Decommissioning

Decommissioning Services for Governmental, Industrial, and Nuclear Sites

RSCS is internationally renowned for providing world-class decommissioning services to nuclear sites around the globe. Our decommissioning services include decommissioning cost estimation, plant dismantlement planning and execution, and final status survey design and implementation. We pride ourselves in providing expert contamination control support and specialize in alpha contamination programs.

RSCS maintains a Decommissioning License, NH Radioactive Materials License #381R that positions RSCS to provide decontamination and decommissioning services to clients throughout the U.S. who do not have this capacity on their own site license. This license allows us to take control of an unlicensed facility, such as a legacy site, for decontamination and decommissioning purposes.

RSCS provides decommissioning services outside the state of New Hampshire through reciprocity agreements. In fact, through a reciprocity agreement with the state of California, the RSCS license was used to license a facility for the purposes of dismantling, decontaminating, decommissioning and surveying of Marine Gas Turbine Engines from the U.S. Navy surface vessels. After a year of successfully functioning under the reciprocity agreement, RSCS applied for and received a Radioactive Material License (License No. 8149-37) from the State of California to continue these decommissioning operations.

SPECIALTY SKILLS

Our nuclear power plant project management company has been performing decommissioning for over 20 years, and we have a team with over 500 years of combined experience. Our team has successfully executed decommissioning tasks at several current and former project sites ranging from large nuclear power installations to university and research facilities, medical centers, and industrial sites which use radioactive material as part of their mission. Our team has performed the planning, design, and execution of reactor, accelerator, and cyclotron decommissioning projects as well as radiochemical sites (including NORM and TENORM sites).

Our licensing experts are actively involved with the NRC and Agreement State regulators. Our project managers and staff are keenly aware of the political ramifications of work involving radioactive material and maintain a policy of open and honest communications. Our nuclear project management team has extensive experience dealing with the public, and many of our senior staff have years of experience acting as site representatives on advisory committees and speaker bureaus set up to address public issues related to nuclear operations and decommissioning. Key highlights of our decommissioning expertise are summarized below:

Extensive experience in the planning and safe execution of high-risk radiological work including:

  • Cutting, packaging, and disposition of high-dose reactor components,
  • Management of underwater cutting and diving activities,
  • Sluicing and disposition of resin and tank sludge,
  • Fuel pool debris cleanup and management, and
  • Management of work in high dose-rate areas and airborne radioactivity areas

Advanced in-situ monitoring techniques that integrate with the MARSAME processes to efficiently survey and release large volumes of low-risk potentially contaminated components, reducing considerable waste costs and regulatory risk. We have been implementing the MARSSIM process for over 15 years at several of our decommissioning projects, including implementing a MARSAME characterization process for the release of all turbine building equipment at the decommissioning Bradwell reactor in England and at the operational Turkey Point Nuclear site to disposition thousands of tons of equipment due to an extensive uprate project..

License Termination Plans for two commercial nuclear power plants (Connecticut Yankee and Yankee Rowe), We have supported the development of many other decommissioning plans ranging from small to large nuclear facilities. In addition, we have written dozens of decommissioning plans for industrial, research, and medical facilities.

Technical white papers which introduced the concept of MARSSIM and MARSAME surveys to the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority in the UK. These processes received approval and have been implemented on a large scale to release components from decommissioning Magnox reactors since 2008.

Characterization plans for large and small licensees. We have successfully planned the characterization of complex decommissioning items such as the Connecticut Yankee, Humboldt Bay, and Fermi reactor vessels, resin and waste HICs, large reactor components, accelerator targets at the Los Alamos facility, and cyclotron targets, components, shield blocks, and buildings.

Complex DCGLs calculated through modeling using RESRAD and RESRAD-BUILD as well as custom modeling to determine site specific factors. Our Radiological Engineers have been modeling sites and developing DCGLs for sites ranging from nuclear power to industrial, medical, and university sites. We have received high praise from both NRC and State Regulators for our technical support documents (TSDs) which support the sound basis for all DCGL calculations.

MCNP capabilities in house to perform activation and dose profile analysis on large components, including reactor vessels and head components, steam generators.

Sound and proven methods for the characterization of tritium and carbon-14 in concrete for the nuclear power industry and in soils for other industries.

Custom tools and equipment that have been used for remote operations in radiological hazardous areas that are not personnel accessible. These types of applications align directly with decontamination, decommissioning, remote size reduction and packaging activities. Design time and customer costs are greatly reduced by using application-proven reliable tools and equipment that have been “Re-Engineered” to provide remote capabilities with specific functions.

Groundwater and soils characterization experience at several nuclear sites including Quad Cities, LaSalle, Indian Point, Braidwood, Fitzpatrick, Seabrook, Connecticut Yankee, Yankee Rowe and many others to install wells, design and implement groundwater and soil characterization and investigation programs.

Proprietary software development for efficient data management, analysis and trend characterization which has been used by several facilities.

Key industry decommissioning documents for the Electric Power Research Institute as well as contributed to other projects including:

  • Program Reduction for Decommissioning Nuclear Plants
  • Programs for Addressing Alpha-Emitting Radionuclides at Nuclear Power Plants
  • Alpha Monitoring and Control Guidelines for Nuclear Power Stations
  • Applications of Non-Nuclear Robotics to Nuclear Industry Decommissioning
  • Groundwater Monitoring Guidance for Nuclear Power Plants
  • Groundwater Plant Assessment Team
  • Tritium Soil Gas Monitoring for Nuclear Power Facilities
  • Dose Modeling Techniques
  • Remediation Decision Making
  • Fate and Transport Software Evaluation
  • New Technologies for Groundwater Monitoring and Remediation
  • Applicability of High-Density Polyethylene in Nuclear Piping Systems with Internal Radionuclides

CONTACT US TODAY

Decommissioning services are essential for governmental, industrial, and nuclear sites that have reached the end of their operational life cycles. Whether it’s a military base, a power plant, or a nuclear facility, these sites require careful and meticulous planning to ensure safe and efficient decommissioning.

Choosing a reliable and experienced decommissioning services provider is crucial to ensure the successful and safe decommissioning of governmental, industrial, and nuclear sites. These providers have the necessary knowledge, skills, and certifications to handle the unique challenges and complexities of decommissioning projects. RSCS adheres to strict regulatory guidelines and industry best practices to protect the environment, public health, and safety throughout the decommissioning process.

Our decommissioning services play a vital role in safely and efficiently closing down governmental, industrial, and nuclear sites. These services ensure the proper disposal of equipment and hazardous materials, the restoration of sites, and the protection of the environment and public health. Choose our reputable decommissioning service for a successful decommissioning project. Call today.