METHOD FOR THE ULTIMATE OR Dismantling Irradiated Nuclear Fuel Elements

摘要

Irradiated nuclear fuel elements of the type comprising a fuel pin bundle (5) located and supported in a hexagonal wrapper (4) by grids (6) are dismantled for subsequent reprocessing of the fuel by cutting the casing (4) around its periphery in the region (L2) of maximum swelling of the pins (5), removing the upper part of the casing and the grids associated with that part and pushing the pin bundle and grids through the remaining casing part so that the grids (6) successively stack against one another. The pins (5) are then separated from the stacked grids by for example laser-cutting the pins through non-fuel bearing sections thereof either before or after disengagement of the stacked grids from the remaining casing part. IMAGE