"CHERNOBYL ON THE SASKATCHEWAN" . . .

"CHERNOBYL ON THE SASKATCHEWAN" . . .

Postby Oscar » Fri Aug 16, 2019 10:57 am

Saskatchewan Research Council is "Decommissioning" the SLOWPOKE-2 Reactor on U of Saskatchewan Campus | Deadline for Comments in August 26th

[ https://mailchi.mp/22fc905ee44d/saskatc ... 1400dddc93 ]

August 16, 2019

On June 27th, the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) posted a revised notice for a hearing on the decommissioning of the SLOWPOKE-2 reactor on the campus of the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon. [Click HERE to see the notice] [ http://nuclearsafety.gc.ca/eng/the-comm ... 19&yr=2019 ].

The deadline for submissions and requests to present at the CNSC hearing is August 26th. [ http://nuclearsafety.gc.ca/eng/the-comm ... 19&yr=2019 ].

The decommissioning plan includes shipping high level waste from Saskatoon to South Carolina, and shipping low and intermediate level radioactive waste from Saskatoon to Chalk River, Ontario. Radioactive water will be "treated" and the released into Saskatoon's sewers, and decommissioning wastes that are below the "release" levels will go to Saskatoon's landfill. The decommissioning work has been contracted out to Candu Energy, which is a unit of SNC-Lavalin. Candu Energy also decommissioned the SLOWPOKES at U of A, Dalhousie and U of T.

Radioactive waste abandoned on the University of Alberta campus.

The CNSC broke its own rules.

This may be repeated at the Saskatchewan Research Council SLOWPOKE-2 reactor decommissioning in Saskatoon!


Small nuclear reactors (SLOWPOKEs) on the campuses of the University of Toronto, Dalhousie University and the University of Alberta, fuelled by highly-enriched, weapons-grade uranium-235, have been decommissioned. Uranium-235 fuel was shipped back to the U.S. Other components (e.g., the highly-radioactive beryllium reflectors) were sent to the federal government’s Chalk River Laboratories.

As a final decommissioning step, the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) certified that the three reactor sites were free of radioactive contamination. Each university then received a Licence to Abandon, allowing unrestricted use of the former reactor site.

But last year the CNSC allowed still-radioactive portions of the University of Alberta SLOWPOKE reactor to be filled with concrete (“entombed”) before abandonment. In May 2018 CNSC President Dr. Michael Binder convened a panel of himself alone and granted a Licence to Abandon. No environmental assessment was done prior to this decision.

Now the Saskatchewan Research Council’s SLOWPOKE-2 reactor may suffer a similar fate.

The problem is radioactive concrete in the reactor.


The reactor pool, made of concrete and reinforcing steel, is the largest component of a SLOWPOKE. When atoms in the reactor fuel (e.g., uranium-235, plutonium-239) split they emit high-energy neutrons that “stick” to the nuclei of elements found in the reactor pool and make them radioactive. These “activation products” include radioactive forms of hydrogen, carbon, chlorine, calcium, iron, nickel, europium, scandium, barium and other elements. Some of these give off highly-penetrating gamma radiation. Others emit forms of radiation that cannot be accurately measured with radiological surveys. These include tritium (the radioactive form of hydrogen), carbon-14, chlorine-36, and calcium-41. But these pose serious health hazards. For example, carbon-14 and calcium-41 both have long half-lives (5,700 and 100,000 years, respectively), are mobile in the environment, and persist in the body (in DNA and bones, respectively).

In the case of the University of Alberta SLOWPOKE, the post-decommissioning radiological survey found radiation levels in the floor of the reactor pool exceeding a “clearance level” of 0.5 microSieverts per hour. Hard-to-measure radiation from other substances would have added to this level. But the CSNC’s Dr. Binder awarded a licence that allowed the reactor pool to be filled with concrete and abandoned – leaving a permanent radioactive waste dump on campus.

SNC Lavalin’s decommissioning plan for the Saskatchewan Research Council SLOWPOKE also calls for the reactor pool to remain in place and be filled with concrete. Although cores would be taken from the reactor pool floor to “confirm” that clearance levels are met, analyses of these cores would not measure long-lived, hard-to-measure radioactive substances such as tritium, carbon-14 and calcium-41.

The CNSC hearing is scheduled for September 26th, with a deadline of August 26th for written submissions. [ http://nuclearsafety.gc.ca/eng/the-comm ... H100-e.pdf ]

The CNSC originally planned not to hold a full public hearing but reversed its position after receiving a letter from the Canadian Environmental Law Association sent on behalf of concerned citizens groups.

[Prepared by Dr. Ole Hendrickson, Concerned Citizens of Renfrew County and Area]


Click HERE for an overview prepared by Northwatch including key points and a summary of the Canadian Nuclear Safey Commission document.
[ https://gallery.mailchimp.com/3222da60e ... t_2019.pdf ]

~ ~ ~

BRIEFING NOTE ON SASKATCHEWAN RESEARCH COUNCIL SLOWPOKE REACTOR DECOMMISSIONING – AUGUST 2019

The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission has issued an amended Notice of a Public Hearing on the Saskatchewan Research Council (SRC) application to amend their license for the SLOWPOKE-2 reactor on the campus of the University of Saskatchewan from an operating license to a decommissioning license. The deadline for public comment is August 26th with a hearing scheduled for September 26th, possibly in an online format.

Key issues include:
 - as much of the waste as possible will be classified for “unconditional release” and sent to the municipal landfill
 - radioactive water from the reactor pool will be processed then released into the municipal sewage system
 - the reactor pool will be “decommissioned” by filling it with concrete to the floor level
 - the irradiated core will be transferred to a transportation flask while under water in the reactor pool
 - the high level radioactive wastes (the reactor core) will be shipped to the U.S.
 - low and intermediate level radioactive wastes will be shipped to Chalk River, in eastern Ontario
 - beryllium oxide dust from SLOWPOKE-2 reactor components is a chemical and radiological hazard
 - The collective dose for decommissioning is estimated to 2.7 mSv (compared to 0.26 mSv for U of Alberta)
- the decommissioning work is being contracted to CANDU Energy, a branch of SNC Lavelin
 - a financial guarantee of $5.76 M is in place, with SRC’s President/CEO is authorized to expend up to $7.5M
 - Six months of decommissioning begins after the CNSC approval; in 2020 SRC will apply for a Licence to Abandon
 - SRC describes a low level of public interest, with only positive or neutral responses to the decommissioning plan
 - CNSC staff determined that there is no duty to consult with Indigenous peoples about this project

A public hearing will be held at the offices of the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission on September 26th, 2019.

Comments on the decommissioning plan and the request to amend the license from an operating licence to a decommissioning license must be submitted to the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission no later than August 26th
.
Send your comments by August 26th to [ cnsc.interventions.ccsn@canada.ca ] or by fax to 613-995-5086. The CNSC hearing will be in Ottawa, but you can request to “appear” before the Commission by phone or video.

Documents are available on the CNSC web site or email [ northwatch@northwatch.org ] for a link to the Google Drive with the CNSC and SRC submissions and references.

~ ~ ~

Notes from CNSC Staff Submission CMD 19-H100: Application to Amend the License for SRC's SLOWPOKE-2 Reactor


 - SRC’s current non-power reactor operating licence is valid until June 30, 2023. In December 2018, SRC decided to decommission the facility and submitted an application to the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) to amend (Exec Summary)
 - End state objectives are expressed variously: return the decommissioned areas of the facility to a state that allows for unrestricted use (Exec Summary), original state (p 5), “SRC’s end-state objective is to return the facility to a condition that allows for unrestricted use, and to request a Licence to Abandon, with no institutional control required.” (p 15)
 - Operates on Highly Enriched Uranium (p.3)
 - “The safety analysis for this reactor confirms that no credible event could result in any significant release that could be harmful to the public or the environment” (p 3)
 - Reactor is in a concrete well beneath the floor or the reactor room (p 4)
 - SRC notified CNSC staff of its intention to decommission the SLOWPOKE-2 reactor facility in May 2018 ( p 4)
 - “SRC plans to dismantle the reactor, segregate and remove the materials for storage or disposal at licensed waste management facilities, and restore the site to its original state for unrestricted use (referred to as the end-state).” (p 4-5)
 - “The decommissioning project will include taking concrete core samples from the reactor pool for activation assessment. After the structural materials and inner surface coating are confirmed as below the clearance criteria, which are found in the Nuclear Substance and Radiation Devices Regulations, the reactor pool will be filled with concrete to the floor level.” (p 5); End-State
Report to CNSC staff AFTER project completion; sequence is Radiological survey by SRC, CNSC staff inspection, Reactor pool is filled with concrete, SRC reports, including survey results [ it is unclear when CNSC gets survey results, how decision about clearance level is made]
 - Fuel core removed and sent to “licensed facility”,
 - Removal of fuel core and reactor waste authorized under operating license
 - The transport of the spent fuel will be subject to a separate licence and considered by a Designated Officer (p 5)
 - Performance ratings for all safety and control areas for 2013-2018 were “satisfactory”
 - The decommissioning work will be performed by a small team of operating staff from CANDU Energy who are trained on these specific activities. (Page Eight)
 - The Reactor Engineer and the Reactor Technician are CANDU Energy employees who support the reactor dismantlement. (Page Eight) THEREFORE: is it not only the licencee who must be qualified to carry out the activity, but CANDU Energy?
 - Radiation protection measures will be required for activities that involve opening of the reactor container, handling of the components and equipment removed from the reactor pool, temporary storage of those materials prior to shipment from the SLOWPOKE-2 reactor facility, and pool cleanup. Personnel directly involved in decommissioning activities will be designated as NEWs and their required training is detailed in the Decommissioning Training Plan (p 10)
 - The irradiated core will be transferred to the transportation flask while under water to take advantage of the shielding factor. Once the transportation flask and the core are removed from the pool, the fuel no longer represents a radiation hazard to workers. Integrated continuous air monitoring will be used to monitor ambient radioactivity levels to inform work planning and selection of protective equipment. (p 11)
 - The beryllium components, when removed from the pool, are considered a radiological and chemical hazard to workers due to the beryllium oxide dust that forms when exposed to air. To minimize dispersal of beryllium dust, the beryllium components will be wrapped in plastic sheets once removed from the reactor pool. In addition to standard personal protective equipment (PPE) and using long handed tools, all staff directly handling, or in the vicinity of beryllium components are required to wear respirators to mitigate the dust exposure. An air sampling radiation monitor will be in operation to monitor for airborne contamination. All the beryllium components will be transferred into a dedicated beryllium shielded container. (p 11)
 - The collective dose for the decommissioning project is estimated to 2.7 mSv [10]. For comparison, the collective dose for the University of Alberta SLOWPOKE-2 reactor decommissioning project was 0.26 mSv, and the highest dose to a worker was 0.15 mSv (p 11)
 - During the decommissioning, the only source of liquid effluent will be the reactor pool water, after it is processed through ion exchange columns, and demonstrated to be free of contaminants. Prior to the planned release of this liquid, the water will be processed through the purification system until it meets the release criteria described in REGDOC-1.6.1: Licence Application Guide: Nuclear Substances and Radiation Devices and criteria specified in of the City of Saskatoon Sewage Use Bylaw No. 9466. Under these conditions, the liquid releases to the environment will be negligible (p 12)
 - To minimize waste from decommissioning of the facility, SRC plans to decontaminate, segregate and remove non-radioactive, hazardous waste and chemicals, and reuse and recycle to the extent possible. The DWMP provides the waste clearance process, and contamination limits for unconditional release. (p 14)
 - The decommissioning of the facility is expected to produce an estimated volume of eight cubic meters of solid radioactive waste, which will be transported to a licensed radioactive waste management facility. The fuel will be repatriated to the United States under the Canada-U.S. agreement to return spent HEU fuel to its country of origin. (p 14)
 - CNSC staff have determined that the activities to be conducted will not cause an adverse impact on potential or established Indigenous and/or treaty rights. Therefore, the duty to consult does not arise in relation to the proposed licence application. (p 15)
 - SRC has a financial guarantee in the amount of $5.76 M, which will be used to fund a large proportion of the decommissioning project. SRC’s Board of Directors has approved the decommissioning of the SLOWPOKE-2 reactor and authorized the President/CEO to negotiate and execute any contracts required up to $7.5M. (p 16)
 - A factsheet and Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) were posted along with contact information were posted on the SRC SLOWPOKE-2 webpage. In December 2018, SRC hosted a public meeting regarding the decommissioning of the SLOWPOKE-2 reactor facility. There has been a very low level of public interest regarding the facility in general. Responses received have been either neutral or positive. (p 16)
 - Work to begin as soon as decision is rendered; SRC plans to execute the decommissioning activities over approximately six months ; SRC anticipates producing the End-State Report in January 2020 and apply to the Commission for a licence to abandon in June 2020. (p 16)
 - CNSC staff conclude that Saskatchewan Research Council is qualified to carry out the activity authorized by the proposed licence (p 16) [but it is CANDU Energy who will be carrying out the work].
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Re: U of S - SLOWPOKE-2 - "Decommissioning" - Comments

Postby Oscar » Wed Aug 28, 2019 7:04 pm

COMMENTS submitted by Elaine Hughes

Sent: August 25, 2019 2:07 PM
To: "cnsc.interventions.ccsn@canada.ca"@mail101c7.megamailservers.com
Subject: Hearing on the decommissioning of the SLOWPOKE-2 reactor on the campus of the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon

Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) Members

Thank you for the opportunity to comment on this issue.

To begin, in order to be fair to those who will be most affected by the decision to carry out this process, the hearing planned for September 26, 2019 on the decommissioning of the Slowpoke-2 reactor on the University of Saskatchewan campus should be held in Saskatchewan, specifically, in Saskatoon.

Below, I have set out a short list of my concerns regarding the plans for how this decommissioning will proceed:

1) Transporting the high level waste from the site to South Carolina and the intermediate level waste to Chalk River - on public highways, near lakes, rivers and other sources of precious drinking water, through towns and villages, past schools, swimming pools and playgrounds, past hospitals, homes and work places – is risky. Should an accident, and subsequent spill of this lethal material occur, the effects would be long-lasting (hundreds of thousands of years for some of the elements in the waste) and devastating.

2) Acting as if radioactive water can be 'treated' to be safe enough to be released into the municipal sewage system and dumped into the Saskatchewan River is irresponsible.

3) It is equally unconscionable to dump radioactive waste into the City of Saskatoon's landfill.

4) Finally, as to burying the reactor on site in concrete where it cannot be monitored, our experience with Chernobyl has shown us that concrete will disintegrate in fewer than 25 years. Some of our brightest and best students attend this University (approximately 25,000 young people). Is even the remotest risk worth it?

In ALL ASPECTS, this is an outrageously dangerous and unacceptable endeavour, and I strongly urge you to reconsider it!

With thanks,

Elaine Hughes
ARCHERWILL, SK S0E 0B0
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Re: CHERNOBYL ON THE SASKATCHEWAN . . .

Postby Oscar » Thu Sep 26, 2019 8:53 am

SRC Successfully Transitions Its Slowpoke Research Reactor Into A Safe State

[ https://www.saskatchewan.ca/government/ ... e-research ]

Released on September 26, 2019

The Saskatchewan Research Council (SRC) has transitioned its Safe Low Power Kritical Experiment (SLOWPOKE) research reactor into a non-operational safe state by successfully defueling the reactor and transporting the fuel to the United States without incident.

The process to initiate decommissioning with the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) was started in December 2017 and is being conducted under the stringent requirements of the CNSC. A proposed license amendment will authorize SRC to fully decommission the facility over the next two years.

“This is one more example of how SRC continues to lead the way for research and technology organizations in Canada,” Minister Responsible for SRC Jeremy Harrison said. “By constantly evaluating and evolving to best meet industry’s needs, SRC ensures it is well-positioned for the future.”


The SLOWPOKE is a low-power, self-regulating nuclear research reactor that is used as an analytical tool to conduct analysis for industry. SRC has operated its SLOWPOKE research reactor without safety incident since its commissioning in March 1981. Throughout that time, the reactor has surpassed 20,000 hours of operation and conducted more than 240,000 analytical tests.

“After 37 years of service, the most business practical and cost-effective solution is to decommission the reactor,” SRC President and CEO Mike Crabtree said. “SRC will continue to support industry by utilizing alternative technologies.”

SRC is one of Canada’s leading providers of applied research, development and demonstration (RD&D), and technology commercialization. With more than 325 employees, $75 million in annual revenue and almost 75 years of RD&D experience, SRC provides services and products to its 1,500 clients in 20 countries around the world. -30-

For more information, contact:

Erin Taman Athmer
Saskatchewan Research Council
Saskatoon
Phone: 306-385-4194
Email: erin.taman-athmer@src.sk.ca
Cell: 306-381-3407
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Re: CHERNOBYL ON THE SASKATCHEWAN . . .

Postby Oscar » Thu Sep 26, 2019 9:12 am

FROM 2012: Alternative Journal: Stop Saskatchewan's Nuclear Reactor

[ http://www.alternativesjournal.ca/energ ... ar-reactor ]

BY Laura McDonald Sep 2012 | In Defence of Science 38.5 Categories: Non-Renewables

While the planned small reactor at the University of Saskatchewan is intended to be used for research on nuclear science and medicine, those opposing the project have traced its roots to reveal what they say is a long-term plan to power the tar sands with so-called "green" nuclear power.

From the magazine
THE EFFORT TO HALT plans for a nuclear reactor in Saskatchewan that could help power tar sands extraction is heating up. Public opposition has kept large reactors off the table in the uranium-rich province, but the provincial government signed a $10-million deal with Hitachi Ltd. in August 2011, which proposes to build a small reactor on the University of Saskatchewan campus in Saskatoon. The creators of a petition against the project (on Avaaz.org) argue that even a small reactor would pose big problems, and they’re working on a public education campaign about nuclear power and its corporate interests. To complement the petition, an event featuring famed anti-nuclear advocate Helen Caldicott is planned for this autumn, and a conference on uranium life cycles for June 2013.

More on the emerging debate
While the province of Saskatchewan and the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon are looking to build a small reactor to be used for research on nuclear science and medicine, D'Arcy Hande and others opposing the project have traced its roots to reveal what they say is a long-term plan to power the tar sands with so-called "green" nuclear power. Check out the articles below to learn more.

The Dominion, August 27, 2012
Green Bitumen?! Nuclear reactors in the tar sands

Briarpatch Magazine, February 28, 2012
Follow the yellowcake road: Nuclear power, tarsands extraction, and the co-option of the University of Saskatchewan

The Globe and Mail, Aug. 23 2012
Saskatchewan launches nuclear centre, hopes to lead research in Western Canada

CBC News, August 25, 2011
Nuclear reactor research part of $10M deal

University of Saskatchewan, March 3, 2011
U of S receives funding to establish nuclear research centre

The HUESSS Campaign presents...
Dr. Helen Caldicott, Our Toxic Nuclear Legacy: Let's End Saskatchewan's Growing Radioactive Footprint
Dr. Caldicott will be in Saskatoon on Wednesday and Thursday, October 31 and November 1. Among several public commitments, she will speak at Third Avenue United Church at 7:30 PM, November 1, on “Our Toxic Nuclear Legacy: Let’s END Saskatchewan’s Growing Radioactive Footprint.” Her talk will focus on the harmful effects of ionizing radiation.

To read other articles from this issue, buy In Defence of Science 38.5
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Re: "CHERNOBYL ON THE SASKATCHEWAN" . . .

Postby Oscar » Mon Oct 21, 2019 5:53 pm

"CHERNOBYL ON THE SASKATCHEWAN" - September 20, 2019

(Sent as Letter to the Editor of the Saskatoon Star Phoenix - unpublished)

On September 26, 2019, the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) will hold a full public hearing on the 'decommissioning' of the Saskatchewan Research Council (SRC) SLOWPOKE-2 Candu reactor situated on the campus of the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon. The hearing will be in OTTAWA, not in Saskatoon, close to the people who will undoubtedly be most affected by the CNSC decision.

The 'decommissioning' work has been contracted out to Candu Energy, a unit of SNC-Lavalin, and includes trucking high level waste from Saskatoon to South Carolina, and trucking the low and intermediate level radioactive waste from Saskatoon to Chalk River, ON - all on public roadways through multiple towns and villages, near schools, hospitals, playgrounds and homes.

The radioactive water will be 'treated' and the released into Saskatoon's sewers, (think, Saskatchewan River) and onwards, providing the drinking water for thousands of people and wildlife - ending up in Hudson Bay and the Atlantic Ocean.

'Decommissioned' wastes considered to be below the "release" levels, will go to Saskatoon's landfill and, over time, radioactive materials could seep into underground aquifers and sources of drinking water for thousands.

SNC Lavalin’s 'decommissioning' plan also calls for the reactor pool to remain in place and be filled, not with water to facilitate regular monitoring, but with concrete – like Chernobyl's now Crumbling Sarcophagus!

A nuclear dump on campus of our beautiful University of Saskatchewan??

Madness!!

Elaine Hughes
ARCHERWILL, SK
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Re: "CHERNOBYL ON THE SASKATCHEWAN" . . .

Postby Oscar » Mon Oct 21, 2019 5:58 pm

Decommissioning of the SLOWPOKE-2 reactor on the campus of the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon


HEARING - Sept. 26, 2019 - Transcript:
[ http://suretenucleaire.gc.ca/eng/the-co ... inal-e.pdf ]


HEARING - Sept. 26, 2019 Audiocast is available at:
[ http://www.nuclearsafety.gc.ca/eng/the- ... ionMeeting ]

- - -

Background & Notes - Prepared by Dr. Ole Hendrickson, Concerned Citizens of Renfrew County and Area]

SEE: [ https://mailchi.mp/22fc905ee44d/saskatc ... x1HEGT9tYI ]
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Re: "CHERNOBYL ON THE SASKATCHEWAN" . . .

Postby Oscar » Wed Mar 03, 2021 4:29 pm

Uranium core transport first stage of reactor decommissioning

[ https://thestarphoenix.com/news/local-n ... mmissioned ]

The core of SRC's SLOWPOKE-2 reactor was transported to the United States under conditions of near-total secrecy on Aug. 7, 2019.

Author of the article: Alex MacPherson • Saskatoon StarPhoenix Publishing date: Sep 28, 2019 • September 28, 2019

The Saskatchewan Research Council recently decommissioned its 38-year-old Safe Low Power Kritical Experiment (SLOWPOKE) research reactor into a non-operational safe state by successfully defuelling it and transporting the fuel to the United States without incident

(PHOTO: The Saskatchewan Research Council recently decommissioned its 38-year-old Safe Low Power Kritical Experiment (SLOWPOKE) research reactor into a non-operational safe state by successfully defuelling it and transporting the fuel to the United States without incident. PHOTO BY SASKATCHEWAN RESEARCH COUNCIL /Saskatoon)

The operation was conducted in near-total secrecy.

Only those who absolutely needed to know were aware of the truck’s load when it pulled away from the University of Saskatchewan and headed for the American border one day early last month.

While the Saskatchewan Research Council, which oversaw the journey, won’t say much about other security precautions, its chief executive officer acknowledged that secrecy was of paramount importance “for obvious reasons.”

That’s because the truck was carrying the core of a nuclear reactor, a paint can-sized assembly of uranium fuel rods and beryllium control structures immersed in water and sealed in an 8,000-pound lead-lined transport container.

“When you get down to it, it’s a few kilograms of material,” Mike Crabtree said of the core, which has provided a steady stream of neutrons for SRC’s SLOWPOKE-2 research reactor since it was commissioned in 1981.

“If you were to look at it — you wouldn’t, but if you were — it’s a grey, lead-ish colour metal. The amount of uranium that was in our reactor would fit comfortably in a gallon pail, a paint-sized can,” Crabtree added.

(PHOTO: Inside the now-de-fuelled Saskatchewan Research Council SLOWPOKE-2 nuclear reactor. PHOTO BY SASKATCHEWAN RESEARCH COUNCIL /Saskatoon

Once the truck reached the border, it was handed over to U.S. Department of Energy officials and transported to the Savannah River Site, a nuclear facility in South Carolina where, according to Crabtree, the core will be repurposed.

De-fuelling the reactor was the first step toward its eventual decommissioning, a lengthy process that is expected to take between six and nine months and cost SRC up to $7.5 million. This time next year, the reactor will be entirely gone.

Built into the floor of a nondescript Innovation Place building and shielded by more than a foot of concrete, the Safe LOW Power Kritical Experiment (SLOWPOKE) reactor was one of seven commissioned across the country.

While the reactor uses the same nuclear fission process as a utility-scale reactor like the one Bruce Power proposed for Saskatchewan a decade ago, it is tiny — roughly 1/10,000 the size, producing around 20 kilowatts of power.

During its 37-year operational life, it performed more than a quarter-million tests. The reactor was used primarily for neutron activation analysis, a process aimed at determining the concentration of various elements in various samples.

Over the last few years, new, non-radiological methods of performing many of the same tests have been developed, leading Crabtree to say that in terms of its “overall raison d’être, it was no longer operationally viable, commercially or technically.”

(PHOTO: A control unit for the Saskatchewan Research Council’s now-defuelled SLOWPOKE-2 nuclear reactor. PHOTO BY SASKATCHEWAN RESEARCH COUNCIL /Saskatoon)

Under its Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission operating licence, SRC began socking away money for the decommissioning around a decade ago. That licence also covers the defuelling, which required experts — SNC-Lavalin subsidiary Candu Energy Inc.

“Whilst we are experts at the operation of the SLOWPOKE-2 nuclear reactor, we are not experts at decommissioning reactors. This is not something you do every day,” Crabtree said of the decision to bring in outside experts.

SNC-Lavalin referred a request for comment back to SRC. The U.S. Department of Energy did not respond to requests for comment.

Earlier this summer, Candu Energy and SRC workers clad in radiation suits used a hoist to lift the water-immersed core out of the reactor and place it in a specially-designed transport vessel, one that won’t break if it falls off the back of a truck.

After it sat in the reactor room to “cool” for around two weeks, the core was loaded on the back of a truck and began the first leg of its journey to the sprawling Savannah River Facility south of Augusta, Georgia. But that is only half of the process.

This week, SRC officials including Crabtree were in Ottawa to apply to the CNSC for a decommissioning licence, which will allow the remnants of the reactor to be disassembled and any radioactive material taken to Chalk River Laboratories in Ontario for storage.

Once CNSC grants the licence, a process Crabtree expects will take a few months, the work will take up to half a year. Once the water is purified and disposed of and the gaping hole in the floor filled with cement, it will be like the reactor was never there, he said.

It will be the end of an era for what one SRC scientist, speaking to the Saskatoon StarPhoenix a decade ago, called “one of Saskatchewan’s best-kept secrets” — a reactor most had no idea existed until it was already gone.

amacpherson@postmedia.com
twitter.com/macphersona
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Re: "CHERNOBYL ON THE SASKATCHEWAN" . . .

Postby Oscar » Thu Nov 18, 2021 5:06 pm

Former nuclear reactor space in Saskatoon gets the all-clear

[ https://globalnews.ca/news/8381757/nucl ... atoon-src/ ]

By Thomas Piller Global News November 18, 2021

PHOTO: SLOWPOKE-2 nuclear research reactor was used for doing neutron activation analysis to determine elemental concentrations for various industries. Saskatchewan Research Council / Supplied


The Saskatchewan Research Council (SRC) says its nuclear research reactor in Saskatoon has been safely decommissioned and the space could now be used for regular office use.

The Safe Low-Power Kritical Experiment (SLOWPOKE-2) reactor was commissioned in March 1981.

Officials said the multi-year transition involved defuelling the reactor and transporting the shoebox-sized uranium core to the United States.

“SLOWPOKE-2 leaves a strong legacy in Saskatchewan and proves, now more than ever, that nuclear is safe, reliable and sustainable,” Minister Responsible for SRC Jeremy Harrison said in a press release on Wednesday.

“This is another example of SRC demonstrating leadership and expertise.”

SLOWPOKE-2 was used for doing neutron activation analysis to determine uranium and other elemental concentrations for various industries. Throughout its lifespan, the reactor conducted nearly 240,000 analytical tests.

Officials said, over the past years, testing had decreased and newer technologies were adopted at SRC’s facility in Saskatoon.

“SRC is incredibly proud of the role our SLOWPOKE-2 played in adding value to the province by performing analytical testing for industry for the past 38 years,” SRC president and CEO Mike Crabtree said in a statement.

“This hands-on experience with the SLOWPOKE-2 can be applied to emerging nuclear technology, such as small modular reactors, as we consider how to power our future.”

The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission has officially deemed the decommissioning complete, according to officials.
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