Decommissioning

Fulfilling the UK’s commitment to decommission JET

UKAEA has objectives to:

fulfil the UK’s liability for JET decommissioning in a cost-effective manner, using innovative cost-saving methods and reducing nuclear hazard, minimising waste streams and maximising tritium recovery
develop, implement and prove new technologies to position the UK for future international markets
repurpose JET facilities for UK science and innovation where there is a clear case to do so
enable the growth of the fusion cluster by regenerating land released from the JET estate
retain and build on key UK skills base gained through hosting and operating JET, including within the supply chain

Decommissioning often hits the headlines for time and cost overrun. JDR provides an opportunity to break that cycle, proving technological solutions and innovative concepts which leverage UKAEA’s research and development heritage. Furthermore, decommissioning can capitalise on UKAEA’s world leading expertise in remote handling and tritium management.

JDR must remove hazards and waste and could demonstrate benefits in the broader decommissioning sector, showcasing efficiencies for government and the private sector, and capturing intellectual property.

JDR brings together a rare combination of factors:

a culture of innovation and adoption, where purpose and direction align
a relatively small-scale programme where risk and reward calculations are tangible
relatively few security constraints
hazards which are challenging but understood and manageable
a framework for statutory compliance (regulation) which provides the freedom to apply innovation

UKAEA’s approach to decommissioning

UKAEA’s preferred decommissioning strategy includes:

remote / robotic dismantling and size reduction of vacuum vessel contents
detritiation research and intellectual property generation
reducing the quantity of Intermediate Level Waste requiring transport and storage
repurposing buildings, facilities and assets for use in fusion energy programmes, Culham Campus masterplan and relevant adjacent sectors

The four-axis approach enables the development and implementation of tailored workstream plans to meet each of the challenges of this world-first programme.

Outside in (everything outside the torus)

Outside in includes:

releasing JET’s estate for development
liberating assets for repurposing, recycling, sale or disposal
reducing liability within the programme

Inside out (the vacuum vessel)

Inside out includes:

sample retrieval
removing tiles, components and vessel furniture
practical demonstration of remote handling capabilities

Proving concepts

Proving concepts includes:

intelligent machines
detritiation and tritium science

Costs

Costs include:

reducing fixed costs, for example electricity, insurance
managing transition costs for example, keeping essential JET systems functioning and staffing

Decommissioning support

Can Decommissioning support your fusion or engineering programme by repurposing a JET asset?

Contact the team

Configuring for success

A matrixed approach to project management is using skills and experience from across UKAEA, including JET subject matter experts.

JDR has actively sought best practice from numerous locations, including:

Chapelcross – former nuclear power station in Dumfries and Galloway with a tritium processing plant
AWE Nuclear Security Technologies
the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority

These relationships continue and evolve as UKAEA builds its own capabilities and experience.

Long-term remote handling innovation

JET’s Remote Handling System provides the platform for a diverse range of remote handling operations.

The first phase of In-Vessel Decommissioning involves the removal of ~3,000 tiles and components installed using the Remote Handling system. This is using tried-and-tested planning and methodology.

For subsequent phases we need novel approaches to be able to remotely size reduce large items in the tokamak – such as divertor coils – and to transport them out through the vessel ports. This approach minimises the spread of contamination and keeps people away from hazards, such as tritium and beryllium dust.

Enhanced operational capabilities include component handling, dust collection, end effector handling and viewing system. We may need to develop new capabilities including cold cutting, laser cutting and spot welding.

UKAEA will be using in-house expertise to customise ‘off-the-shelf’ products to deliver our specific needs, working with world-leading companies.

Long-term waste strategy

For a robust detritiation strategy, JDR needs to establish technical feasibilities, optimise operational parameters, and develop a comprehensive value-for-money assessment of disposal options, covering:

processing tritiated water to enable future thermal detritiation
processing the tonnes of soft waste (for example: PPE, plastics) before disposal
JET’s hard waste, such as Inconel, stainless steel, beryllium and tungsten

Continuing research and development and optioneering to better understand costs and benefits of end-to-end processing is underway.

Intermediate Level Waste storage is required to bridge the gap between In-Vessel Decommissioning and detritiation processing.

We will need the Active Gas Handling System, used for extracting and processing tritium from JET, for operational purposes until the end of the decommissioning programme.

Showcasing technologies for adjacent sectors

JET has unique characteristics. It is a significant engineering facility which is nevertheless small-scale with tangible risk and reward calculations, and it has hazards which are challenging but understood and manageable. UKAEA has a culture of innovation and adoption supported by a regulatory framework. This all combines to make the decommissioning programme an ideal opportunity to showcase technologies applicable in adjacent sectors.

Already this includes:

Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) – This multi-national project involved four EUROfusion laboratories, supported by four more, with UKAEA providing expertise in materials and remote handling. LIBS is a common technology in a laboratory setting. However, through the use of bespoke technology, design and training we deployed a unit in a hard environment (such as a tritiated and radiated tokamak) for the first time.
Remote Health Physics System – A lack of Health Physics resources is an issue across multiple sectors. RAICo is currently developing a Remote Health Physics System which can mitigate this issue, remove operators from hazardous areas, and accelerate sample collection. Benefits include increased efficiencies and cost savings. Advancements in this area could offer up-skilling opportunities for existing resource.