Power nuclear reactors dismantling challenges and needs

The LD-SAFE project proposes the development of an efficient technology widely known and used in the manufacturing industry, the laser cutting technology, to make it applicable to the dismantling of power nuclear reactor. This technology is expected to be more efficient than the conventional techniques currently used (PAC, AWJC or mechanical cutting) for in air or underwater segmentation of highly radioactive components of power nuclear reactors. The advantages of the laser cutting technology to address the specific challenges of nuclear research facilities and nuclear fuel cycle facilities have been already demonstrated through few completed projects. Moreover, the applicability of the technology to the retrieval of Fukushima Daiichi fuel debris is being developed through related R&D activities, managed by three partners of this project. The LD-SAFE project will contribute to enhance the applicability of the laser cutting technology to all nuclear facilities, in particular thanks to the developments proposed in the field of safety assessment (potential impact of residual laser beam and generation of gases and aerosols).

The developments proposed by the LD-SAFE project aim at enabling the use of the laser cutting technology, with which 100% of the works can be carried out remotely because no maintenance and no wear part replacement are needed in controlled (nuclear) area. In addition, because the laser cutting technology is versatile, it is expected that it could be suitable for large scope of cutting works and thus avoid hands on works. With respect to replacement of outdated technology, it is the purpose of the LD-SAFE project to provide tools and data which will make possible the replacement of conventional techniques used for nuclear dismantling. In particular, it is planned within the project to demonstrate that laser cutting is as fast as plasma arc cutting, but cleaner and thus safer.

EU-SHARE project (Project #847626) will provide Strategic Research Agenda (SRA) and Roadmap of potential collaborative actions-based needs from the decommissioning community and on state of the art of research. SRA and Road Map will be provided by the end of 2021, while LD-SAFE will still be running. LD-SAFE project team will be in contact with SHARE project team during 1.5 years when the 2 projects will wok concurrently. Therefore, first results of LD-SAFE could possibly be an input to SHARE road map and SHARE could possibly identify additional needs for LD SAFE. Workshops with stakeholders of both projects could be partly organised in common in 2021.

The LD-SAFE consortium is a strong partnership of industrials (4) and leading European research centres (2 RTOs) with extensive track-records in the field of decommissioning of nuclear facilities and related thematic. The overall is made of 6 partners coming from 4 European countries. The LD-SAFE consortium covers the whole value chain of the decommissioning of nuclear facilities.