Dismantle a nuclear reactor on Science Day (Dag van de Wetenschap)

Overview

SCK CEN will be there once again! This year, we’re even bringing our BR3, a dismantled pressurised water reactor, to Tabloo. Why? To prove that waste from decommissioning doesn’t necessarily have to be waste!

Europe is facing a significant challenge: the dismantling of around 100 nuclear reactors and 200 medical cyclotrons by 2045. Belgium’s nuclear power plants are included on that list as well. The dismantling process generates large volumes of materials that need to be managed. It is often mistakenly believed that all of this material must be treated as radioactive waste. “Dismantling can be done cost-effectively and with an absolute minimum of radioactive waste,” demonstrates the nuclear research centre SCK CEN with the dismantling of Belgian Reactor 3 (BR3).

More than 90% is not radioactive waste

BR3 was Europe’s first pressurised water reactor. It started operating in 1962 and was permanently decommissioned in 1987. The reactor served as a prototype for the reactors in Doel and Tihange. Later, the European Commission selected BR3 as a pilot project to demonstrate the technical and economic feasibility of reactor dismantling under real-world conditions. In that context, experts developed various dismantling techniques. With these techniques, they achieved a remarkable outcome: over 90% of BR3 materials could be safely released, recovered, or recycled. BR3 thus became an international benchmark for a circular approach to reactor dismantling. "That's the message we want to pass on to everyone attending Science Day at Tabloo. Waste doesn't necessarily have to be waste, and with this insight we can address the societal challenge with confidence and achieve a sustainable outcome. Moreover, today we incorporate these acquired insights into the design of new facilities.”

A look at dismantling during Science Day at Tabloo

At Tabloo, we let young visitors dismantle a miniature version of our BR3 pressurised water reactor themselves. They break off a piece of the reactor, trim the small “contaminated” corners, and process the larger part with colouring and cutting. The processed piece goes into the oven and is given a new, valuable second life as a keyring. “This way, children discover all the techniques we use through play. This includes sawing, sandblasting, chemical decontamination, or melting. Using these methods, we separate contaminated from non-contaminated materials, eliminate radioactivity, or lower it to safe levels.”