Lift of Shippingport Reactor Pressure Vessel

Abstract
The Shippingport Atomic Power Station in western Pennsylvania is the first nuclear electric generating station to be decommissioned with the goal of restoring the site to a radiologically clean condition that is acceptable for unrestricted use. In December, 1988, the 956‐ton (870‐T) reactor pressure vessel/neutron shield tank assembly was lifted out of the containment building and loaded onto land transportation equipment in preparation for removal from the site and shipment to a burial facility in Washington State. This paper reviews the engineering requirements for the lift and removal from containment of the reactor pressure vessel package. Design criteria for the lifting and handling equipment, prelift testing and inspection requirements, and operational methodology employed during the lift are examined. Recommendations are made for future work of this nature performed as a part of nuclear plant maintenance and decommissioning projects, with particular emphasis on design requirements for lifting and handling equipment.

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