuaries and coasts, to understand the health and environmental impacts of effluent release.
Institute of Materials Engineering
Leading the research into how materials work is ANSTO's Institute of Materials Engineering, a multidisciplinary team of materials scientists, materials engineers, ceramicists, metallurgists, physicists, chemists, engineers and earth scientists.
Thanks to OPAL's enhanced neutron capabilities, the Institute will play a significant role in maintaining Australia's international profile in the field of nuclear science and technology, and enhancing the sustainability and international competitiveness of Australian industry.
Technical Services and Facilities Management
Technical Services and Facilities Management is responsible for all aspects of engineering work undertaken within ANSTO including planning, design, budget control, overall project management, manufacture, installation, commissioning, customer handover, documentation control and reporting.
Safety and Radiation Services
The main objectives of Safety and Radiation Services are to maintain a safe and healthy working environment; ensure compliance with relevant radiation protection and OH&S standards; provide waste management services and accurate and reliable radiation standards, measurements and calibrations; monitor and provide advice on the environmental aspects of ANSTO operations; and identify, control and minimise risks of physical injury, adverse health effects to staff, visitors and the general public, as well as environmental risk.