July 2007 Shutdown
Following the discovery of loose fuel plates during a routine inspection, ANSTO announced on 27 July 2007 that the reactor would be shut down for 8 weeks to fix the fuel plates and a minor fault causing ordinary (light) water to seep into the reactor's heavy water. In the end, the shutdown lasted 10 months. The supply of radiopharmaceuticals was rationed, causing the postponement of some treatments for patients. OPAL returned to full operational power on 23 May 2008, following approval by the nuclear regulator, ARPANSA to use a modified fuel design.
Read more about this topic: Open-pool Australian Lightwater Reactor
Famous quotes containing the word july:
“This, it will be remembered, was the scene of Mrs. Rowlandson’s capture, and of other events in the Indian wars, but from this July afternoon, and under that mild exterior, those times seemed as remote as the irruption of the Goths. They were the dark age of New England.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)