Diamond Wire Sawing - Using Innovative Technology and Techniques to Improve Reliability and Performance in Nuclear Decommissioning Projects

AUTHORS
Matthew Bjork, Dirk Bender, Mark Criscione 
Orano Decommissioning Services

PRESENTING
March 12, 2025 - Entire white paper will be posted here
Waste Management Symposia

ABSTRACT
The Commercial Nuclear Decommissioning Market is a growing and evolving environment that demands robust and versatile tooling solutions. Unlike nuclear outage services that could often rely on Time and Material type contracts, modern Decommissioning Projects are typically executed with fixed funding and fixed terms. This significant change is driving a growing industry need to innovate existing technology and techniques to the unique needs of the new decommissioning environment. It is increasingly critical to develop tools and technology that reduce costs, improve reliability and performance, establish practical project estimates, and maintain safety standards.

Orano Decommissioning Services has successfully demonstrated innovative and effective approaches to these challenges through the continued adoption and advancement of technologies from outside the typical nuclear market. Among others, Orano has championed the development and use of Diamond Wire Sawing (DWS) Technologies in radiologically challenging settings to segment large components, in a remote deployment manner. The systems, while fundamentally simple, offer an extensive portfolio of cutting capabilities when applied in an intelligent and experienced manner.

DWS technology offers a wide range of capabilities, including cutting thick-walled carbon steel, stainless steels, and super alloys (such as Inconel), concrete and other minerals with steel reinforcement or cladding, concentric thin-walled tubing, and other complex cross-sectional geometries. At the same time, these DWS systems demonstrate an almost unparalleled level of versatility in application.

Execution via personnel in the immediate work area or remote operation behind structures and through obstacles, dry or submerged segmentation, all have been achieved throughout Orano’s project history. Where other cutting technologies may specialize in only a few geometries, space, and access situations, Diamond Wire Saw setups, given the proper inputs, have succeeded in all capacities.

Specific application experiences have yielded highly competitive strategies, particularly in segmentation planning for Large Component Removal. Orano’s evolution of successful, but cost-effective cutting campaigns have enabled the capability for extremely large bulk material removal.

The capabilities of DWS have created cascading opportunities in terms of segmentation efficiency and packaging options. Orano DS’s recent success in Crystal River, Florida, has set a new benchmark for Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR) decommissioning with its patented Optimized Segmentation strategy. Without the innovation in DWS technology, and Orano’s willingness to innovate beyond what was expected of a technology, these leaps forward in project execution would not have been possible.

The technology is not presented without its drawbacks. There are execution requirements that require careful attention and consideration to develop a plan that is acceptable to not only Project Controls, but also to Radiation Protection, Disposal Authorities, and Licensees/Plant Owners alike. Careful engineering planning and mobilization development are critical to smooth execution. Orano continues to establish itself as a leader in segmentation planning support and design by demonstrating its collective knowledge and experience.

>> Return to Orano White Papers