RTG Disposal Program in Russia
Status of RTG Decommissioning Activities
Alexander Grigoriev, Kurchatov Institute, Arthur Katashev, NIITFA
In the late last century radioisotope thermoelectric generators (RTGs) were commonly
used in the former Soviet Union to power various autonomous systems and in particular light
and radio beacons. Radioactive nuclide strontium-90 contained in these RTGs is used as the
source of heat transformed into electric power.
Autonomous / automatic unattended light beacons with radionuclide (strontium) power
sources installed in the coastal waters of Russia and along the Northern Sea Route made a
considerable contribution to solution of marine navigation tasks and navigation safety
improvement.
Experience gained in the process of operation of radioisotope thermoelectric
generators (RTGs) demonstrates their high reliability and efficiency as power sources for
marine navigation equipment supporting safe seafaring.
1007 RTGs of various types containing strontium-90 were manufactured in total for
land based use as power sources.
Initial radioactivity of strontium-90 contained in RTGs of various types was within the
range of 35000 to 465000 Curie.
It was very important to use RTGs as power sources of the above stationary systems
because at that time satellite navigation and satellite aided weather observation were at the
beginning of their development.
The RTG design provided for various weather and environmental impacts and
biological protection of the personnel.
In many cases real operating conditions of the RTGs were considerably worse than
those provided for at the design stage. As a result of the coast line movements RTGs became
exposed to the sea water, they were covered with pebbles, froze into the ice, etc.
In addition, as a result of vandal attacks RTGs undergo beyond the design basis
impacts: cutting the RTG electric cables is the most common damage which switches the
RTG to the undesirable no-load operation; damage of the RTG fitting pipes used to pump the
inert gas into the RTG leads to depressurization and penetration of water into the active zone
containing the RHS; breaking off the aluminum radiator fans, etc.
By now all of the above RTGs have come to the end of their service lives and are to be
decommissioned.
As of today, 72 RTGs have not yet been decommissioned,
- 212 RTGs are at storage facilities and 31 RTGs are being disassembled,
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- 10 RTGs are being transported to the JSC “V/O “Isotope” for disassembly,
- 3 RTGs are lost for various reasons,
And the total number is 328 RTGs
As of October 10, 2012 Russian RTGs are located as follows (see Fig. 1 and Table 1):
Operating RTGs:
- 56 RTGs of Rosmorrechflot at the sites along the western and central parts of the
Northern Sea Route, including 31 Beta-M RTGs, 4 Gong RTGs, 14 Gorn RTGs, 7 Efir-MA
RTGs;
- 12 Beta-M RTGs at the military base of the Special-Purpose Missile Forces on
Kamchatka;
- 4 Beta-M RTGs of Roshydromet in Antarctic;
RTGs at temporary storages:
- 1 IEU-1 RTG of the Navy sank at Maria Cape of Sakhalin Island. The RTg in
emergency state was recovered from the sea bed and now it is at the military base of the Navy
in Sovgavan;
- 124 RTGs stored at DalRAO, including 61 Beta-M RTGs (5 of them are damaged),
27 IEU-2 RTGs (5 of them are emergency RTGs placed into special containers), 12 IEU-2M
RTGS, 11 IEU-1 RTGs (including the Navarin RTG placed into a special container), 6 IEU1M RTGs, 4 REU-3 RTGs, 3 Gong RTGs;
- 65 RTGs at the FSUE “PA “Mayak”, including 60 Beta-M RTGs, 3 Efir-MA RTGs,
2 RTGs of Pinguin type;
- 14 Beta-M RTGs at Irkutsk Radon;
- 8 RTGs at Novosibirsk Radon, including 7 Beta-M RTGs and 1 Gorn RTG;
RTGs in the process of disassebly at special enterprises:
- 31 RTGs at JSC “V/O “Isotope”, including 7 problematic RTGs of Beta-M type, 8
Gong RTGs including 2 problematic ones, 16 Gorn RTGs including one problematic RTG.
Special cases:
- 1 Beta-M RTG was not found / it was lost as a result of destruction of its beacon
located in the eastern part of the northern Sea Route at Chukotka;
- 1 Gong RTG was not found at its beacon site on Lishny island (Taimyr peninsular)
in the central part of the Northern Sea Route;
− 1 RTG of the Navy sank as a result of an emergency case during its transportation by
helicopter at Nizky Cape of Sakhalin Island. The RTG has not been located yet.
− 10 RTGs removed from the beacons of the Northern Sea Route are being transported
to the JSC “V/O “Isotope” for disassembly and subsequent shipment of RHSs extracted from
the RTGs to the FSUE “PA “Mayak” for a long-term storage.
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Table 1
DECOMMISSIONING AND DISPOSAL OF RTGS
As of October 10, 2012
RTGs
operated and stored in Russia
Operating
RTGs
Western and central parts of the
Northern Sea Route
Eastern part of the Northern Sea
Route, Chukotka
Far East, Russian Navy
56
Special-Purpose Missile Forces,
Ministry of Defense of Russia
Roshydromet (Antarctic)
12
Total for operating organizations
72
Total: 328 RTGs
RTGs being
disassembled
(disposed of)
RTGs being transported
Note
9
1 – special case (RTG was not located at Lishny Island)
1
1 – special case (RTG was not located as a result of the
beacon destruction at Chukotka)
1 – special case (RTG was lost in the process of
transportation by helicopter at Sakhalin island)
1
4
At storage facilities
DalRAO
RosRAO (Irkutsk and Novosibirsk)
Mayak
Isotope
NIITFA
Kurchatov Institute
Total for Rosatom
Total
RTGs at
temporary
storage
facilities
1
10
3
10
3 – special case
124
22
65
31
211
72
212
31
Fig. 1 RTG Locations, as of October 10, 2012
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RTG decommissioning activities conducted in 2012
1. Funds allocated by the USA – Central part of the Northern Sea Route (Yenisei River
Estuary)
34 RTGs in total have been removed. 24 Beta-M RTGs have been disassembled at the JSC
“V/O “Isotope”, 24 RHSs have been placed for a long-term storage at the FSUE “PA “Myak”.
5 heavy RTGs have been disassembled at the JSC “V/O “Isotope”. The remaining 5 heavy
RTGs are waiting for disassembly.
2. Under the Federal Targeted Program for Nuclear and Radiation Safety
6 RTGs in total have been decommissioned along the Northern Sea Route (Tiksi Hydrographic
Base). All of these RTGs have been removed and now they are being transported to the JSC
“V/O “Isotope” for disassembly.
3. Funds allocated by the USA – Central Part of the Northern Sea Route and Chukotka
Autonomous Region (Taimyr Peninsular, Wrangel Island)
4 RTGs in total have been decommissioned: 1 Beta-M RTG (Wrangel Island) and 3 RTG
(Taimyr Peninsular). All of these RTGs have been removed and now they are being
transported to the JSC “V/O “Isotope” for disassembly.
RTG related activities planned for 2013
1. Funds allocated by the USA – Western and Central part of the Northern Sea Route (Taimyr
Peninsular, Yamal Peninsular, Gydansky Peninsular)
34 RTGs in total are planned for decommissioning: 24 Beta-M RTGs and 10 heavy RTGs.
2. Funds allocated by the USA – interim storage facility at DalRAO
It is planned to remove to the JSC “V/O “Isotope” for disassembly and subsequent disposal 30
of 124 RTGs stored at DalRAO with the financial assistance of the USA.
3. Federal Targeted Program for Nuclear and Radiation Safety
It is planned to decommission 6 RTGs (TBD) of the Northern Sea Route.
It is planned to disassemble 26 of 70 RTGs stored at the FSUE “P/A “Mayak”.
Russian RTGs in Antarctic
According to the Russian Antarctic Expedition of the State Research Center "Arctic and
Antarctic Research Institute" there are 4 Beta-M RTGs in Antarctic left by previous soviet
expeditions including 2 RTGs at the Molodezhnaya station, 1 RTG in the Novolazarevskaya
Station area and 1 RTG at the distance of 120 km from the B Dome in the central part of
Antarctic (see Fig. 2)
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Fig. 2 RTG Locations in Antarctic, as of October 10, 2012
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The three RTGs were examined at the stations not long ago by a representative of
Rosatom Emergency and Technical Center and results of the survey were positive. The RTGs
can be removed based on a standard transportation scheme and additional measures to provide
their safe transportation are not required. The 4th RTG (in the B dome area) dipped into the
snow and ice and nobody have seen it in the recent period. So its condition is unknown and
now it is impossible to make forecasts about the possible ways of it transportation.
In accordance with the proposal made by the American Team from the Lawrence
Livermore National Laboratory working on RTGs, NIITFA in cooperation with the State
Research Center "Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute" examined the possibility of the RTG
evacuation from Antarctic and made a preliminary cost estimate of this work.
Since the RTGs still belong to the Russian Federation (AARI) there are no legal
obstacles preventing evacuation the RTGs from Antarctic and bringing them in Russia.
Since the service life period of these RTGs is over they should be certified for
transportation after their technical examination.
Since transportation of the RTGs by the Academician Fedorov ship is the most
practicable approach, some formal procedures concerning the ship and customs documents
should be observed. In particular the ship should be certified for transportation of hazardous
(radioactive) cargo. For this reason it might be required to refit the ship hold, equip it with
radiation detectors and define the customs terminal certified for radiation cargo associated
activities.
Required permissions should be received for the ship transporting radiation cargo to
enter some ports of foreign countries for refueling and loading food and water on the ship
board.
On the list of technical activities required to evacuate the RTGs one of the first positions
is to locate the RTG which according to AARI should be in the area adjacent to the B Dome.
By now participants of the 57th Russian Antarctic Expedition have already visited the place of
proposed RTG location and found there some poles sticking out of snow and indicating the
place where the equipment powered by the RTG was installed. The radiation background level
is a little higher at this place which can imply presence of the RTG under the layer of snow
After location of the RTG in the B Dome area it should be extracted from under the
snow and ice. For this purpose special equipment to cut ice as deep as several meters should be
purchased and delivered to the B Dome operation site.
Mobile fuel tanks installed on sledges should be also purchased and delivered to the
Progress Station to provide the expedition with fuel.
A special sledge expedition should be arranged from the Progress Station to the B Dome
to recover and remove the RTG from the B Dome area to the Progress Station. These activities
have no alternative.
Since the RTGs belong to the State Research Center "Arctic and Antarctic Research
Institute" (AARI) of Roshydromet, AARI after brining the RTGs in Russia will be a customer
ordering the RTG disassembly, RHS extraction and disposal at the FSUE “P/A ”Mayak”.
A and B personnel of the ship crew should be trained and certified for RTG related
activities. To load/unload the RTGs the ship hoisting equipment should be refit and certified.
(To lift RTGs the ship crane should be equipped with two brake units and have a 25 % surplus
bearing capacity) Special fixing devices should be installed in the ship hold to keep the RTGs
in place as it was made for hydrographic ships.
The fourth of the known RTGs is under a layer of snow and ice and what will be its
condition after extraction is not known. It might happen so that this RTG will have a high
radiation exposure level. In view of this it is reasonable to deliver to Antarctic by the
beginning of the RTG evacuation expedition the shielding container which was used to
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transport RTGs with high radiation exposure level from the Baltic region and Nuneangan site
(Chukotka).
The amount of funds required to evacuate RTGs from Antarctic is determined by the
cost of additional operations (activities) and additional equipment needed to arrange the RTG
evacuation. As mentioned above it includes additional refitting of the expedition ship, training
and certification of the crew members, purchase and delivery of additional fuel and ice cutting
equipment. In addition the Antravers Service company providing services for the Russian
Antarctic Expedition and arranging sledge expeditions in Antarctic demanded to purchase a
ground penetrating radar to provide safe passage across the are covered with glacial cracks in
the course of the sledge expedition to the B Dome area to locate and evacuate the RTG.
Purchase of additional fuel mixture and sledges for its transportation is caused by a 400
km deviation from the route of the sledge expedition and activities in the RTG location area. 6
special cars will take part in the expeditions and their motors run all the time when the
expedition stop. According to transport experts no more than additional 15 m3 of diesel fuel will
be required for this expedition.
An 18 m3 two sectional tank specially designed for sledges used for Antarctic
expeditions costs 900 000 ruble.
Cost of Antarctic fuel is 50 000 ruble per ton as minimum.
Sledges intended for Antarctic expeditions to transport fuel tanks and RTG with carrying
capacity of 20 ton cost 1200000 Rub.
The ground penetrating radar is required to detect the exact location of the RTG under
the thick layer of ice and provide safe movement of the heavy sledges across the glacier.
SIR-300 ground penetrating radar manufactured by the Geophysical Survey Systems, USA,
showed good results in Antarctic. Its cost in Russia is 700 000 Rub. This radar is used by
Chinese expeditions, ALCI South African Company for intercontinental expeditions.
To extract the RTG from under the ice and snow mass the tractor should be equipped
with an additional blade. The 12 positional All Way Blade 819.00.00.004.25.0 manufactured
by Kassbohrer Geladefahrzeug AG, Germany, costs 1 100 000 Rub.
The next Russian Antarctic Expedition is scheduled for November 2012 (the
Academican Fedorov ship departs from Saint-Petersburg with the expedition equipment on
board). For this reason it is impossible to manufacture special sledges and purchase the above
equipment in due time.
AARI and the American team from the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
working on RTGs came to a preliminary agreement to postpone the expedition for survey and
evacuation of the RTGs from Antarctic to the season of 2013 / 2014.
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