Cyclade | Cyclade

Why CYCLADE?

CYCLADE combines all the key expertise of five partners needed to tackle the whole accelerator or cyclotron installation decommissioning project, from its preliminary phases to the final recovery of declassed materials.

CYCLADE benefits from its partners’ parallel research and innovation efforts.

CYCLADE aims to set up a new value chain to close the loop of cyclotron (a kind of particle accelerator) product lifecycle. At present, the strategy to decommission cyclotrons at the end of their useful life remains yet to be defined. The first installations done 30 years ago are soon reaching their end of life. New ones are being challenged by regulatory policies which are becoming more stringent, in line with the joint effort towards a more sustainable and circular economy.

The established consortium connects the dots of the expertise needed to tackle the decommissioning of those complex systems (accelerators and their concrete housing), with the final commitment to identify the optimum strategy from both the economic and environmental perspective. The final objective is to minimize the final radioactive and normal wastes and to maximize the circularity of cyclotrons.

A-Z Project management

CYCLADE strives for maximum service for the customer. An integrated step-by-step plan is developed so that it meets the specific needs of the client. Transparent communication and clear agreements are the essential conditions for a successful collaboration. The result is a satisfied customer who is helped quickly and safely with state-of-the-art knowledge and equipment.

Scenario analysis

The main optimal decommissioning scenarios will be analyzed according to the needs of the customer. The objective is to capture their characteristics, calculate strengths and weaknesses and benchmark them.

Set up of the decommissioning plan

A decommissioning plan is set up including information on the quantity and radioactivity of released materials, the demolition process, the waste treatment plan, and the evacuation route of the dismantled material.

Characterization

The decommissioning team of CYCLADE is aware of which parts are activated and which are not, to maximize the amount of materials that can be cleared, hence entering the circular economy loop.

Dismantling

The decommissioning team of CYCLADE is well trained on how to dismantle the machine and all of its subsystems, reducing at minimum breaking and cutting and to avoid the release of potential hazardous dusts and particles.

Bunkers are often built around cyclotrons, resulting in a very limited room for decommissioning operations. At the same time, the other surrounding center’s rooms reduce the freedom to demolish concrete walls, hence making the removal of the cyclotron as a whole complicated.

Transport and logistics

Transport and medium and long term storage – transportation of radioactive material is performed by a certified organization.

Upcoming event(s)

We will provide updates on upcoming events in due course.

Videos

First Cyclotron removed from Seneffe Production Facility by SCK CEN

Cyclotron decommissioning

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Partners

IBA is a world leader in particle accelerator technology. IBA designs, produces and markets innovative solutions for the diagnosis and treatment of cancer and other serious illnesses, and for industrial applications such as the sterilization of medical devices.

Through four core activities: industrial solutions, radio pharma solutions, proton therapy and dosimetry, IBA offers health care professionals the solutions that allow them to take a fully integrated approach to their patient care.

IRE is one of the world leaders in the production of radioisotopes for the nuclear medicine. IRE also offers a unique approach to the measurement and control of radioactivity focused on providing its clients with personalized guidance. IRE performs both on-site measurements and laboratory analyses on a wide variety of samples. In this frame, IRE is experienced at both the national and international level with the radiological characterization of accelerators and their concrete bunker, facilities to be dismantled or decommissioned and the produced radioactive waste.

For more than thirty years INTERBORING is an expert in cutting, scanning and drilling concrete and metal in a nuclear environment. All cutting techniques are based on diamond technology. INTERBORING is decommissioning the NIRAS-ONDRAF (B) CGR and IBA cyclotrons. INTERBORING can operate locally (“mobile control zone”) or on centralized site.

SCK CEN is a global leader in the field of nuclear research, services and education.
SCK CEN has a wide expertise on managing whole decommissioning projects. SCK CEN is decommissioning the Seneffe (B) IBA cyclotrons.

TRANSRAD organises the worldwide transport and shipping of nuclear, radioactive and related material, 7/7, 24/24, via all modes of transportation (road, rail, air, water). TRANSRAD has a buffer site for limited time storage of radioactive materials and offers a centralized site capable of receiving cyclotrons to be dismantled in Fleurus.

Contact Cyclade

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