Decommissioning of four small nuclear waste storage buildings and an evaporation plant

A small-scale decommissioning concept was applied with staff from an earlier project wish strong knowledge of radiation protection, minimized radiation doses and environmental pollution. The project was therefore initiated with less than 10 people involved using standard hand held equipment. The aim of the decommissioning project was to set free as much material as possible, i.e. remove waste from the regulatory control regime and also free the remaining structures and buildings for conventional demolition and subsequent reuse of the property. Complete decommissioning will be concluded at the end of 2008 when all waste is taken case of. This is the fourth in a series of important decommissioning projects in Studsvik since the 1980s. Some of the conclusions are: 1) Obtain a group with well-known personnel that have been working together before for the entire project For a project larger than this, project management assistant would have made follow-up more efficient. Experts in instrumentation and statistics are also important. Also important is knowledge about practical decisions that would make the project more efficient in terms of time. Interviews and historical facts are important when choosing which nuclides are of most interest for measurements (but be critic). 2) Be sure all authoritative requirements are followed, like setting up a work environment plan at the entrance to the site and placing a fence around the work site. 3) Check all individual radiation exposures before project start and do whole body measurements both before and after the project. Urine samples should be taken if alpha contamination is a risk. 4) Calculate for unwanted and 'not what you expected' situations in the time schedule. 5) Be aware of contaminations and radiation sources outside the actual area. They might have to be moved. 6) Calculate and order bins and containers for waste storage well in advance. Stay informed of the updated amount of waste and keep it in locked storage. 7) Analyze what instrumentation you need and calibrate it in advance. 8) Order the equipment you need in time. Have one person responsible for materials. 9) Establish an updated plan for the last few weeks of work to motivate the team. Place this plan in a location very visible to the staff and update it daily (author)(tk)