MPR has designed, developed and tested the processes and equipment used in handling, treatment, storage and transportation of radioactive waste (low and high level waste in gas, liquid or solid form). Our specific areas of expertise include:

• Design and testing of special tools and equipment for waste materials handling and component maintenance in highly radioactive environments; including preparation of detailed procurement specifications.

• Design of waste processing systems, including process technique definition and selection of specific components.

• Design of handling equipment, on-site storage facilities, and transport systems.

• Design and safety review of complex waste processing facilities.

• Investigation of new decontamination techniques. For example, MPR assisted in developing a commercial cleaning process for use in component decontamination. This innovative process uses "baking soda" pellets as the blasting media. It is highly effective on surface contamination, and the blasting media is readily soluble in water and environmentally benign. This allows easy separation of the contaminated residue and reduces the waste volume.

MPR has performed evaluations for the Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute to estimate the quantities of radioactive materials generated by the decommissioning of nuclear fuel cycle facilities in the United States. These include nuclear power plants, uranium conversion facilities, uranium enrichment facilities, and spent fuel reprocessing facilities. This effort included development of a method for performing the estimates, and follow on effort to compare the actual data from nuclear power plants undergoing decommissioning with the estimated waste quantities.

Some of our D&D assignments have required extraordinary engineering effort as well as creative and unconventional approaches. The following pages provide insight to our experience in a few of the nuclear D&D projects:

• Three Mile Island Unit 2 Reactor
  
• Technical Assistance for PUREX
  
• Technical Oversight at Fort St. Vrain
  
• Spent Nuclear Fuel Handling Shipping and Storage
  
• Radiation Shielding Design
  
• Chernobyl
  
• Hanford Spent Nuclear Fuel Project
  

Contact

For further information on MPR's D&D services with the Department of Energy, or other engineering services, contact Bob Coward or Larry Cundy.

More MPR Nuclear Experience

• ALWR Development
• Configuration Management
• Design Bases Integration
• License Renewal Engr Svcs
• Main Coolant Pumps
• MPR BWR ECCS Suction Strainer Svcs
• MPR Qualifications Related to Restart & Startup Assessments for The Office of Nuclear Safety
• Soviet-Designed Nuclear Reactor Plants
• Valve Experience