A TECHNO-ECONOMIC ASSESSMENT OF PRIMARY HEAT TRANSPORT SYSTEM DECONTAMINATION IN SUPPORT OF DECOMMISSIONING PICKERING NUCLEAR GENERATING STATIONS

摘要

The operating reactor units at Pickering are expected to be permanently shut down by approximately 2020 (this nominal date is for planning purposes only) and then decommissioned. OPG has adopted the 'Deferred Dismantling' strategy for decommissioning its nuclear plants. In contrast with prompt dismantling, radioactive decay leads to reduced dose expenditure during deferred dismantling. As part of the decommissioning strategy, chemical decontamination of the primary heat transport (PHT) system may be undertaken prior to Safe Storage. Decommissioning costs depend significantly on the chosen deferral period. The overall objective of the present work was to contribute to the optimization of the existing decommissioning plan by assessing the benefits of decontamination. Accordingly, an overall cost-benefit analysis for PHT system decontamination was performed. Details are presented in this paper.