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Spent Fuel Pool Services
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Unlike times past where SFP projects were only performed when the waste began to interfere with fuel movement, it
is now considered more important and, therefore, critical to identify, characterize, and consolidate this
material. Most activated metals are highly radioactive and proper management of this waste material is almost
always accompanied by relatively high regulatory and financial risk. Whether a disposition path for the activated
material is disposal or temporary storage for some future disposal option WMG is the right choice for managing
successful program.
Since 1985, WMG has provided technical support for these types of projects ranging from characterization of
activated metals and other similar wastes to designing specialty containers, to a supplying a complete turnkey
project. Hundreds of projects, involving thousands of irradiated components, have been successfully completed by
WMG. Its highly qualified and experienced engineering professionals use proven methods and practices to ensure
each spent fuel pool is maintained in a safe and organized condition.
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Large Component Disposal
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WMG has supported every large commercial reactor decommissioning project performed in the United States since
1990. On most of these projects, the scope of WMG’s activities spans several years and begin with the initial
evaluations of how to proceed, and continuing through packaging and final disposition of D&D waste. WMG’s
expertise lies in planning, packaging and disposition of the relatively high activity radioactive materials
such as reactor vessels and internals, large components, and spent fuel. Many routine approaches and practices
used in the industry today are based on precedents set by WMG. These precedents include disposition of fully
intact reactor vessels with and without internals, shipment of intact reactor vessels under DOT exemptions,
packaging of GTCC waste for shipment to DOE, and shipment of the first intact reactor vessel to the Barnwell,
SC disposal facility. A few examples of WMG experience follow:
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FENOC-Davis Besse Reactor Head Disposal
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The Davis Besse Reactor Head disposal project points directly to WMG’s experience and capability to rapidly
addressed and resolved this clients difficult waste disposal issues. Based upon WMG’s detailed waste
characterization modeling and calculations it became possible to:
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• Analyze and design a strong tight container
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• Select a qualified fabricator
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• Characterize each spent filter
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• Develop a transportation and disposal plan
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• Deliver to the site a reactor head containment package that was both transportable by rail and fully compliant with DOT/NRC regulations.
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A "FIRST-OF-A-KIND" effort, pioneered by WMG, was executed under a highly aggressive project schedule
and was successfully completed without issue. The FirstEnergy project manager commented on the WMG design
saying that it "fit like a glove!"
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Dominion Nuclear-North Anna 2 Reactor Head Replacement and Disposal
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Dominion Nuclear turned to WMG to manage the characterization, packaging, and transportation of Unit 2’s
old reactor head. The lessons learned from WMG’s Davis-Besse project and a recently completed Maine Yankee D&D
project were applied, thereby ensuring that North Anna 2 would complete the project on time so that it could
meet meet their scheduled refuel outage. North Anna 2 became the first operating plant to replace their reactor
head and complete on-time the transport and disposal of the old reactor head at the Clive, Utah disposal
site. This positive outcome resulted in WMG being also awarded the North Anna Unit 1 & Surry projects.
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Decommissioning and Decontamination
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The costs associated with managing radioactive waste are a significant element to the overall expense of the Decommissioning
and Decontamination (D&D) of nuclear facilities. Furthermore, depending upon how residual spent fuel was managed,
cost will have a dominant presence in the budget. It has been estimated that nearly 60% of the overall costs of D&D can
be directly attributable to the costs of waste management. Accurate radiological characterization of waste materials, a
WMG core capability, ensures better management of project budget. Additionally, WMG also provides -
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Strategic Planning
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WMG’s work scopes have ranged from defining a sites’ overall waste management plan to evaluating reactor vessel removal
scenarios at BWRs, PWRs and government reactors. WMG will also prepare bid specifications, evaluate alternatives, and
during each critical phase of a D&D project provide ALARA evaluations and estimates.
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Activation Analysis
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WMG’s analytical and benchmarking practices were developed in 1991 and were reviewed by the NRC. WMG is the recognized
expert in the field of activation analysis having performed activation analysis evaluations on all commercial D&D
projects performed to date.
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Waste Characterization
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Performed at both commercial and government facilities, WMG has encountered nearly every waste form as well as multiple
disposition or storage scenarios. These projects typically involve definition of packaging and transport requirements
consistent with either commercial or government disposal site criteria.
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Greater Than Class C (GTCC) Waste Minimization
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WMG worked closely with the NRC during their development of the concentration averaging of metals guidelines. This clear
understanding of the guidelines, experience, and evaluation methodology enables WMG to minimize GTCC waste generated during
any project.
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Internal Segmentation
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WMG’s experience with reactor internal segmentation is extensive dating back to the Yankee Rowe D&D project. WMG’s
segmentation experience includes :
- Preliminary segmentation plans
- Review and validation of vendor segmentation plans
- Packaging plans
- Post segmentation cavity cleanup
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Intact Vessel and and Internals Packaging
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WMG’s experience includesthe Saxton Reactor, Connecticut Yankee, and Southern California Edison’s SONG’s reactor vessel
shipments. This includes:
- Licensing and permitting
- Designing and permitting transport packages for shipping intact vessels
- WMG holds the patents on many of the transport package designs used in the industry today
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