Consortium to accelerate Dounreay decommissioning

摘要

Multi-discipline design team Nuclear Decommissioning Ltd (NDL), made up of James Fisher Nuclear, React Engineering, Shepley Engineering and Tetra Tech, will develop detail scheme designs to allow DSRL (Dounreay Site Restoration Ltd) to safely package and transport irradiated fuel from the Prototype Fast Reactor (PFR) facility for long term storage. This is part of the strategic plan to help accelerate Scotland's largest decommissioning project, situated on the north Caithness coast. The PFR was a Fast Breeder reactor that was primarily used to test various designs of fuel assemblies. It also supplied power to the National Grid from 1975 and generated over 9,250 gigawatts of power before it was taken offline in 1994. It was highly fuel-efficient compared to standard reactor designs (which was a key concern at a time when uranium was thought to be relatively scarce) and was even considered as a possible commercial design. Ultimately, as uranium was found to be much more plentiful, and being more expensive to run than light water reactors, the PFR design did not enter widespread service. As part of another project on the Dounreay site, the consortium will also develop an integrated concept and scheme decommissioning plans for the DSRL High Active Liquor Storage and Evaporation Facility (HALSEF).