Thermal Column

Provenance

Camera: NIKON D850
Lens: 14.0-24.0 mm f/2.8
Settings: 14mm · f/7.1 · 0.3s · ISO 64
Paper: Ilford Galerie Smooth Cotton Rag 310 gsm

Within the ANSTO HIFAR reactor, the thermal column rises, a dense stack of graphite blocks. This structure moderated fast neutrons, vital for experiments during the facility's operational decades. It stands as a relic of Australian nuclear research.

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: Thermal Column
Series: ANSTO HIFAR
Catalogue: AHF-029
Process: Giclée
Captured: 7 October 2022
Camera: NIKON D850
Lens: 14.0-24.0 mm f/2.8
Aperture: f/7.1
Shutter: 0.3s 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

The thermal column rises through the wall of the HIFAR reactor at Lucas Heights, a dense stack of graphite blocks fitted into a square shaft cut through the biological shielding. Each block is precision-cut, fitted tight against its neighbours, the surfaces darkened with the accumulated handling of the reactor's operational years. The column thermalised fast neutrons from the core, producing the slow-neutron flux required for certain classes of experiment.

HIFAR had thirty horizontal and twenty-eight vertical experimental holes, and a thermal column for moderating neutrons before they reached selected experimental positions. Peak thermal neutron flux at full power was 1.4 × 10^14 neutrons per square centimetre per second. The reactor produced medical isotopes, ran neutron-beam materials experiments, and irradiated silicon for the semiconductor industry across its 49-year life, from 26 January 1958 to 30 January 2007.

04 FROM THE FIELD NOTES

A heavy shielding wall fills the frame, marked "FACE-1" at the top. Three rows of hexagonal and octagonal shield plugs sit recessed into the concrete, each stencilled with precise weight markings. 54 KG. 78 KG. End-lift points labelled at the right edge. A steel chain hangs from an overhead hoist. A yellow radiation caution sign sits centre-left. The surface is pale, dense, industrial grey. The floor below reflects cold fluorescent light.

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.