Decommissioning
Every nuclear installation needs to be decommissioned and dismantled at the end of its lifespan. Depending on the type of nuclear installation, this work varies from quasi-classical demolition work to complex remote-handled activities.
Intelligent decommissioning
Every nuclear installation needs to be decommissioned and dismantled at the end of its lifespan. Depending on the type of nuclear installation, this work varies from quasi-classical demolition work to complex remote-handled activities.
As commercial nuclear activities started in the 1960s in Europe, many installations today are moving towards decommissioning. Efficient decommissioning leads to a minimisation of the amount of nuclear waste (see nuclear waste management). The start of this process doesn’t start at the beginning of the decommissioning activities but already takes place in the end stages of the production.
An early start of any decommissioning project is essential to guarantee a successful execution. TBE has a large experience in the life cycle of various nuclear installations and can assist in the planning and execution of your decommissioning project.
From start to greenfield
TBE has a broad knowledge in decommissioning, from specific experience to assist you in your dismantling activities, from decommissioning of an installation to site clearance to greenfield:
- techno-economical studies: optimising the financial D&D strategy of your installation;
- regulatory work: preparing the dismantling plan to obtain a dismantling license;
- specific decommissioning safety studies, as well as generic ones (reference to SAS):
ensuring a safe decommissioning and dismantling; - operational work: defining operational procedures, selecting dismantling tools, … ;
- waste management: defining & optimising the nuclear waste flows;
- radiation protection: performing ALARA dose rate studies for D&D activities;
- measurements: from dose rates measurements during operations to ground samples for gammaspectrometric analysis for site clearance or the planning of drill samples to estimate the activation/contamination thickness in concrete
References
- Belgoprocess – Cost analysis of different types of decommissioning techniques
- NIRAS – Dose optimisation exercises during decommissioning
- Setting up business case for a non-nuclear multinational