Challenges of Existing Site Services/Utilities in Facility Decommissioning and Demolition

Abstract

The decommissioning and demolition of existing nuclear facilities are usually situated within sites, with existing surrounding facilities being in operation. This poses a unique challenge since these surrounding facilities need to remain in operation, often requiring uninterrupted utility supplies. Similarly, the facilities to be decommissioned require prior isolation from services. The existing buried and above-ground services, structures and components also require assessment and/or protection to prevent damage during decontamination and demolition activities. This report explores the challenges associated with decommissioning and demolition of operational sites and discusses best practices for completing modifications on existing plants and designing new facilities to enable more seamless decommissioning and demolition in the future. Many of these best practices were learned or refined during Hatch's execution of such projects at the Canadian Nuclear Laboratories (CNL) Chalk River Laboratories site. The cost comparison and advantage of treating the utilities isolation/rerouting as a part of the wider decommissioning program rather than on case-by-case facility basis will also be presented. The use of prefabricated solutions vs. field-constructed utilities/piping supports will also be discussed.