Dounreay Site Restoration Ltd -Uranium Recovery Plant

Uranium Recovery Plant

The uranium recovery plant was an integral part of the chemical processing of nuclear materials that took place in the Fuel Cycle Area until 1998.

It was built in 1956-57 and played a pivotal role in both the fast reactor and materials testing reactor fuel cycles. Commissioning started in October 1957

Its prime purpose was to produce uranium metal billets from the uranyl nitrate product of two nearby irradiated fuel reprocessing plants.

The plant consisted of a series of chemical processing lines, with arrays of vessels, tanks, furnaces and gloveboxes where the uranium solutions were converted to a solid form that could be re-used as new fuel.

Throughout its history, the plant handled a number of non-radiological toxic substances, including mercuric compounds, anhydrous hydrofluoric acid, strong nitric acid, caustic soda, and ammonia.

Various modifications were carried out, with new lines added and old lines removed, as the work programme evolved over many years.

The chemical nature of the work meant the plant often became the focus of fissile material accountancy investigations to identify “losses” of nuclear material during the chemical processes.

The plant ceased operation in 1998.

Decommissioning of the plant involves the progressive clean-out, decontamination and dismantling of various process lines.

One of the most contaminated parts of the facility was the Amber Area. Its decommissioning was one of the most difficult to be undertaken at Dounreay and took workers in airline suits seven years to clean out.

Another area that has been cleared is a line installed in the early 1990s to recover uranium from thorium high temperature reactor fuel imported from Germany.

About a third of the facility had been cleared by 2010, with the whole building scheduled for demolition by 2019.