Zion Nuclear Power Station Decommissioning Project Removing & Segmenting the Reactor Vessel Internals and Segmenting the

Reactor Vessel. (A condensed pictorial historical record)

(or “How to Remove your Nuclear Reactor Vessel in 743 Easy Steps” - A DIY Project)

Presentation Notes and Disclaimers

This presentation is NOT the work of any current Siempelkamp L.P., ZionSolutions or Energy Solutions employee and should in no way

be associated with the image or reputation of any of these corporations. This is the effort of a single former employer of Siempelkamp

who is proud of the work our teams accomplished and wanted to create a visual record of this work.

The removal and segmentation of the various components of the Reactor Vessel Internals (RVI) and the segmentation of the Reactor

Vessel (RVS) itself, was contracted out to Siempelkamp L.P. by ZionSolutions.

Siempelkamp L.P. is an engineering and specialized equipment manufacturer based in Germany.

This presentation provides a limited visual historical record of many of the activities of the Siempelkamp RV Segmentation Crew and

some of the ZionSolutions Decommissioning Crew at the Zion Nuclear Power Station during the decommissioning work that occurred

on-site from 2014 – 2015. A few of the images taken before 2014 are included to provide context for the RVI and RVS work.

Most of the images shown were taken by members of the Siempelkamp Segmentation Crew and do not represent the entire scope of

work that was performed during the removal and segmentation of the Reactor Vessel Internals (RVI) or the Reactor Vessel Segmentation

(RVS) phase of the decommissioning work. Other images were collected from Internet sources and may be copyrighted.

Please note that this presentation has been stripped down to fit into the 100MB limit (in this case, 37 pages) that Linked-In imposes for

uploaded Presentations, so there are gaps in the processes as my original Presentation filled 97 pages. The 97 page Presentation is

available for former Siempelkamp & Zion Solution crew members if they would like to contact me. After contact, you can mail a Flash

drive to me or I can burn a CD with the entire 288MB file for you.

The Zion Nuclear Power Station’s first unit began operation in December of 1973 and both PWR units were retired from operation on

February 13, 1998. All nuclear fuel rods were removed from the reactor vessel and placed in the plant's on-site spent fuel pool by

March 9, 1998.

There were plans to keep the facility in long-term safe storage (SAFSTOR) until Unit 2's operating license expired on November 14,

2013. However, on August 23, 2010, it was announced that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) had approved the transfer of

Exelon's (ComEd's parent company) license to EnergySolutions of Salt Lake City. In 2011, ZionSolutions (a subsidiary of

EnergySolutions) began decommissioning operations. Therefore, the residual radiation levels in and around the reactor vessel were

allowed to decay for around 13 years which had a significant impact on reducing personnel radiation dosage rates during the

Reactor Vessel Internals (RVI) and RV Segmentation (RVS) work.

The original estimated date for decommissioning closure was December 31, 2026.

Archive Image of the Zion Nuclear Power Station

as viewed from a beach on Lake Michigan

Finally breaking through the inside layer of concrete and rebar. Breaking through the concrete to another layer of rebar.

One of the earlier major tasks for ZionSolutions was to cut a large equipment removal opening

through the four foot thick Containment Building wall. The opening in Unit 1, with the sliding “Barn

Doors” that were installed to restrict the spread of airborne contamination, is visible in the image

above. (with the white doors partially opened) Also, you can see the several of the vertical green

enclosures around the containment building tendons have been partially removed to provide access

for the tendon removal. The tensioning had to be removed before an opening could safely be cut

through that area of the containment wall and this will eventually be done for the entire structure. Breaking through to the first layer of rebar in Unit 2.

Images of Zion Station During the Cutting of the Equipment Removal Opening in the Containment Buildings

After removing the Reactor Head, the reactor internals were removed

and placed in the reactor cavity. The reactor cavity had been flooded

with borated water to provide shielding for the segmentation of the

internals which was performed under water to reduce radiation

exposure to the workers performing the RVI segmentation.

The Reactor Vessel Internals were segmented into many smaller

pieces that were then placed into the appropriate type of radwaste

container for permanent disposal.

The Reactor Vessel Segmentation plan had been to cut the RV into 3

sections, the Nozzle Level, which would be done first, the Belt-Line

Level would be next and each of these levels would be further

segmented around their circumference into 8 smaller segments as

shown in some of the following images. The Hemispherical Bottom

Head (HBH) would then be the last piece to be further segmented into 3

smaller segments; at least, that was the original plan.

Upper and

Lower RV

Internals

The Zion Station Reactor Vessel Upper Internals

Nozzle

Level

Hemispherical

Bottom Head

(HBH)

Belt-Line

Level

RV Segmentation

Levels

Removal of the Reactor Head and the Beginning of the RVI Phase

The Volume Reduction Station (VRS) in the test pit facility at In-Place

Machining in Milwaukee, Wisconsin The Volume Reduction Station (VRS) in the Mock-up area showing the 38i circular saw

used to down-size reactor internal components for shipping.

The Volume Reduction Station (VRS) is designed to segment the various components of the reactor vessel internals (Baffle Plates, Fuel Alignment Plate, Core

Shroud, Core Barrel, etc) into pieces small enough to fit into the appropriate category of Radwaste liner (3-60B, 24PT4, etc). The horizontal reciprocating saw,

used for making long cuts, is visible in the left image.

After the RVI components had been segmented and packed in the appropriate Radwaste containers, they were shipped out by truck and train for long term

burial at the Clive, Utah site and/or other sites. The spent fuel rods are stored at the Zion ISFSI in 61 containers along with 4 containers of Greater Than Class

C (GTCC) waste collected during the reactor internals segmentation process and other decommissioning processes.

The Zion Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation (ISFSI)

To date, I have been able to gather

only these few images of the

Reactor Vessel Internals (RVI)

segmentation activities from our

crew. If additional images are

provided to me in the future, I can

add them to this file.

This is the end of the RVI portion of

this presentation

A GTCC waste container with Baffle Plates and other GTCC waste material cut to fit by the VRS.

The Plan is to sequentially cut all 8 “L” shaped cuts through the Reactor Vessel

Wall where the Pre-Cuts had been made through the thicker upper RV wall.

After attaching the Turnable Gripper to the desired reactor segment, the final

short horizontal cut is made between the two “L” cuts to free the segment.

During the cutting of all 8 “L” cuts & Final Cuts the Suction Duct is removing the

gases from the flame cutting and any airborne contamination to the HEPA filter.

The Turnable Gripper (TGR), which is attached to the Polar Crane, then lifts the

freed-up segment up through the opening in the Outer Shielding Plate (OSP)

and places the segment in a Shielded Box for disposal as radwaste.

Next, the Sand Box Covers needed to be removed to provide

access to the area between the RV wall and the Bio-Shield. Hand-held plasma cutters were utilized to burn through the

Sand Box cover welds so the covers could be removed

Concrete blocks that provided additional shielding were removed from the Sand Boxes to provide access to the reactor coolant pipes so that they could be

cut at the nozzles with a combination of wire saws and plasma cutters.

Next, the concrete bridges that secured the top of the RV to the structure needed to be removed before the reactor coolant nozzle pipes could be cut.

A jig was designed and fabricated to hold the concrete bridge in place during the cutting with

the abrasive diamond wire saw until the concrete could be removed with a crane.

A concrete bridge can be seen at

the top of the above image.

Installing the wire saw to cut each

concrete bridge. Wire saw marks from the concrete bridge removal. The concrete bridges were placed in a Super

Sack for disposal.

With the concrete bridges now removed, the borated concrete around the

outside of the RV was completely accessible to cut with the wire saw.

The Polar Crane was then rigged to each borated concrete section for removal

The borated concrete was cut on the centerline of each RV nozzle to

free up each section for removal.

The process of the initial vessel drain-down began by removing the Shielding Plate (SP) and replacing it with one half of the Inner Shielding Plate (ISP).

This arrangement provided shielding for workers who installed the Tri-Nuc pump and drained the borated water down to a level below the vessel nozzles so that

the cutting of the RV coolant loop pipes could commence.

As the water was drained down in the RV, the nozzle openings were backwashed to flush as much radioactive sediment as possible out of the nozzle

openings and into the bottom of the RV, where the remaining water provided some shielding during the remaining operations.

Most of the circumference of each of the eight reactor coolant loop pipes is cut by the ABS from the bottom-up with the top “stitch” being cut with a hand-held

plasma cutter.

Installing the abrasive wire saw (ABS) to cut the bottom of the reactor coolant loop pipes

The next step in the process was to start cutting the reactor coolant loop pipes.

Here we have our team working at the peak of efficiency. The worker on

the bottom is welding a shield plate into the RV nozzle to reduce

radiation expose, while the worker in the middle is completing the loop

cut using a hand-held plasma cutter.

While in another area, the removal of the Seal Ledge continues. (you can

see the remaining seal ledge has not been removed above the worker

welding in the plugs.)

Once all the reactor coolant loop pipes were removed, clearance

checks were performed to assure the Flame Cutting System (FCS)

could travel unobstructed around the circumference of the RV with

adequate clearance from the nozzles.

The initial vessel drain-down lowered the water level in the RV to

less than a foot below the RV nozzle openings.

The other half of the Inner Shielding Plate (ISP) was placed on

the RV in preparation for the Final Drain-down.

The Tri-Nuc pump was brought back into the reactor vessel and

lowered to the bottom of the RV.

The view looking down into the RV with the water drained.

You can see the In-Core Instrumentation (ICI) conduit stubs in the bottom of

the reactor vessel that remained full of water and will be drained later.

The TSP Base Frame assembly was completed by installing the Vertical

Shielding Plates and Liners and then the assembled frame was flown

down with the Polar Crane and installed on top of the Reactor Vessel.

Next, the Outer Shielding Plate (OSP) was assembled on the Support

Platform. The OSP contains the Flame Cutting System mast assembly

that drives the flame cutter and the Ventilation Flaps that cover the

opening in the OSP from which the cut RV Segments will be removed.

The Outer Shielding Plate (OSP) assembly was then installed on top

of the TSP Base Frame on the Reactor Vessel and the electrical and

gas line connections were completed.

The Flame Cutting

System (FCS) mast

was installed vertically

on the OSP.

Installing the Turnable Shield Plate and the Flame Cutting System

The mast will travel down outside the RV wall to burn the vertical cut and then

travel horizontally along the track to complete the “L” shaped cuts in the RV. Making the final gas and electrical connections to the FCS Mast.

The Flame Cutting System (FCS) Mast

“Git er’Dun”

OUTSTANDING

WORK!

Raising the LR up with the Chellino.

Swinging the LR up and in with the Chellino. Connecting the LR to the Polar Crane.

Doing the Coordinated Crane Dance with both cranes

Doing the Coordinated Crane Dance with both cranes

Bringing the Lifting Rod into Unit 1 with the Chellino & Polar Cranes

Flying the Strand Jack System (SJS) bridge into position.

Due to the weight hoisting limits and horizontal reach of the available cranes in the Containment Building (Polar Crane & Knuckle Boom Cranes) an

engineered solution to raising the RV and moving the heavy RV segments (21 – 22 tons) had to be achieved.

Since only the Polar Crane had the weight capacity to safely lift the RV segments that would be cut from the RV and the reach to place them in the shielded

boxes, another method of lifting the entire RV had to be developed.

The Siempelkamp engineered solution became known as the Strand Jack System (SJS) that included the Strand Jack Bridge. The bridge was placed across

the center of the RV, then a set of 4 hydraulic jacks were attached to the bridge. Each of these four jacks were connected to the lifting rod by about 15 steel

cables. The hydraulic jacks lifted the RV up to the various cutting levels, which freed up the Polar Crane to lift out each RV segment and place them in

shielded boxes using the Turnable Gripper (TGR). The assembly of this system is shown in the next series of images.

ABOUT THE STRAND JACK SYSTEM

The Strand Jack System (SJS) bridge in position.

The

assembled

Strand Jacks

were moved

into position

with the Polar

Crane and the

Knuckle

Boom Crane.

Maneuvering the Strand Jacks into position on the SJS Bridge.

Precise communication between the Polar Crane and the Knuckle Boom

crane operators was crucial to safely installing the equipment.

All 4 jacks were installed. As the RV is lifted,

those strands sticking out of the top of the Jacks

were managed with a loosely tied rope to keep

the strands from splaying out.

The Lifting Eyes are now ready to be attached to the LR so the RV can be

raised to the first level cutting position with the Strand Jacks.

The Lifting Eyes are now attached

to the top of the LR.

The Flame Cutting System performing the test cuts as viewed from

a camera outside the RV. The flame cutting slag plume being blown into the RV as viewed

from a camera inside the RV.

The Flame Cutting System performing the test cuts as viewed from flame cutting head camera. The Flame Cutting System performing the test

cuts as viewed from a camera outside the RV.

The Flame Cutting System (FCS) performing the “L” cuts as

viewed from a camera above the RV. The flame cutting blast plume as viewed from a camera inside

the RV.

The view from the cutting head camera after finishing the

vertical part of the “L” cut.

Monitoring the RV cutting process from the monitors inside the

Control Station.

And here comes the first segment now.

It’s greeted by a standing room only crowd.

A view of the Flame Cutting Head through the Gripper opening

making the Final Cut to free a segment.

These boxes in the shallow end are ready to receive the RV Nozzle segments. Other boxes have been positioned in the Deep End also. Once the first 4

boxes were filled they were moved out of the RV Cavity and 4 more empty boxes replaced these.

Then the Polar Crane, with the Gripper attached, moves the RV

segment across the RV cavity into a shielded box.

Meanwhile, the ventilation system has been purging the flame cutting

gases and any airborne contamination through the HEPA Filter. Then the OSP

rotates to a position over the next segment to be cut on the opposite side from

the first to attempt a balanced load. The TGR grabs the next segment and the

Final Cut is again made. Then the Vent Flaps on the OSP are opened and the

next segment is removed through the opening in the OSP. This process

continued for all 8 segments.

The view from inside the RV after the first RV segment

was removed by the Gripper.

Once filled, the shielded box covers were bolted back onto the box. The filled boxes were moved to the HLRS with the Polar Crane.

“Going Up? The filled boxes waiting to be moved outside

Unit 1 containment on the HLRS Cart.

On this particularly windy day the boxes waited on the HLRS

Cart until the wind died down the next day so they could be

safely moved to the ground by the crane.

The filled boxes get rolled out of the Unit 1 containment building

on the HLRS.

The filled boxes outside the Unit 1 containment building awaiting shipping.

The filled boxes outside the containment building being moved off the HLRS

by the Chellino crane.

As the Nozzle boxes were being removed from containment,

preparations for the Belt-Line cuts continued. The Strand Jacks raised

the remaining reactor vessel up to the next cutting level.

A Nuclear Safety Related (NSR) Sharpie was used

to mark the cutting lines for the Belt-Line cuts.

Maintenance was performed on the Flame Cutting System and

the clearances were again checked.

The sequential series of “L” shaped cuts was again performed and

then the final cuts began.

The first Belt-Line segment starting to come out past the vent flaps. Flying it up with the Gripper.

Flying it up past the Strand

Jacks on its way over to the

Dance Floor.

(Note the increased lengths

of the strands exiting the top

of each Strand Jack)

Placing the Belt–Line segment in

“The DownEnder”.

Placing the first Belt-Line segment in

the shielded box. (concave side up)

The next Belt-Line

segment was placed in

the DownEnder.

The second Belt-Line segment

being laid horizontal.

The second segment being moved

into the same shielded box

(concave side down) using the

Aux. hook on the Polar Crane.

Note that keeping the inside of the

RV segments facing each other

(concave to concave) reduces the

overall radiation that the box has

to shield against, thus reducing the

box weight & cost.

When the Lifting Adapter is installed on the top of the LR/HBH assembly, the Polar

Crane main hook is attached to the Lifting Adapter. So now the load is on the Polar

Crane’s main hook, which was previously needed to remove the RV segments. The

Aux. hook on the Polar Crane is then rigged to the two HOT beams as seen above.

The Aux. hook on the Polar Crane then moves the HOT beams off

to each side. Note: you can see the SJS has been moved out of

the way in the background of the above image.

Now the Polar Crane lifts up the LR/HBH assembly with the main hook, up between the HOT beams, up past the SJS and over to the “Beach” where it will be

welded to the HBH Stand.

The Polar Crane moving the HBH over to the “Beach” where it will be welded to the HBH Stand.

The HBH sitting on the HBH Stand with the corner posts welded to the stand.

The crew welding the steel shielding cover onto the HBH in order to reduce radiation during transport.

After the Siempelkamp crew caulks the circumference of the cover plate

to make an airtight seal, they begin rigging to HBH to the Polar Crane

All rigged and ready to go out of containment.

Time for some pictures, we’re almost done.

The last piece of the Unit 1 Reactor Vessel, the Hemispherical Bottom Head (HBH)

being loaded on a flatbed truck and then wrapped for the long haul to its final burial site.

On 12/16/2015, the 62.85 ton Unit 1 - Hemispherical Bottom Head (HBH) was shipped off the

Zion site on this 34 wheeler flatbed truck to its final burial location.

On 07/30/2015, the Unit 2 -

Hemispherical Bottom Head

(HBH) that weighed a little under

63 tons was shipped off the Zion

site on this 34 wheeler flatbed

truck to its final burial location.

The Siempelkamp Crew