BVS-ABR Scientific Meeting on

Radiation Protection and

Decommissioning

17 May 2019, Anderlecht

German experiences on RP aspects

in decommissioning

Dr. Boris Brendebach

Division S I 3 – Federal Supervision of Operation and

Decommissioning of Nuclear Power Plants and

Research Reactors

• Overview of decommissioning in Germany

• Decommissioning programme

• Decommissioning regulations

• Radiation protection experience during

decommissioning

• RP measures

• Exposure data

• Clearance

Contents

2

• Overview of decommissioning in Germany

• Decommissioning programme

• Decommissioning regulations

• Radiation protection experience during

decommissioning

• RP measures

• Exposure data

• Clearance

Contents

3

Overview of NPP

Decommissioning

Projects

4

Philippsburg

Würgassen

PWR

PTR BWR PWR

Niederaichbach / Isar

BWR BWR BWR

Gundremmingen

PWR PWR

NeckarwestheimFBRPWR

MZFR KNK II

BWR PWR

PWR Obrigheim

PWR PWRBiblisSSR

BWR

HDRKahl

Grafenrheinfeld

PWR

HTR

AVR

HTR

THTR

BWR

PWR Grohnde

PWRBWRLingenEmsland

PWRUnterweser PWR

Stade

PWR

BWR

BWR

PWR

PWRPWRPWR PWR

Greifswald

Krümmel

BrokdorfBrunsbüttel

Rheinsberg

DWR Under decommissioning

Decommissioning completed

Shutdown and authorisation

for power operation expired

In operation

Image source: BfE

7

1

25

3

PWR

Mülheim-Kärlich

Regulatory Pyramid

5

Basic Law

Atomic Energy Act, Radiation Protection

Act

Ordinances

General Administrative provisions

BMU publications

- Safety Requirements for Nuclear Power Plants

- guidelines and recommendations

RSK-, SSK-, and ESK guidelines RSK-, SSK- und ESK recommendations

KTA safety standards

Technical specifications for systems and components Organisation and operating manuals

Federal legislator Bundestag, Bundesrat Federal Government, Bundesrat

Federal Government, Land authorities

Advisory bodies and KTA

Industry

generally binding

binding for authorities

binding by specification in the

licence of by supervisory measures in the individual case

German Laws Atomic Energy Act (AtG)

Radiation Protection Act (StrlSchG)

Environmental Impact Assessment Act (UVPG)

Transparency Act (TranspG)

Ordinances Ordinance on Radiation Protection (StrlSchV)

Ordinance on the Nuclear Licensing Procedure (AtVfV)

Ordinance on the Nuclear Financial Security (AtDeckV)

BMU publications Safety Requirements for Nuclear Power Plants

Decommissioning Guide

Guideline relating to Emission and Immission Monitoring of Nuclear Facilities (REI)

Guideline for Radiation Protection during Inspection, Maintenance, Repair and Dismantling of NPPs (IWRS II)

Guideline for the determination of body doses from external and internal radiation exposure

Recommendations ESK Guideline on Decommissioning

Regulations for

Decommissioning (excerpt)

6

Laws

§7 (3) Atomic Energy Act

• The decommissioning of an installation as well as the

safe enclosure of an installation definitively

decommissioned, or the dismantling of an installation or

of parts thereof shall require a licence.

• Safe enclosure is not allowed for nuclear power plants;

competent authority can in individual cases approve

temporary exceptions for facility parts if and as long as

this is required for reasons of radiation protection.

7

BMU Publications

Guideline for Radiation Protection during Inspection,

Maintenance, Repair and Dismantling of NPPs

(IWRS II)

• Objective to specify requirements for the process of

defining safety measures to be taken for the protection

of personnel against radiation exposure

• Concretize § 8 Radiation Protection Law - Avoidance of

unnecessary exposure and dose reduction

8

IWRS II

9

Contamination:

1000*clearance value

Incorporation:

1/10 annual dose limit

Source: NEA/CRPPH/R(2011)1

IWRS II

10

BMU Publications

Guideline for the determination of body doses from

external and internal radiation exposure

• Internal exposure

11

Potential effective

dose per calendar

year due to

incorporation

Monitoring goal Measures Responsible entity

≥ 1 mSv Determine body

dose of persons

according to

StrlSchV

In-vivo/ in-vitro-

diagnostics

Measuring office

Air sampling Radiation protection

officer

0,5 mSv to < 1 mSv Proof that 1 mSv-

threshold is not

exceeded

Quick counters, air

sampling etc.

Radiation protection

officer

< 0,5 mSv No monitoring

• Overview of decommissioning in Germany

• Decommissioning programme

• Decommissioning regulations

• Radiation protection experience during

decommissioning

• RP measures

• Exposure data

• Clearance

Contents

12

Full System

Decontamination

Dose rate decrease in steps of FSD cycles for different

systems/components

• Example:

13

Do

se r

ate

[μ

Sv

/h]

FSD cycle

© Areva

Full System

Decontamination

Techniques used, decontamination factors (DF)

reached in Germany NPPs (excerpt)

14Source: GRS-492

NPP Reactor

type

Power

[Mwe]

Operation

period

Year of

FSD

FSD-technique DF

(average)

Stade PWR 672 1972-2003 2004 HP/CORD UV >58

Unterweser PWR 1,410 1979-2011 2012 HP/CORD UV 94

Neckarwestheim-I PWR 840 1976-2011 2013 HP/CORD UV 81

Philippsburg-1 BWR 926 1980-2011 2013 Nitrox-E + EPRI-DFD TC: 89

Isar 1 BWR 912 1979-2011 2015 HP/CORD UV + CORD P 39

Biblis A PWR 1,225 1975-2011 2016 ASDOC_D-MOD 90

Biblis B PWR 1,300 1977-2011 2017 ASDOC_D-MOD 109

TC: coolant purification system

In-plant dose values

Specified in the radiation protection regulation of the

residual operating manual

• Example:

15

Threshold values for a worker

Day 0,5 mSv

Month 5 mSv

Year 15 mSv

Life 350 mSv

Personal Protective

Equipment

Specified in the radiation protection regulation of the

residual operating manual

• Example:

16

Surface contamination

α-activity [Bq/cm2] β-activity [Bq/cm2]

PPE

≤ 0,05 ≤ 0,5 Standard clothing for accessing the

controlled area

> 0,05 ≤ 0,5 > 0,5 ≤ 5 • Gloves

• Overshoes

• Filtering face piece

> 0,5 ≤ 5 > 5 ≤ 50 • Gloves

• Overshoes

• Filtering face piece

• Coverall

> 5 ≤ 50 > 50 ≤ 500 • Encapsulating suit

• Filtering face piece

> 50 > 500 • Encapsulating suit

• Powered air-purifying respirators

Occupational

Exposure

Collective dose for all German NPPs in

decommissioning

• Numbers above columns indicate number of NPPs in

decommissioning in the respective year

17

Co

llec

tiv

e d

ose

[m

an

.Sv

]

year

Occupational

Exposure

Trends in dose uptake from operation to

decommissioning

18

Co

llec

tiv

e d

ose

[m

an

.Sv

]

year

Operation

Post-operation

Decommissioning

Pant personnel

Itinerant workers

Occupational

Exposure

Dose uptake during preparation and execution of

decommissioning actions

19

Co

llec

tiv

e d

ose

[m

an

.Sv

]

year

Post-operation

Decommissioning

Plant personnel

Itinerant workers

PP+IW

Occupational

Exposure

But….

• The radiation exposure is not correlated to the activity

inventory of the nuclear facility!

20

© TÜV Nord

Clearance

Changes in legislation

• Directive 2013/59/EURATOM transposed

• New structure of clearance requirements in new

radiation protection ordinance (StrlSchV)

• Exemption values = unrestricted clearance values

• Compatibility of specific clearance values checked

• Approval of clearance process with conditions until

revocation possible

21

Clearance

Dose criterion for clearance

• Clearance possible if the effective dose expected to be

incurred by a member of the public is of the order of

10 μSv or less in a year.

• § 31 (2) StrlSchV

• Article 30, Annex VII No. 3 Directive 2013/59/EURATOM

• IAEA Safety Series No. 89

22

Clearance

New radiation protection ordinance (StrlSchV)

23

§ 31 Release of radioactive substances; dose criterion

§ 32 Request for release

§ 33 Release order

§ 34 Mixing ban

Principles and overarching aspects

§ 35 Unrestricted release

§ 36 Specific release

§ 37 Release in individual cases

§ 38 Official release

§ 39 Agreement on the specific release for disposal

§ 40 Waste recovery and disposal route under waste law

§ 41 Determination of the procedure

§ 42 Obligations of the holder of a release

Individual regulations

Procedural rules

Clearance Options

24

contaminated surfaces

solids and (combustible) liquids

demolition waste

soil areas

buildings for reuse

landfill (solids < 100Mg/a)

landfill (solids < 1000Mg/a)

incineration (substances < 100Mg/a)

incineration (substances < 1000Mg/a)

buildings for demolition

scrap metal to be melted

specificclearance

-conditional-

unrestrictedclearance

-unconditional-

Clearance Process

25Source: ESK information paper on clearance

Decommissioning

Masses

Example for masses of a PWR

26

36

0.0

00

Mg

18

0.0

00

Mg

97,2%

2,4%

0,4%

Supervised area

Controlledarea

clea

ran

ce

Rad. waste

Further use(licensed)

Source: GRS-S-58

27

Thank you for your

attention!

© DOE