Nuclear Engineering – BKAB: Decommissioning

One-piece removal of reactor pressure vessel, BKAB

One major part of the demolition of a Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) is the dismantling of the Reactor Pressure Vessel (RPV) and its internals. There exist two major optional strategies for dismantling of a RPV and its internals:

  • Segmentation and cutup of the RPV and the RPV internals at plant.
  • One-piece removal of the whole RPV, with or without the RPV internals.

Scanscot Technology carries out, on the behalf of Barsebäck Kraft AB, a detailed study of a one-piece removal of the RPVs at the decommissioned Barsebäck NPP, as a basis for a future management decision regarding what strategy to apply for the dismantling.

One-piece removal of reactor pressure vessel

The following three methods for one-piece removal are investigated in detail:

  • Lifting with a crane.
  • Removal in horizontal position using tower gantry.
  • Lowering inside the reactor containment.

The investigations include:

  • technical lifting aspects
  • necessary building modifications and demolition
  • radiological consequences
  • cost estimations

for each of the three alternatives.