Sharon Lando Weisberg

Dilute Chemical Decontamination Process for Pressurized and Boiling Water Reactor Applications

Westinghouse Electric Corporation (WEC) has developed five chemical processes for nuclear decontamination, based on extensive experimental testing using radioactive pressurized water reactor (PWR) and boiling water reactor (BWR) samples. The dilute chemical decontamination process offers the best combination of effectiveness, low corrosion, low waste volume, and fast field implementation time. This is an alternating multistep process. For PWRs, an oxidation treatment is necessary. Projected contact decontamination factors (DFs) are about 50 on plant Inconel surfaces, with comparable results on stainless steel. Actual test DFs have exceeded 500 in the process test loop. For BWRs, an oxidation step is unnecessary, but very beneficial. DFs of 10 to 20 are achieved without an oxidation treatment. Full process DFs exceed 500 when the oxidation treatment is included. Low corrosion rates are observed, without any adverse effects. Only solid waste is produced by the process. WEC has fabricated a trailer-mounted application system for this process, and is offering it as a decontamination service to commercial customers.