151-2045-00L  Decommissioning of Nuclear Power Plants

SemesterAutumn Semester 2017
LecturersA. Pautz, M. Brandauer, F. Leibundgut, M. Pantelias Garcés, H.‑M. Prasser
Periodicityyearly recurring course
Language of instructionEnglish
CommentStudents registered at ETH Zurich have to enroll to this course at ETH. EPFL students can enroll to this course directly at EPFL.


AbstractIntroduction to aspects of Nuclear Power Plant decommissioning including project planning and management, costs and financing, radiological characterization, dismantling/decontamination technologies, safety aspects and radioactive waste management considerations.
ObjectiveAim of this course is to provide the students with an overview of the multidisciplinary issues that have to be addressed for the successful decommissioning of NPPs. Students will get exposed to principles of project management, operations management, cost estimations, radiological characterization, technologies relevant to the safe dismantling of NPPs and best-practice in the context of radioactive waste management.
ContentLegal framework, project management and operations methods and tools, cost estimation approaches and methods, nuclear calculations and on-site radiological characterization and inventorying, state-of-the-art technologies for decontamination and dismantling, safety considerations, state-of-the-art practice for radioactive waste treatment, packaging and transport, interface with radioactive waste management and disposal. The course will additionally include student visits to relevant nuclear sites in Switzerland and Germany.
Lecture notesSlides will be handed out.
Literature1. "Nuclear Decommissioning: Planning, Execution and International Experience", M. Laraia, Woodhead Publishing, 2012
2. "Cost Estimation: Methods and Tools", G.M. Mislick and D.A. Nussbaum, Wiley, 2015
3. "The Oxford Handbook of Megaproject Management", B. Flyvbjerg, Oxford University Press, 2017