Strategic Guidance on the Management of LLW and ILW / LLW ...

LLW Repository LtdNational Waste ProgrammeNWP/REP/011Issue 2.1 – Jan 2013Page 22 of 585.2.1. Size Reduction [Ref. 5, 14, 15]Usage as standalone techniqueSurface contaminatedLLWAluminiumCopperMild steelMild steel (coated)Stainless steelILW/LLWStainless steel (coated)VolumetricallycontaminatedActivatedDescription of techniqueSize reduction is a set of techniques used to minimise the dimensions of an item or object. For pondfurniture, if not undertaken underwater size reduction is predominantly undertaken using so-called “coldcutting”mechanical techniques or laser cutting, to minimise the spread of contamination to atmosphere.Plasma cutting has been seen to be effective underwater as well as in dry environments.Examples of mechanical cold-cutting techniques used for size reduction of pond furniture include:• Mechanical saws (e.g. reciprocating saws) for size reduction of small or medium sized pond furniturecomponents.• Nibblers (which use reciprocation to nibble through small amounts of metal) used for thick mild orstainless steel components.• Diamond wire saws used for large components.Outcomes Advantages Disadvantages• Reduction in the size of pond furniturecomponents to facilitate further treatmentor disposal.• Secondary wastes are smaller volumes ofsolid metallic waste for treatment / disposaland tools / tool components.• Simple.• Applicable to widerange of metal types.• Applicable to wideactivity range.• Minimised likelihood ofcontamination transferrelative to “hot-cutting”techniques.• Simple and easy tomanage secondarywastes.• Use of manualtechniques may bedifficult in high doseenvironments.• Can be difficult todeploy successfullyfor items of complexgeometry.Technique used at:A company owned by UK Nuclear Waste Management LtdNOT PROTECTIVELY MARKED