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Pressure vessel segmented at Bohunice

Monday, 29 November 2021

A milestone was reached in the decommissioning of Slovakia's Bohunice V1 reactor when Javys completed cutting up its pressure vessel. Most of the component has been disposed of as low-level radioactive waste.

Pressure vessel segmented at Bohunice — The reactor vessel in a pool specially created for the segmentation task (Image: Javys)

The 205-tonne reactor pressure vessel was removed from its operational position and placed in a specially created pool for the job in June 2020. The segmentation process then took place underwater over a period of 14 months, Javys said. Pictures show a bandsaw arrangement being used to cut the vessel into chunks.

A bandsaw rig was used to progressively cut the pressure vessel into segments (Image: Javys)

Most parts of the vessel were categorised as low-level radioactive waste and sent for treatment at FS KRAO at Mochovce. That facility cements wastes into large drums which are then sealed ready for disposal at the nearby surface-level facility.

First first segment removed. Cutting the entire vessel took 14 months (Image: Javys)

Other parts were more radioactive and were classified as intermediate-level waste. They were packed into eight containers and transferred to the Integrated Radioactive Waste Storage facility at Bohunice where they await final disposal in a geological repository.

Bohunice V1 was a 408 MWe VVER unit that generated power from 1980 to 2006.