Storage Block at ANSTO HIFAR, the No.
Storage Block at ANSTO HIFAR, the No.

Storage Block

Provenance

Paper
Ilford Galerie Smooth Cotton Rag 310 gsm

The No. 1 Storage Block at ANSTO HIFAR, Lucas Heights. A heavily shielded concrete structure used to hold radioactive rigs and equipment in temporary containment. HIFAR shut down on 30 January 2007 after 49 years and 4 days of operation; decommissioning is underway.

Edition
Open edition

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

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

$100.00 AUD
Size
Type
Colour
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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

Storage Block at ANSTO HIFAR, the No.Storage Block at ANSTO HIFAR, the No.Storage Block at ANSTO HIFAR, the No.Storage Block at ANSTO HIFAR, the No.Storage Block at ANSTO HIFAR, the No.
01 PROVENANCE

Print datasheet

Title
Storage Block
Series
ANSTO HIFAR
Catalogue
AHF-046
Process
Giclée
Paper
Ilford Galerie Smooth Cotton Rag 310 gsm
Paper size
290 × 200 mm
Location
Lucas Heights, New South Wales, Australia
Recognised by
Highly Commended in Multimedia at the 2016 National Trust of Australia (NSW) Heritage Awards
03 THE STORY

About this print

The storage block at HIFAR is a heavily shielded concrete structure used to hold radioactive rigs and equipment in temporary containment within the reactor building. The walls of the block are thicker than the access ports cut into the upper face. The internal racks were water-cooled when the reactor was in operation. The block is plain industrial finish on the outside, the shielding integral to the wall thickness.

HIFAR shut down on 30 January 2007 after 49 years and 4 days of operation. Spent fuel elements were unloaded from the reactor and the storage blocks within 12 months of shutdown and reprocessed. The reactor was the second of six DIDO-class reactors built worldwide and the last to cease operation. ARPANSA approved the Phase A decommissioning licence on 4 December 2024, with Stage 1 starting in early 2025. Phase B reactor core dismantlement is projected for completion around 2030.

04 FROM THE FIELD NOTES

The No. 1 Storage Block at ANSTO HIFAR served as a secure holding area for radioactive rigs and equipment, designed to provide temporary containment within a heavily shielded concrete structure. Each marked position on the surface corresponds to an individual storage cavity, allowing for the safe housing of radioactive components before further processing or disposal.

Brett Patman

ANSTO HIFAR

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.

Anatomy · true ratio
07 MORE FROM ANSTO HIFAR

48 other prints in this series

All prints
Helium Pumps at ANSTO HIFAR, this system played a vital role in reactor maintenance by passing helium across the surface.
Helium Pumps $100.00
Top Plate to Basement at ANSTO HIFAR, the reactor hall at HIFAR drops away from the overhead crane gantry down.
Top Plate to Basement $100.00
HIFAR Control Room at ANSTO HIFAR, this control desk at ANSTO HIFAR was manned 24 hours a day by accredited operators.
HIFAR Control Room $100.00
Cooling Circuit at ANSTO HIFAR, this intricate manifold of pipework, featuring valves, gauges, and rotometers, is part.
Cooling Circuit $100.00
08 BY POST · NO SPAM

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