If production ceases and related facilities (e.g. mines, mills, refineries) are closed, conditions of pre-production time will be re-established as far as reasonable by decommissioning of equipment and facilities as well as by remediation of sites.

Decommissioning requires removal of eventual radioactive contamination from equipment and facilities and subsequent demolition/dismantling, while preventing any contamination spreading. Overall goal is safe removal of NORM from equipment and facilities for release from particular regulatory control. Generally, decommissioning follows a proven sequence:

I. Monitoring of prevailing radiological conditions, i.e. contamination height and kind of radionuclides are determined at all installations and facilities. On base of this radiological survey, specific decontamination/dismantling concepts are developed, which require approval from responsible regulatory authorities

II. Removal of NORM contamination from equipment and facilities (for suitable technologies see decontamination)

III. If the complete removal of radioactivity can be confirmed, used equipment is fragmented and as a final step facilities are conventionally dismantled.

Decommissioning of equipment and facilities generates conventional waste as well as (TE-) NORM waste, which requires to be managed.

If you have any specific question, feel free to contact us.