Pre-project Activities Related to the Remediation of Fissionable Materials Contained in Standpipes at Atomic Energy of Canada Limited's Whiteshell Laboratories

Abstract

AECL® is presently decommissioning Whiteshell Laboratories (WL), a former nuclear research site. Some Fissionable Materials (FM), arising from operation of Whiteshell Reactor-1, an experimental organic-cooled 60 MW reactor that ran from 1965 to 1985, are stored in 69 in-ground standpipes in the WL Waste Management Area (WMA). The standpipes (171 in total) were used to store mainly intermediate level waste over the period 1967 to 1986.

AECL has committed to remediate the 69 standpipes containing FM. This work, under the auspices of the Nuclear Legacy Liabilities Program, is presently in the pre-project phase, which is focussed on developing an optimum remediation strategy. It includes assessing the condition of the standpipes, the environment inside the standpipes, and possible remediation options. This paper describes the standpipe designs, approaches for determining their fitness for purpose, and steps being taken to determine what radiological or industrial issues may be associated with the stored material. In addition, potential remediation strategies identified to date, and technology that must be developed for conditioning the contents of the standpipes for remediation are discussed.