Nuclear power station Muhleberg - Optimum solution found with simple means

In the oldest Swiss nuclear power station Muhleberg of the BKW FMB Energie AG, the third campaign since commissioning took place in 1998 for disposal of replaced parts of the pressurised reactor container. On the basis of exp erience gathered so far, it was thereby possible to drastically reduce the volume of the waste material and the accumulated collective dosage rate. A further advantage is given by the computer-supported verification of the ra dioactive inventory of the various waste material components. This has cons iderably simplified and accelerated the appl oval procedure. In future the considerable effort of taking samples from the con is not necessary, becaus e the now supplemented computer program has been checked under practical op erating conditions and therefore can be used in future for all other kinds of waste material from the pressurised container (with the exception of the neutron absorbers). The water-submerged shears hired in the nuclear power station Gundremmingen and operated by the company Noell from Wurzburg, have been used again fur breaking-down thr fuel element boxes. Except for operating the water-submer ged shears, all other tasks were carried out by own personnel of the nuclea r power station. The campaign lasted for four weeks, during which 50 employ ees worked in a double shift. The supervisory authority praised the personn el of Muhleberg and confirmed that here an optimised solution with regard t o nuclear radiation protection technology had been found with surprisingly simple me ans. The old control rods still deposited in the fuel element sto rage basin and the activated part of the measuring lances can, in principle . he disposed of with the same tools using the same method. However. for th is purpose it is necessary to strengthen the existing shielding, because th e dosage rate is here greater by a factor of ten to one hundred.