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round up
NUCLEAR FUEL INDÚSTRIAS NUCLEARES DO Brasil (INB) has signed four contracts and two agreements during the opening of the Nuclear Trade & Technology Exchange (NT2E). INB signed three contract with Westinghouse; two agreements with Brazil’s Institute for Energy & Nuclear Research (IPEN) for a research partnership; and a contract with Rosatom/ Tenex, for the supply of natural UF6 (uranium hexafluoride).
RADWASTE AN INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC Energy Agency (IAEA) Integrated Review Service for Radioactive Waste & Spent Fuel Management, Decommissioning & Remediation (ARTEMIS) team has concluded a seven-day mission to Sweden. It said Sweden has a comprehensive, robust and well- functioning system for safely managing radioactive waste and used nuclear fuel.
D&D UK MAGNOX IS preparing to begin a key decommissioning project to demolish four blower houses at the site of the closed Berkely NPP. Ross McAllister, Magnox programme delivery director said: “It was originally planned for the 2070s so it is fantastic to bring that forward by five decades in our aim to deliver our mission better, faster and even safer.”
THE JAPAN ATOMIC Energy Agency (JAEA) has awarded UK-based Cavendish Nuclear, a subsidiary of Babcock International Group, a contract to support of the decommissioning of the Monju Prototype Fast Reactor in Fukui Prefecture. The decommissioning of Monju will take 30 years and cost more than JPY375 billion ($2.5bn), according to government estimates.
is already a familiar and well-established
process, which allows us to fine-tune the process of manufacturing equipment and organise the construction personnel. On the other hand, the El-Dabaa NPP construction project has its own individual characteristics.” El Dabaa NPP will comprise four units with
generation III+ VVER-1200 pressurised water reactors. The NPP is being constructed in accordance with contracts that entered into force in 2017. The $30bn project is mainly financed through a $25bn Russian loan. Rosatom will supply nuclear fuel throughout the lifecycle of the plant, arrange for the training of the Egyptian personnel, and assist in the operation and maintenance of the plant for the first 10 years. Construction of unit 1 began in July 2022, and work on unit 2 began in November 2022. A construction licence was issued for unit 3 in April. Construction of all four units is planned for completion by 2028-2029 and Egypt expects that the NPP will reach full capacity by 2030. The reference plant for El Dabaa is the Leningrad-II NPP.
Germany RPV removed at Unterweser NPP The reactor pressure vessel (RPV) at Germany’s single unit Unterweser NPP in the Wesermarsch district of Lower Saxony has been removed as part of its decommissioning using novel technology. The 1410 MWe pressurised water reactor was commissioned in 1978 but was shut down in March 2011, along with seven other NPPs, as part of Germany’s post-Fukushima decision to phase out nuclear power. The permit to decommission and dismantle the plant was granted in February 2018 and decommissioning began two weeks later. Until it was shut down, PreussenElektra’s
Unterweser plant was the world’s most efficient single-unit NPP. PreussenElektra is also decommissioning the Brokdorf, Grafenrheinfeld, Grohnde, Isar 2 and Stade PWR NPPs. A pilot solution was therefore needed that could be adapted to the plants within the fleet. Dutch heavy lifting and transport specialist Mammoet was tasked by contractor Höfer &
Bechtel to lift the 400-tonne RPV out of the reactor pool as an intact component. Working together with PreussenElektra and Höfer & Bechtel, a safe and efficient solution was developed. Mammoet proposed using the SBL 1100, a moveable four-point hydraulic lifting gantry with a capacity of 1100 tonnes that was well adapted to use in a confined space and would therefore also be suitable for the rest of PreussenElektra’s fleet. The tracks of the lifting gantry rested upon the operating floor and partly also spanned the reactor pool itself via a cantilever. This imposed strict limits on load bearing capacity of the building structure. Mammoet’s engineering team carried out calculations, which proved that load distribution ramps could be used to ensure safe execution. Mammoet said another challenge was posed by the strict verification and documentation requirements for the material used in the control area. The preparation of documentation for existing equipment required considerable expertise. Together with Höfer & Bechtel, Mammoet co-ordinated with the authorised experts and was able to meet the requirements by providing the necessary material verifications and production manuals. With the documentation completed, the equipment could be brought into the control area, piece by piece. This was done in such a way that it could be decontaminated and removed after completion if necessary. First, the RPV was lifted from its installation position, it was then moved horizontally to a parking position. In the meantime, the contractor placed a dismantling rack with the reactor building crane at the original installation position. The RPV was then moved back to its installation position and lowered onto the dismantling rack enabling the contractor to safely cut off the bottom of the vessel. Finally, the RPV was moved to the dismantling position and lowered. This involved lifting it over a wall. The expertise learned from this pilot project will be utilised by the contractor on another of PreussenElektra’s decommissioning projects.
A leader in nuclear instrumentation, Reuter-Stokes offers more than 60 years’ experience in the field, with thousands of neutron and gamma detectors deployed. This depth of experience has established Reuter-Stokes as an excellent operational partner, continually enhancing instruments to maintain excellent reliability, sensitivity and reduced service cycles.
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10 | June 2023 |
www.neimagazine.com
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