May 12, 2016
Germany: AREVA awarded decontamination contract for Grafenrheinfeld Power Plant
AREVA NP has been selected by the utility E.ON Kernkraft to
decontaminate the Grafenrheinfeld nuclear power plant, a pressurized
water reactor design, located in Germany. As part of the end of the
reactor’s activities, this operation will reduce the radiation level in
the reactor pressure vessel, auxiliary systems and piping. This project
is expected to be completed during the fourth quarter of 2016.
The
decontamination will be executed using to the combination of two AREVA
NP techniques: the CORD UV® and the AMDA®. This operation is based on
the progressive injection of chemical products into the reactor’s
primary circuit. Once the process is completed, the chemical substances
used are decomposed into carbon dioxide and water, leaving behind no
additional waste.
This process can be applied to nuclear power
plants in operation to reduce the dose level during maintenance
activities, and it can also be used as a preparatory measure before
decommissioning, significantly reducing the final radioactive waste.
“AREVA’s
decontamination technology has been already used reliably in over 30
nuclear facilities worldwide, including boiling and pressurized water
reactors. This new contract confirms customer confidence in our
decontamination technology,” said Michael Cerruti, executive
vice-president of Sales for AREVA’s Reactors and Services Business
Group.