Dismantling and decontamination processes

This teaching unit will cover the various techniques available for dismantling and decontaminating nuclear facilities. After describing the issues and operations involved in dismantling facilities, and the measurement tools available (imagers, gamma spectrometers, etc.), the decontamination processes available will be presented, depending on the nature of the objects to be decontaminated (conventional decontamination processes or complex fluid processes). Several innovative techniques for decontaminating contaminated surfaces will be presented (conventional decontamination processes, micellar solutions, gels, foams, supercritical fluids).

Hourly volumes* :

            CM: 12h

            TD : 8h

The objective of this teaching unit is to address the issues and operations related to the dismantling of nuclear facilities and to present the measurement tools used (imagers, gamma spectrometers, etc.). In addition, it will also describe the innovative processes available to undertake the different decontamination stages depending on the nature of the objects to be decontaminated (classic decontamination processes, micellar solutions, gels, foams, supercritical fluids).

Fuel cycle: from mining to waste management

Final inspection

• Dismantling of nuclear installations
  • Introduction, history, actors, terminology
  • Protection of workers and the public: exposure regulations, radiation protection zoning, static and dynamic confinement
  • Phases in the life of a nuclear installation: bases of French regulations (classification of installations - different decrees), preparatory operations for shutdown, dismantling levels
  • Waste management: categories of nuclear waste (existing sectors), waste studies (definition of waste zoning - reference zoning, operational zoning)
  • INBs to be decommissioned in France and abroad: reactors and fuel cycle laboratories and plants; dismantling strategies
  • Feedback: projects carried out
• Cutting tools for dismantling:
  • Characterization of tools, families and examples of tools
  • Comparison and synthesis
  • Concrete cutting
• Radiological characterization and inventory tools applied to dismantling
  • Reminders on radioactivity and radiation/matter interactions
  • Imagers: gamma camera, alpha camera, R&D projects
  • Gamma spectrometry measurement (CdTe probes – Projects - R&D)
  • Surface controls: applications
  • Calculation codes (codes used - Associated characterization methods
• Micellar solutions, gels and foams: innovative processes for the radiological decontamination of solids
  • Introduction: radiological decontamination, objectives and definitions
  • Objectives of solid decontamination and general principles
  • Conventional solid decontamination processes
  • New decontamination processes using complex fluids
• Micellar solutions for degreasing metals
• ASPIGELS gels: self-drying and fracturing gels for large flat surfaces (metals, concrete, etc.)
• GELIFOAM foams: static gelled foams for the volumetric decontamination of large volumes of complex shape, flotation foams for the decontamination of land C''MONA foam for the destruction of sodium.
• Perspectives

Administrative contact(s): Master of Chemistry secretariat

master-chimie @ umontpellier.fr (master-chimie @ umontpellier.fr)