ANSTO annual report 2000-01

Abstract

The Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) is Australia’s national nuclear research and development organisation. It has a staff of approximately 800 and is located at the Lucas Heights Science and Technology Centre, some 40 km south west of Sydney city centre. The science and technology centre occupies 70 hectares and is surrounded by a 1.6 km buffer zone. ANSTO operates Australia’s only nuclear reactor, the research reactor HIFAR (which stands for High Flux Australian Reactor). The reactor is used to produce radioactive products for use in medicine and industry. It is also used extensively as a source of neutron beams for scientific research and to irradiate silicon for semiconductor applications. The organisation also operates the National Medical Cyclotron, an accelerator facility used to produce certain short-lived radioisotopes for nuclear medicine procedures. The facility is located in the grounds of the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Camperdown, an inner west suburb of Sydney. ANSTO provides the broad range of technical expertise needed to support Australia’s nuclear interests. It advises the Commonwealth Government on issues associated with the nuclear fuel cycle and the operation of nuclear facilities and it supports industry through the development and application of nuclear science based technology and associated capabilities. ANSTO organises its activities under six core business areas. Safety and environmental protection arrangements at ANSTO facilities are reported against separately. Further information about the organisation is available on ANSTO’s web site at www.ansto.gov.au.