Decontamination and dismantling of the Piver prototype vitrification facility at Marcoule, France

The 1984 decision to decommission the Piver pilot vitrification facility was followed by over three years of preparation during which the necessary administrative and operational structures were set up, safety permits and waste conditioning arrangements were secured, and additional technical facilities were designed and installed. The operational phase began in 1988 with dismantling of the process equipment, followed by preliminary cell decontamination. System pipes were then cut up, first using telemanipulators and subsequently by human operators when the ambient dose rate dropped sufficiently to allow workers to enter the cell. Piver has now been fully decommissioned, and the main process cell is available for installation of a new research and development facility