Decommissioning Of Facilities

The importance of decommissioning has come to the fore in recent years. Previously the requirements for safety during decommissioning had been considered as part of general waste management, but recently it was decided that this part of a facility's life needs to have definitive requirements specified. This publication provides this information.

Once a nuclear installation has reached the end of its safe and economical operational lifetime, the need for its decommissioning arises. Different strategies can be employed for nuclear decommissioning, based on the evaluation of particular hazards and their attendant risks, as well as on the analysis of costs of clean-up and waste management. This allows for decommissioning either soon after permanent shutdown, or perhaps a long time later, the latter course allowing for radioactivity levels to drop in any activated or contaminated components. It is crucial for clear processes and best practices to be applied in decommissioning such installations and sites, particular where any significant health and environmental risks exist. This book critically reviews the nuclear decommissioning processes and technologies applicable to nuclear power plants and other civilian nuclear facilities. Part one focuses on the fundamental planning issues in starting a nuclear decommissioning process, from principles and safety regulations, to financing and project management. Part two covers the execution phase of nuclear decommissioning projects, detailing processes and technologies such as dismantling, decontamination, and radioactive waste management, as well as environmental remediation, site clearance and reuse. Finally, part three details international experience in the decommissioning of nuclear applications, including the main nuclear reactor types and nuclear fuel cycle facilities, as well as small nuclear facilities and legacy nuclear waste sites. Critically reviews nuclear decommissioning processes and technologies applicable to nuclear power plants and other civilian nuclear facilities Discusses the fundamental planning issues in starting a nuclear decommissioning process Considers the execution phase of nuclear decommissioning projects, including dismantling, decontamination, and radioactive waste management, as well as environmental remediation, site clearance and reuse

Considers the key strategic factors involved in planning for the decommissioning of a nuclear facility which can cover a range of topics from technical matters to socio-economic and environmental issues. This report considers the impact of factors on the strategy selection and how factors in combination can be used to select the optimum strategy.

In the coming decades a large number of nuclear facilities will reach the end of their useful lives and require decommissioning. Many of these facilities will be decommissioned with the aim of either replacing them with new facilities that serve the same purpose or reusing the site for another, completely different purpose. By recognizing and promoting the redevelopment potential of facilities and their sites at the design stage or earlier in their operating life, it is possible to enhance the prospects for worthwhile redevelopment, offsetting the costs of decommissioning and ensuring that best use is made of the material, land and human resources associated with each facility. A range of factors to consider has been identified and illustrated using case studies drawn from Member States, and practical guidance has been provided for involved parties to help promote successful and effective redevelopment of decommissioned nuclear installations in the future.

Decommissioning nuclear facilities is a relatively new field, which has developed rapidly in the last ten years. It involves materials that may be highly radioactive and therefore require sophisticated methods of containment and remote handling. The wastes arising from decommissioning are hazardous and have to be stored or disposed of safely in order to protect the environment and future generations. Nuclear decommissioning work must be carried out to the highest possible standards to protect workers, the general public and the environment. This book describes the techniques used for dismantling redundant nuclear facilities, the safe storage of radioactive wastes and the restoration of nuclear licensed sites. * Describes the techniques used for dismantling nuclear facilities, safe storage of radioactive wastes, and the restoration of nuclear licensed facilities. * Provides the reader with decommissioning experience accumulated over 15 years by UKAEA. * Contains valuable information to personnel new to decommissioning and waste management.

Decommissioning is the last step in the lifetime management of a facility. It must also be considered during the design, construction, commissioning and operation of facilities. This publication establishes requirements for the safe decommissioning of a broad range of facilities: nuclear power plants, research reactors, nuclear fuel cycle facilities, facilities for processing naturally occurring radioactive material, former military sites, and relevant medical, industrial and research facilities. It addresses all the aspects of decommissioning that are required to ensure safety, aspects such as roles and responsibilities, strategy and planning for decommissioning, conduct of decommissioning actions and termination of the authorization for decommissioning. It is intended for use by those involved in policy development, regulatory control and implementation of decommissioning.

This vOlume contains the invited and contributed papers pre sented at the American Nuclear Society (ANS) meeting on Decontamina tion and Decommissioning (D & D) of Nuclear Facilities, held Septem ber 16-20, 1979, in Sun Valley, Idaho. This was the first U. S. meeting of the ANS which addressed both of these important and related subjects. The meeting was attended by more than 400 engineers, scientists, laymen, and representatives of federal, state, and local governments, including participants from eleven foreign countries. The technical sessions included several sessions concentrating on ongoing D & D programs in the U. S. and abroad. In addition, "new ground" was broken in such areas as decommissioning costs and cost recovery, advanced programs on reactor coolant filtration, and other areas of continuing and increasing importance to the nuclear industry and to consumers. The dual sponsorship of the meeting (The ANS Reactor Operations Division and the Eastern Idaho Section of the ANS) helped spur a high quality program, a pleasant location, and a high degree of suc cess in technical interchange between the attendees. As guest speaker, we were honored to have Mr. Vince Boyer of Philadelphia Electric Company. Mr. Boyer is both a past chairman of the ANS Reactor Operations Division and a past president of the American Nuclear Society. His views on the nuclear industry and of its current status were informative and interesting.

"Decommissioning activities for zero-power reactors, radio-diagnostic and radiotherapy hospital departments and laboratories and factories using radioactive material may be erroneously perceived as trivial and of low priority. This publication provides practical information, experience and assistance aimed at a broad spectrum of practitioners who are faced with decommissioning of such small nuclear facilities. Particular consideration is given to the financial and scientific resources, and early planning, which are all factors essential to efficient and effective decommissioning. It is written as a simplified, stepwise approach for guidance to nuclear operators who may have little or no experience in decommissioning. An accompanying CD contains practical information in two Annexes, including descriptions of decommissioning projects problems encountered, solutions and analyses, and lessons learned"--Provided by publisher.