Reactor Access

Project managers decommissioning a research facility’s nuclear reactor hit a major stumbling block – the equipment required to decontaminate the basement of the radwaste building could not fit through existing openings. Pressured by a tight schedule, the contractor had to quickly create an access hatch in the 30-inch-thick reinforced concrete wall.

Several demolition methods were evaluated. Jackhammers would be slow and costly, and more importantly, they would create a dangerous airborne contamination problem. Line drilling, or “stitch drilling”, would work, but not quickly enough to meet the crucial deadline. Circular saws would also work, but they would create severe over-cuts at the corners, jeopardizing the structural integrity of the wall.

With one day’s notice, Cutting Technologies (CTI) mobilized on a weekend to keep the project on track. Using CTI’s diamond wire cutting system, technicians cut an 11-foot-high, 9-foot-wide doorway, allowing the resulting 20-ton block to be easily and quickly removed in one neat piece. In just over one shift, CTI was able to complete all set-up, cutting and breakdown, enabling decontamination work to resume as scheduled on the following Monday morning.