Decontamination of Large Components for WCS Exempt Disposal
AUTHORS
Dirk Bender, Adam Mancini
Orano Decommissioning Services
PRESENTING
March 11, 2025 - Entire white paper will be posted here
Waste Management Symposia
ABSTRACT
Orano DS has successfully decontaminated Large Components (LC) to meet the Waste Control Specialists, LLC (WCS) Exempt disposal criteria during the Crystal River Unit 3 (CR3) decommissioning project. LCs, by definition, have a considerable waste disposal volume which can be very expensive to ship and dispose of as Class A waste in a commercial low-level waste disposal facility such as operated by WCS, US Ecology, and Energy Solutions.
In the past, attempts to decontaminate LCs to a level for free-release or metal melt processing were mostly unsuccessful due to the very low radioactive release criteria. Unlike free-release or metal melt criteria, the WCS Exempt waste acceptance criteria is achievable. Orano DS’s patented decontamination products, such as Aspigel-100, were employed at CR3 to decontaminate the Reactor Coolant System (RCS) Piping and Reactor Closure Head to acceptable Exempt criteria levels. The cost savings reduction for disposal and transportation was 10-to-1 per shipment. The savings included the significant difference in per unit disposal pricing from Class A to Exempt waste, and the difference in packaging procurements from IP-2 to IP-1.
The Aspigel line of products is commonplace in Europe, where Orano DS and FEVDI-Nuclear (manufacturer) have teamed to provide decontamination services and products to European and Asian generators for LC decommissioning, operational component refurbishment projects such as RCS pump impellers, and hot cell cleanups. Orano DS brought these products to the United States to lower the overall cost of decommissioning and refurbishments to our customers. Orano DS has also brought the chemical decontamination process for steam generators (SG) and steam dryers to the United States that was successfully used in Europe for Electricité de France (EDF).
The oxidation/reduction methodology perfected in Europe can be applied to SG tubes and channel heads to meet the Exempt criteria. In addition, the management of the resulting resin collection beds as Class A waste also keeps costs as low as practical. The lower cost for disposal and transportation is not only for decommissioning plants, but also for operating plants.
With the recent emergence of the nuclear renaissance, operating plants are looking to replace LCs to help extend facility life. In addition, many operating plants have on-site mausoleums filled with LCs from past replacement projects. The issuance in 2024 of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s Interim Staff Guidance On The Use Of The Decommissioning Trust Fund During Operations For Major Radioactive Component Disposal, REFS-ISG-2024-01, allows nuclear plants with decommissioning funds in good standing to allocate the cost from their decommissioning fund to pay for LC disposal projects. Orano DS is planning a pilot project to decontaminate a LC to reduce the disposal and transport burden on the decommissioning fund. This innovative approach is designed to save the industry millions of dollars while freeing up Class A disposal facility volume allocations by diverting disposal to an Exempt disposal cell. This process will also relieve operating plants of the need to build and maintain expensive mausoleums to support replacement campaigns.
The Orano DS decontamination products, and processes employed to achieve these goals, as well as the results of each campaign are discussed herein. Orano DS considers the decontamination of LCs a significant evolution in decommissioning strategy that innovatively reduces future decommissioning fund expenditures, as well as reduces worker dose and transportation costs during refurbishment activities for operating plants.
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