Decommissioning nuclear plants: experiences in Germany

Abstract

The complexity of components from nuclear installations requiring dismantling or decontamination is enormous, as is the number of approved and available techniques. To choose the ideal dismantling technique, a number of complex parameters have to be considered. The most important criteria are costs, the amount and kind of radioactivity involved, aspects of radiation protection, the kind of material to be treated, geometries and spatial accessibility. Based on these criteria, appropriate decontamination or dismantling processes are selected. Starting with a description of decommissioning projects in Germany, this paper then describes various decommissioning concepts and gives an overview of the management of materials and waste. A selection of techniques is presented and new developments and applications are described. The conclusion considers future developments in the area of nuclear power plant decommissioning in general.