Phenix Power Plant Decommissioning Project - Removal of Core and Neutron Blanket Components
- CEA /Marcoule DDCO/SDSP BP 17171 302078 Bagnols Sur Ceze (France)
Phenix is a sodium-cooled fast neutron reactor located at the CEA's Rhone Valley Center where it was commissioned in 1974. It has an electric power rating of 250 MW and is operated jointly by the CEA and EDF. Its primary role today is to investigate the transmutation of long-lived radioactive waste into shorter-lived wasteform. Its final shutdown is scheduled for the beginning of 2009 in accordance with the reactor operating program with a mean availability of 80%. In this context the Phenix Power Plant Decommissioning Project was initiated in 2003. It covers the definitive cessation of plant operation and the dismantling (D and D) operations together with the final shutdown preparatory phase. The final shutdown phase corresponds to the initial operations undertaken to remove the maximum of hazardous materials. During this phase, subject to the standard operating methodological procedures, all the fuel in the plant will be removed and most of the other reactor core elements and other removable components (primary pumps, intermediate heat exchangers, control rod mechanisms, etc.) will be also dismantled and packaged in accordance with the available disposition routes. The core elements include fissile and fertile subassemblies, steel reflectors, and lateral neutron shielding rods. About half the lateral neutron shielding rods are accessible using the existing handling equipment; specific development work will be necessary to remove the others. Multiple engineering studies are in progress concerning the removal of the core elements. They address safety concerns taking into account thermal and seismic stresses, waste management including radiological characterization of the objects to be removed and the specification of suitable disposal routes (interim storage or disposal facilities), and scenario studies with the definition of each stage of the waste removal process. All these aspects are discussed in this paper. The feasibility of removing the core elements has been demonstrated with regard to handling and safety. A new handling arm is now being developed to remove the inaccessible core elements. The new earthquake safety calculations completed in 2006 did not reveal any insurmountable difficulties. Major work remains to characterize the core elements and determine the capacity of the disposition routes. The characterization program now in progress will validate the core element activation levels, but must be supplemented by a program to characterize the surface contamination from the primary sodium system. Concerning the disposition routes, several specific containers and shipping casks must be developed; engineering studies are now in progress to obtain the necessary approvals.
- Research Organization:
- American Nuclear Society, 555 North Kensington Avenue, La Grange Park, Illinois 60526 (United States)
- OSTI ID:
- 21144178
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: DD and R 2007: ANS Topical Meeting on Decommissioning, Decontamination, and Reutilization 2007, Chattanooga, TN (United States), 16-19 Sep 2007; Other Information: Country of input: France; Related Information: In: Proceedings of the 2007 ANS Topical Meeting on Decommissioning, Decontamination, and Reutilization - DD and R 2007, 336 pages.
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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