Two days before shutting down the company, a milestone was reached in the decommissioning of Danish Reactor 3: the first concrete blocks have been sawn out of the top of the reactor and placed in containers.
For the past 60 years, a pool has been used to store radioactive items from Danish Reactor 3. The last contaminated pipes have now been removed from the pool.
The waste treatment plant is the sixth and last of Risø's original nuclear plant to be decommissioned. Funds have now been allocated to start work.
The upper section of Danish Reactor 3 now stands exposed and bare, ready for dismantling. As a final preparation, a working platform has been removed from the top of the reactor block and reassembled in a lower position.
The initial decontamination has removed 85 percent of the radioactivity in the Hot Cell facility. Watch a video demonstrating how the team subsequently removed hotspots in one of the cells.
A graphite reflector, which reflected neutrons, was situated around the innermost tank of Danish Reactor 3. The reflector and an associated lead layer have now been removed. This completes the remote-controlled segmentation of the reactor's internal components.
One of DD's tasks is to establish a clearer overview of the radioactive waste that was stored at Risø prior to our establishment in 2003. With the emptying of the so-called 'Old Pit,' significant progress has been made.
The Dutch company Mammoet has once again visited DD to assist with a heavy-lift operation. This time, the large container holding the shielding ring from the DR 3 reactor needed to be refilled.
The mechanical arms, responsible for decontaminating the highly contaminated Hot Cells of radioactivity, have experienced an involuntary pause. The fourth cell slated for decontamination was found to contain significant quantities of fine airborne dust, which almost adheres to the filter.
Over the past year, a team of DD employees has been working on removing the aluminum tank located innermost in Danish Reactor 3. The tank has now been reduced to small pieces and placed in shielded containers.