VTT Centre for Nuclear Safety · Click to edit Master title style Click to edit Master text styles Second level Third level Fourth level Fifth level 3.11.2016 6 Profile of new Centre

VTT Centre for Nuclear SafetySuomalaisen Ydintekniikkan Päivät

Nuclear Science and Technology Symposium

Helsinki, 2 and 3 November 2016

Wade Karlsen, Research Team Leader

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VTT nuclear energy R&D competencies

Radioactive Waste Disposal Solutions

• Characterization of radioactive waste

• Design of disposal concept (KBS-3)

• Operating waste and decommissioning

• Bedrock and groundwater characterization

• Long-term safety of materials, disposal facilities

and safety case

• Engineering barrier system component

manufacturing and quality control

• Operational safety of disposal facilities, incl. PRA

• New and alternative waste management

technologies

• Licensing support

• Low and Intermediate waste storage.



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VTT nuclear energy R&D competencies

Reactor materials testing and research

• VTT has been hosting the national hot laboratory infrastructure since it

was first constructed and equipped in the 1970’s.

• Principle use has been for handling, testing and examining RPV

materials for surveillance testing.

• Many critical plant life management issues for operating nuclear power

plants are related to materials.

• Lifetime extension, power upgrading, and construction of new plants

require investigating and solving problems related to components and

structural integrity.

• Aging degradation of structures and components

is an important aspect of power plant safety.

• Ageing management requires activities related to

the utilization, inspection, surveillance, testing,

examination, and degradation mitigation of

materials.



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Profile of new Centre for Nuclear Safety



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3-D model of facility

Office entrance

3,300 m2 office wing includes

a ground-level conference

centre

three floors of modern, flexible

office space for 150 people.

Laboratory wing and transport

yard2,360 m2 laboratory wing includes

a basement level and

two floors of laboratory space

around the main high-bay

Transport dock for trucks

room for centralised supply of

gases used (Ar 5.0, Ar 6.0, Ar/H2,

Ar/CH4, N2, CO2)



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Office wing is intended to serve nuclear sector

employees in:

• computerized fluid dynamics

• process modelling (APROS)

• fusion plasma computations

• severe accidents

• core-computations

• waste-management

• safety assessments

• staff working in the laboratory wing.t = 0 ms 40 ms

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Basement:

storage and handling of radioactive materials and waste

High-bay area:

Pilot hall and hot-cells

Laboratory space includes mechanical and microstructural characterisation of materials

radiochemistry

HR-ICP-MS

Iodine filter testing

nuclear waste

dosimetry

aerosol measurements

failure analysis



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CNS construction, 2014

Jan. 14 Jun. 14

Sept. 14 Dec. 14



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CNS construction, 2015

Jul.15Jul. 15

Jan. 15Jan. 15



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CNS completion, 2016

May16 Sep. 16

May. 16Jan. 16



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Safety features of the CNS

KATAKRI III security & safeguards requirements.

Extra-thick concrete walls of basement; blocks gamma

radiation in case of accidental source uncovering.

Basement ceiling/main floor extra thick for adequate

structural integrity for the hot cells installed on the

main floor.

Electrical supply to the laboratory facilities

assured by back-up diesel and centralized UPS.

Redundant ventilators for A-laboratory and B- & C-

laboratory.

Back-up diesel generators for ventilator ensure under-

pressures in the laboratory are maintained.



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Modern laboratory features of the CNS

Special attention to low energy consumption solutions.

Ventilation system has fully automated balancing on

room-by-room basis, including presence monitors.

Laboratory fire suppression by HiFog low-water system.

Centralized supply of laboratory gases (Ar 5.0, Ar 6.0,

Ar/H2, Ar/CH4, N2, CO2), piped to the rooms needing

them

Source bottles are stored in a dedicated gas

storage facility accessed directly from the gated

courtyard

This eliminates the need to wheel bottles into the

radiological controlled area.

Liquid nitrogen supply into radiological area via pipe.

Centralized cooling is available for connection by

individual pieces of equipment as needed.

C-laboratory: Clean-room with ICP-MS

Clean-room space includes:

• Acid wash room (no ISO classification, HEPA filtration of supply air)– All supplies in sample preparation are acid washed clean prior to use– Ultrapure water station, two fume hoods, cabinet for acids, laminar-flow cabinet

(drying and packing of supplies for sample preparation)

• Entrance and dressing areas (ISO 6 – ISO 8)

• Weighing room (ISO 8)– two weighing tables with analytical scales– sample preparation for HR-ICP-MS, storage of standards

and samples– ultrapure laboratory water

• Instrument room (ISO 7)– HR-ICP-MS and extra space for an other apparatus– Controlled temperature and humidity (21 C, 50-60 %)

• Special room (ISO 6)– microscope, weighing table, analytical scale,

two laminar-flow cabinets and cabinet for chemicals

• Pass through boxes between the different rooms

C-laboratory:Nuclear waste management, radiochemistry, and aeresol research

Laboratory rooms with general chemistry lab furnishing– Fume-hoods, clean water, weighing tables, scales etc.

Special laboratory rooms for

• Four glove-boxes (small over pressure)– Argon atmosphere; low contents of O2 (<0.1 ppm) and CO2

– Constant measurement of O2 in atmosphere anddissolved in water (Orbisphere instrument)

– Possibility to measure H2 (Orbisphere instrument)– Possibility to add CO2 partial pressure to one glove-box

• Bentonite and colloid research– High-speed centrifuge with several rotors (tubes from 50 mL to 1000 mL)– Laminar-flow cabinet (particle free handling)– Muffle oven (fabrication of ion-selective electrodes)

• Microwave dissolution apparatus (dropped ceiling)– Dissolution of difficultly soluble samples (metal, rock, tissue)and preparation for

HR-ICP-MS analysis

• Handling and studying of small concentrations (dropped ceiling)

C-laboratory:Nuclear waste management, radiochemistry, and aeresol research

• Aerosol research– Migration of fission products in severe nuclear power plant accidents

• Measurement of - , - and - activities– Liquid scintillation counter

– Automated shielded measuring track for larger samples

• Electronic workshop– Serves constructing measuring devices and instruments

• Instrument service– Laboratory diswasher

• Proper storage room for chemicals– Fire safe chemical cabinets

– Freezers and refrigators

• General storage room

Main floor B-laboratory:

Nuclear waste & radiochemistry

• α-glove-box (small underpressure) for working with α-active radionuclides– equipped with required filters (inside and outside so that no

contamination can escape the working space of the glove-box

– Argon atmosphere; low contents of O2 (<0.1 ppm) and CO2

– Constant measurement of O2 in atmosphere anddissolved in water (Orbisphere instrument)

– Possibility to measure H2 (Orbisphere instrument)

• General chemistry laboratory equipment– Fume hoods, clean lab water, scales, etc.

• Movable laminar-flow cabinet (eg. microbiology)

• Possibility to install an other α-glove-box

• Lockable storage room

Main floor A-laboratory:Pilot area

In the high-bay, partly sectioned off.

Equipped with

• Fume hood

• Glove-box (small over pressure)

– Argon atmosphere, low contents of O2

(<0.1 ppm) and CO2

• Cabinet for chemicals

• Gamma-cell

• Calibration track

• Heavy-duty working tables

• Free space for larger experiments

Main floor Microscopy:

Light microscopy of low-activity and contaminated specimens.

New, top-of-the line FEI Talos transmission electron microscope,

equipped with EDS and EELS.

Zeiss Cross-beam scanning electron equipped with EBSD, EDS

and WDS.

A-class basement: Autoclave testing

• Enables mechanical testing materials in

simulated LWR conditions.

• Carried out over long time periods.

• Locally shielded manipulation of device

and specimen installation.

• Heavy walls provide shielding to the

surrounding rooms.

A-class basement: Wet waste handling

• The position of the hot cell EDM is such that the water

circuit can be installed in the basement.

• By using a centrigue and self-cleaning filter,

radioactive cutting debris is removed.

• Also allocated for the wet waste handling is a glove

box for evaporation and then

packaging of residues.

A-class basement: Shielded storage

• Dry waste is sorted by customer, type

and radioactivity.

• Low-level waste is packed in waste

drums and temporarily stored.

• Test specimens are stored in an

indexed, shielded storage system.

• A database system maintains the

inventory information.

A-class hot cell facilitiesPlace for a photo

(no lines around photo)

A-class hot cell facilities for handling activated metals

Mechanical testing

• Tensile

• Impact

• Fracture toughness

• Crack growth rate

• Hardness

Fabrication procedures

• Electrodischarge maching

• Electron beam welding

• Mechanical sawing & milling

Microscopy

• Grinding, polishing, etching

• Light microscopy

• Dimension measurements

Special purpose test set-ups

• biaxial creep (fuel cladding)

• corrosion in simulated LWR

Cell 1.1

EDM

Cell 1.2

EBW

Cell 1.3

Metallog.Cell 1.4

Mech.test

Cell 1.5

Mech.test

Cell 1.6

Measuringhorizontal

transfer

Facility

cask port

Access to

secondary

airspace


A-class hot cell facilities relationship b/n floors

Cell 3.1

Cask receiving

Elevator to 1.7

Cell 1.4

Mech.testCell 1.5

Mech.test

Cell 1.6

Measuring

Custom ITD design for shielded transport system

• Most devices involved in materials testing

are standard, so need hands-on access.

• Small hot cell staff, so full nuclearization

of devices and training for remote use is

untenable.

• Solution: glove-box inserts in the cells,

whereby the equipment is integrated.

• Area where hot materials are required to

be handled is relatively small.

o requires much smaller manipulators.

• When sources are removed, personnel

can access the equipment from rear of

cell for maintenance, calibration, etc.



Fabrication of frames and containment

Facility cask

docking port

Manipulators

Control

panels

Camera display

Hoist

control

Pressure,

temperature and

dose rate

displays


FAT of first unit

Facility cask

docking

Two working stations

2 windows

4 manipulators

Hoist

electrical x- and z-axis

manual y-axis

Electical sockets

Camera / display connections

Dose rate probe

Temperature probe

Pressure difference probe

Lighting

Pass-through

ports

Cable feed throughs

Maintenance ports

Horizontal

tranfer rail


Inside a cell

Facility cask docking HC1.6

Pass-through ports between

HC1.6 / 1.5 and HC1.3 / 1.2 Elevator between HC3.1 / 1.7

Horizontal tranfer rail

A-class hot cell facilities for handling activated metalsA-class hot cell facilities for handling activated metalsA-class hot cell facilities for handling activated metals

Material transport between cells

Cask transfer by pallet druck Cask lifting in docking station

Opening of cask plug Cask ready for un-/loading


Facility cask docking principle

Horizontal

tranfer rail

Maintenance

access port


View through the leaded glass window

VTT took over the laboratory wing of the new Center for Nuclear Safety in May.

Moving of laboratory equipment into the new facilities is well underway.

Official inauguration event was on September 20th; focus was Finnish clientele.

Tests on non-active specimens have resumed as each device has come on-line in

their new setting.

Tests on non-active specimens have resumed as each device has come on-line in

their new setting.

Application for nuclear safeguards permit

has been submitted to STUK.

Application for rad-facility operating

license was submitted to STUK in

October.

License will be expanded in 2017 once the

hot-cells are installed.

The CNS today

CNS as a national research infrastructure

• CNS was profiled in the YTERA final seminar.

• Academy of Finland Centre of Excellence proposal has been submitted to

Academy of Finland featuring the CNS as a core member with Aalto

University, Helsinki University and Tampere University of Technology.

• Academy of Finland Finnish Research Infrastructure proposal submitted

featuring the Jules Horowitz Reactor for materials irradiations and CNS

and Aalto U. post-irradiation examination facilities.

• Near-term VTT-Aalto collaboration is focused on Positron Annihilation

Spectroscopy of irradiation induced point-defects.

• VTT is also supporting Aalto’s small grant proposal

for specifically bringing the PAS into the CNS to

enable use for irradiated materials.

TECHNOLOGY FOR BUSINESS

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VTT Centre for Nuclear Safety · Click to edit Master title style Click to edit Master text styles Second level Third level Fourth level Fifth level 3.11.2016 6 Profile of new Centre