Reactor Dismantling

The reactor is to be dismantled by removing the vessel contents from the vault, thereby minimising the associated hazard and allowing final clearance of the site.

After removal of all bulk sodium coolant and sodium residue from the reactor, all internal furniture and structure will be removed from the vessel, treated, and packaged for disposal to the requirements of the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate (NII), Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA), and the NDA.  The steel vessel will then be removed and treated in a like manner.  Once the irradiated fuel cave programme has been completed, the facility will be available for final demolition.

The scheme design to enable dismantling of the reactor will be supported by development and trialling work involving a full-scale, one-third mock-up of the reactor, and a full-size reactor dismantling manipulator robot.

The mock-up will be manufactured and installed in a test facility, and will enable development for the proposed size-reduction methods, building confidence in their eventual application in the PFR reactor vessel.  The mock-up will also provide training facilities for operations personnel.  The robot will be used in trials to size-reduce the reactor mock-up, with cutting and handling techniques developed as part of the trials.

Intended phasing of the project will be to build the intermediate level waste processing route first as the space becomes available following decommissioning and clearance of the sodium disposal plant.

The reactor dismantling will be carried out in campaigns identified below and will be further defined at scheme stage:

  • reactor roof/rotating shield components and rotating shield removal;
  • removal of core components and neutron shield rods;
  • removal of diagrid and neutron shield tubes;
  • removal of reactor jacket;
  • removal of reactor rotor;
  • removal of lower core support structure;
  • removal of peripheral items and upper core support structure;
  • removal of primary vessel;
  • removal of leak jacket;
  • removal of reactor roof.

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Image: Internal view of the PFR Reactor

Internal view of the PFR Reactor