Electrical Cable Penetration

Provenance

Camera: NIKON D850
Lens: 14.0-24.0 mm f/2.8
Settings: 14mm · f/6.3 · 1/5 · ISO 64
Paper: Ilford Galerie Smooth Cotton Rag 310 gsm

Thick electrical cables push through a heavy concrete wall inside the ANSTO HIFAR reactor. This vital infrastructure once powered critical operations at Australia's first nuclear reactor, now undergoing decommissioning.

Edition

Open edition

Open edition
Printed to order, no fixed quantity. Each print is hand-signed by the photographer.

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A fixed number of prints exist. Once sold, the edition closes permanently. Each print is individually numbered and signed.

$100.00 AUD

Colour

Signed, numbered, with COA. Made to order in 10 to 20 business days (framed). Shipped in protective packaging with edition certificate, paper-stock reference and a printed care guide.

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In situ

01 PROVENANCE

Print datasheet

Title: Electrical Cable Penetration
Series: ANSTO HIFAR
Catalogue: AHF-025
Process: Giclée
Captured: 7 October 2022
Camera: NIKON D850
Lens: 14.0-24.0 mm f/2.8
Aperture: f/6.3
Shutter: 1/5 s
ISO: 64
Focal length: 14 mm
Paper: Ilford Galerie Smooth Cotton Rag 310 gsm
Paper size: 290 × 200 mm
Location: Lucas Heights, New South Wales, Australia
Authenticity: C2PA verified provenance →
Recognised by: Highly Commended in Multimedia at the 2016 National Trust of Australia (NSW) Heritage Awards

02 LOCATION

Lucas Heights, New South Wales, Australia

Map · Mapbox · OpenStreetMap

03 THE STORY

About this print

Thick electrical cables pass through a heavy concrete wall inside the HIFAR reactor building. The penetration is sealed at the wall face with shielding compound, the cables emerging in a bundled cluster on the inside and continuing on through the cable trays beyond. Each cable is graded by colour and labelled at the wall. The penetration carried power and instrumentation between the reactor containment and the auxiliary plant.

HIFAR drew about 550 kVA of site electrical power across its working life. The containment building was maintained at negative pressure throughout operation, requiring sealed penetrations for every service crossing the boundary. The reactor was operated by the Australian Atomic Energy Commission from criticality on 26 January 1958, then by ANSTO from 1987 to permanent shutdown on 30 January 2007. Phase A decommissioning was licensed on 4 December 2024.

04 FROM THE FIELD NOTES

This access port for electrical cable penetration was one of two key entry points for all wiring into the ANSTO HIFAR building. Designed to facilitate safe and organised routing, these ports ensured the controlled distribution of power to essential reactor components while preserving the containment structure’s integrity.

Brett Patman

The series

ANSTO HIFAR

2022 · 49 photographs

At 11:15 pm on Sunday 26 January 1958, Australia Day, the High Flux Australian Reactor went critical for the first time with 11 of 25 fuel elements loaded. The men in the control room had come from Oak Ridge, Chalk River and Harwell. HIFAR was Australia's first nuclear reactor.

View all in this series →

05 SIZE GUIDE

Print sizes

The anatomy view shows what this finish is as a physical object: paper margin, mat band, frame depth, acrylic profile. The comparison strip shows how each size sits relative to the others at true scale. Click a size or a finish to update both.