Decommissioning of the Risoe Hot Cell facility

A concise description of the current status (December 31st, 1992) regarding the decommissioning of the hot cell facility at Risoe National Laboratory is given in this periodic report. During the second half of the year 1992, all remaining fissile material and a large amount of contaminated material were removed, major repair work was carried out on the in-cell crane, the shielded storage facility was decontaminated and sealed, iodine filters in the cell ventilation system were removed, remote cleaning was carried out on three concrete cells to radiation levels acceptable for final cleaning by frogmen, and the remaining work schedule was planned. These processes are briefly described. Some breakdowns of older, but vital equipment (i.e. the in-cell crane and the power manipulator) that was taken into extensive use led to a certain amount of delay. The collective radiation doses during this half-year were no higher than under normal operation of the facility, and amounted to 12 man-mSv ascribed to 14 persons. It was concluded that, when removing old epoxy paint in the cells using paint strippers applied by hand, personnel can wear polythene oversuits, although a technique for remote handling has been developed. Tables illustrate measured radiation levels in cells number 1,4,5 and 6, and a diagram describes the shielded storage facility. (AB)