MOATA

Moata was a 100 kW thermal Argonaut class reactor located at Lucas Heights near Sydney, Australia. Moata went critical at 5:50am on 10 April 1961 and ended operations on 31 May 1995. The reactor was shut down as it was no longer possible, after 34 years, to economically justify its continued operations. It was one of a group of reactors that were designed in the mid 1950s, in the United States by the Argonne National Laboratory. The purpose of the reactor was for training scientists, however in the mid 70's it was expanded to include activation analysis and neutron radiography. Moata offered training in reactor control and neutron physics. Experimental data on nuclear fuel and moderator systems was also accumulated during the operation of the reactor. The reactor has since been permanently shutdown and with dismantling of the reactor complete the site has been completely restored. It was the first reactor to be decommissioned in Australia. In 1995 the used fuel from the reactor was unloaded and in 2006 it was shipped to the United States where it remains. Moata is an Aboriginal name meaning "gentle-fire" or "fire-stick".^[1]

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Coordinates: 34°03′05.89″S 150°58′45.23″E / 34.0516361°S 150.9792306°E / -34.0516361; 150.9792306