Efficient decommissioning of nuclear power plants
Minimizing costs thanks to the latest generation of cleanLASER technology
The increasing scale of dismantling of nuclear power plants in Germany, as well as in Europe and worldwide, leads to massively rising costs. The conditioning and final storage of radioactive waste and secondary residues produced by conventional decontamination processes amount up to 13,000 tons per reactor. The final disposal site in particular poses an enormous problem for the companies in charge of dismantling as well as for the population.
Abrasive processes involving chemicals and blasting processes generate large amounts of secondary waste, are complex in their implementation and imply significant health risks for decontamination personnel.
The most recent generation of high-power laser systems has been specially designed for the efficient deconstruction. The hand-held effiSCAN optics is part of this and comes in a very compact and lightweight design allowing one-hand operation and a particularly long working distance. At the same time, the high intensity of the laser beam enables decontamination of low to medium level of surface contamination of metals and concrete structures up to release level. The laser decomposes a high dose rate within seconds, removes oxides, paints, greases and other coatings down to bare, clean metal while producing a secondary waste of just a few grams per square meter.
The cleanPROTECT add-on protects the optics against particulate radiological, as well as chemical and biological contamination. It can be decontaminated by wiping, quickly exchanged and enables the technical use of the laser both in a controlled and a contaminated area, for example in a decontamination cell. The operation of the effiSCAN along with cleanPROTECT in a cleanGLOVEBOX requires no protective suits, which saves further waste and speeds up the deconstruction 4.0.
Decontamination costs as low as only a few cents per kilogram
To sum up, cleanLASER technology achieves the release of metal for recycling while reducing decontamination costs to a few cents per kilogram. The process is media-free and thus free of recontamination, causes no mechanical stress to workers, is fast to implement, and requires no pre-treatment. It is a s sustainable and efficient alternative to previous processes.
We are happy to offer demonstrations for your individual projects at the plant. Please contact us for more information.