# US 12,002,594 B2 · Method for decommissioning nuclear facilities

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- Number: US 12,002,594 B2
- Document ID: US12002594B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/437,080
- Filed: 2020-03-05
- Published: 2022-05-26
- Granted: 2024-06-04
- Earliest claimed: 2019-03-08
- Assignees: Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co., Ltd.
- Applicants: Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co., Ltd.
- Inventors: Young Hwan Hwang; Seok-Ju Hwang; Mi-Hyun Lee; Cheon-Woo Kim
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12002594B2

## CPC

- G21D 1/003: {Nuclear facilities decommissioning arrangements (decontamination arrangements, treating radioactively contaminated material G21F9/00)}
- G21F 9/28: Treating solids
- Y02E 30/30: Nuclear fission reactors
- G21D: NUCLEAR POWER PLANT
- G21F: PROTECTION AGAINST X-RADIATION, GAMMA RADIATION, CORPUSCULAR RADIATION OR PARTICLE BOMBARDMENT; TREATING RADIOACTIVELY CONTAMINATED MATERIAL; DECONTAMINATION ARRANGEMENTS THEREFOR (radiation protection by pharmaceutical means A61K8/00, A61Q17/04; in cosmonautic vehicles B64G1/54; combined with a reactor G21C11/00; combined with X-ray tubes H01J35/16; combined with X-ray apparatus H05G1/02)
- Y02E: REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION

## Abstract

A method for decommissioning a nuclear facility includes: floating the nuclear reactor pressure vessel above the cavity; rotating the reactor pressure vessel so that the upper portion of the nuclear reactor pressure vessel is closer to the bio-protective concrete than the lower portion; mounting the upper portion of the nuclear reactor pressure vessel on the neighboring upper surface of the bio-protective concrete; and cutting and decommissioning the nuclear reactor pressure vessel mounted on the neighboring upper surface.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method for decommissioning a nuclear facility that includes a nuclear reactor pressure vessel provided with a hemispherical lower portion and a flat upper portion, and bio-protective concrete including a cavity in which the nuclear reactor pressure vessel is positioned and a neighboring upper surface adjacent to the cavity, comprising:
floating the nuclear reactor pressure vessel above the cavity;
rotating the reactor pressure vessel so that the upper portion of the nuclear reactor pressure vessel is closer to the bio-protective concrete than the lower portion;
mounting the upper portion of the nuclear reactor pressure vessel on the neighboring upper surface of the bio-protective concrete; and
cutting and decommissioning the nuclear reactor pressure vessel mounted on the neighboring upper surface,
wherein
the nuclear facility further includes a first crane positioned above the bio-protective concrete, and
the floating of the nuclear reactor pressure vessel above the cavity is performed by using the first crane,
wherein
the nuclear facility further includes a second crane that is positioned above the bio-protective concrete and is adjacent to the first crane, and
the rotating of the nuclear reactor pressure vessel is performed by using the first crane and the second crane,
wherein
the rotating of the nuclear reactor pressure vessel includes:
connecting the second crane to the lower portion of the nuclear reactor pressure vessel;
positioning the upper portion of the nuclear reactor pressure vessel on the neighboring upper surface of the bio-protective concrete slab by using the first crane;
lifting the lower portion of the nuclear reactor pressure vessel by using the second crane; and
positioning the lower portion of the nuclear reactor pressure vessel on the neighboring upper surface of the bio-protective concrete slab by using the second crane.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method for decommissioning the nuclear facility of claim 1, wherein
the floating of the nuclear reactor pressure vessel above the cavity includes:
connecting the first crane to the upper portion of the nuclear reactor pressure vessel; and
lifting the nuclear reactor pressure vessel from the bio-protective concrete by using the first crane.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method for decommissioning the nuclear facility of claim 1, wherein
the nuclear facility further includes a plurality of pipes directly connected to the nuclear reactor pressure vessel, and
the method further includes: expanding an inner wall of the bio-protective concrete forming the cavity; and
separating the plurality of pipes from the nuclear reactor pressure vessel.

### Claim 4

A method for decommissioning a nuclear facility that includes a nuclear reactor pressure vessel provided with a hemispherical lower portion and a flat upper portion, and bio-protective concrete including a cavity in which the nuclear reactor pressure vessel is positioned and a neighboring upper surface adjacent to the cavity, comprising:
floating the nuclear reactor pressure vessel above the cavity;
rotating the reactor pressure vessel so that the upper portion of the nuclear reactor pressure vessel is closer to the bio-protective concrete than the lower portion;
mounting the upper portion of the nuclear reactor pressure vessel on the neighboring upper surface of the bio-protective concrete; and
cutting and decommissioning the nuclear reactor pressure vessel mounted on the neighboring upper surface, wherein
the rotating of the nuclear reactor pressure vessel includes rotating the nuclear reactor pressure vessel by 180 degrees.