TOPICS

The worlwide continuous nuclear decommissioning activities increase  emphasized that, the dismantling phase to which they are associated, duly constitutes one of the 3 mandatory steps of the usual life cycle of any nuclear facility, equal with the design and construction phase and the decades of operation .

Beyond the demonstration by various nuclear stakeholders, of their involvement in the implementation, the improvement of existing D&D means and technologies as well as the development of new ones  and associated R&D, decommissioning strategies have significantly evolved . Besides technical, financial and innovation considerations, this 2024 session will highlight that decommissioning programmes more and more embed circular economy principles, reuse and recycle, waste volume and dose rate reduction, targeting  environment and raw resources preservation.

Therefore, illustrating global feedback as well as current objectives, this session will be the place to highlight the improvements gained in methods, techniques while fostering new perspectives to tackle global future decommissioning challenges and their attractiveness.

The Initial Radiological State Characterization is a key step in the definition of an efficient and cost-effective decommissioning scenario for D&D projects. This scenario must be based on an integrated and structured characterization strategy including an appropriate sampling strategy, valid on-site and in-lab measurements, data processing and analysis.

What are the latest innovations in sampling methodologies, on site and in-lab analytical techniques, data processing and modeling? How can new developments in data analysis (spatial statistics, metamodeling techniques, risk analysis, etc.) improve the characterization process?

Dismantling and Decommissioning (D&D) projects treat a wide variety of facilities: reactors, fuel cycle plants (chemical treatment, U enrichment, Pu recycling, waste treatment), treatment/packaging and storage of waste and/or nuclear material, contaminated soil, etc.

The D&D operations generally always follow the same process: site characterization, development of a scenario for operations, which may include decontamination operations, and then cutting and deconstruction actions, backed by waste and effluent management.

What are the lessons learned, the feedback strategically, operationally and organizationally to share? How to prepare for the challenges ahead to improve and to bring robustness for D&D complex operations.