Session: 05-07: Disposal Options and Materials Management Methods

Paper Number: 110341

110341 - Securing Capacities for Safe and Sustainable Management of Contaminated Metals 

At a time when it is both hard and crucial to secure the metal and waste management needs for the ongoing and planned decommissioning project, Cyclife, a specialized company within the EDF Group, has taken several strategic decisions to extend the treatment capacities by enhancement of existing treatment facilities and the establishment of new treatment installations in France, Sweden and the UK.

For 35 years, Cyclife Sweden has provided metal treatment services to the domestic and international nuclear industry with the aim to qualify the metal for clearance and recycling for manufacturing of new products. Both containerized scrap metal as well as large complex components of up to 430 Mg in weight and 30 meters long can be treated. Even though these materials initially were destined for radioactive waste disposal facilities, the long lasting and costly process to qualify waste for disposal, the inherent value of these materials and not at least the sustainability perspectives make the recovery through recycling and reuse not only prudent, but necessary. By this approach liabilities are converted to assets.

The acceptance of free released material for conventional recycling and/or reuse within the nuclear industry has been in focus during the end of the last century. Now, when the treatment and recycling concepts are well established and accepted by most stakeholders, the shortage of production capacity is a new challenge to be overcome to secure the schedule, the logistics and overall efficiency in the decommissioning, lifetime extension and power upgrade projects.

The processing operations have to a large extent been based on the concept that the material is pre-treated by the implementation of segregation, size reduction and decontamination. Following the completed pre-treatment process with verified results, the metal is melted aiming for clearance for conditional and unconditional use. During the melting process, some radionuclides will be transferred to the slag or the filter dust while the remaining radioactivity is fully homogenized in the metal matrix. This proven homogenization provides good conditions for fully representative samples and high precision radiometric analyses. More material can be cleared when complex geometries, uneven distribution of contamination and other parameters which will cause uncertainties not have to be considered in the evaluation if the clearance conditions are met.

Currently Cyclife is processing contaminated metals in three nuclear licensed facilities owned and operated by Cyclife.  

Due to the ongoing and scheduled decommissioning projects as well as modernization power upgrade projects, the demand for treatment services of scrap metals and contaminated large components are constantly increasing. This situation is challenging as the capacities in the current facilities to a large extent are sold out.

To meet both the market need and the internal needs within the EDF Group with 11 NPPs in decommissioning, Cyclife has taken several decisions for:

-         Enhancement of treatment concepts, logistics and tools in the existing facilities

-         Extension with new production lines

-         New build of treatment facilities

The paper will present the current facilities incl. concepts and processes for treatment and recycling of contaminated metals. Also, the ongoing and planned extensions as well as the new-build projects will be presented.

Presenting Author: Arne Larsson Cyclife Sweden AB

Presenting Author Biography: To follow