Application of European Large Component Technology in the United States - 12561
- Studsvik Processing Facility Memphis, Memphis, TN, 38113 (United States)
The European nuclear community currently has safer, more environmentally-friendly disposal options for large component disposal than the United States. The technology and innovation that makes these options viable will soon be available stateside. The removal and replacement of steam generators is a large and complicated task making volume reduction a vital service for the nuclear power industry. As plants age, the replacement of certain components is required in order to maintain plant efficiency and public safety. Currently in the United States, there are 3 options for the disposal of these items including: on-site storage, direct-disposal at a licensed (low-level radioactive waste) LLWR site, and volume reduction prior to disposal. If today's nuclear plants are to be used by future generations, waste stored on-site will eventually have to be disposed of to make room for newer, more advanced technology. Also, the space at LLWR disposal sites is finite, so all waste sent for disposal should be minimized whenever possible. Reducing the volume of decommissioned steam generators prior to final disposal shows the public that the nuclear industry is doing everything that it can to minimize its waste and conserve the environment. Additionally, many steam generators are massive and are not easily transported to a disposal site. When there is no practical transportation route, the size and weight of the component must be reduced. For various reasons including public safety, cost, and technical expertise, size reduction cannot be practically performed at the site of generation. However, since most facilities have some kind of access to a waterway, the components can be safely transported to another facility with barge access for size reduction. The size reduction process for steam generators has evolved over the past 5 years. Because of reductions to the amount of final waste, the dose to personnel, and the processing time, it is now an environmentally and economically friendly alternative to on-site storage and direct disposal. The major operations of this process include: - removal of the carbon steel steam generator dome; - removal of the channel head and majority of tube sheet to free the tubes from the tube sheet and gain access to all of the tubes for grit blasting; - grit blast decontamination of the steam generator tubes to allow disassembly; - removal of the U-Bend Section of the tubes to allow for tube pulling - tube pulling operations; - disassembly of the remainder of the steam generator shell and tube support assemblies; - size reduction of the steam generator resultant materials. All of the equipment for the American market is based on previous designs but has been adapted to meet the size requirements for processing of larger steam generators. This includes a large horizontal band saw, a tube pulling machine, tube blasting equipment, and a diamond wire saw frame. (authors)
- Research Organization:
- WM Symposia, 1628 E. Southern Avenue, Suite 9-332, Tempe, AZ 85282 (United States)
- OSTI ID:
- 22293751
- Report Number(s):
- INIS-US-14-WM-12561; TRN: US14V1407115275
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: WM2012: Waste Management 2012 conference on improving the future in waste management, Phoenix, AZ (United States), 26 Feb - 1 Mar 2012; Other Information: Country of input: France
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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