EVALUATION OF ION EXCHANGE RESINS FOR USE IN THE YANKEE REACTOR
Radioactivity removal efficiencies, generally reported in terms of decontamination factors (DF), have been determined for aqueous corrosion and fission product solutions using mixed-bed ion exchange resins. Experiments show that many factors such as pH and constituent concentration affect the decontaminating ability of the resins. In carefully controlled laboratory tests, separate hatches of radioisotopes often yield large differences in decontamination factors. The (H/sup +/, OH/sup -/) form of mixed cycle resins, which is capable of exchanging H--OH for acids, bases, and salts, gave DF values as low as 330 and as high as 1200. A typical alkali-releasing mixed cycle resins, which is capable of exchanging H -OH for acids, bases, and salts, gave values between 7.7 and 95. Similarly, in a reactor application the decontaminating efficiency of the purification system may be expected to fluctuate with transient water conditions. Mixed-bed resin exhibits satisfactory thermal stability, as evidenced by the slight change in capacity on long exposure to moderately high temperatures. Eighteen weeks exposure to 140 deg F water, maximum temperature planned for ion exchange resin operation in the Yankee plant, caused only a 12% reduction in exchange capacity. Strongly basic anion resins were tested for their ability to remove boric acid from solation. With a 38 ppm boron concentration, the total capacity of the recommended anion resin for use in the Yankee reactor, Rohm and Haas XE-78, was found to be 4.6 lbs/cu ft. With more concentrated solution, the capacity of the resin increased; under alkaline conditions the capacity decreased. Stainless steel corrosion products, generated in a dynamic autoclave at 600 deg F, were circulated through a low-pressure purification system consisting of a demineralizer and/or filters. Several properties were determined: quantity of crud picked up until resin is exhausted; quantity of crud picked up by cellulose filters up-and down-stream of the resin bed; efficiency of resin regeneration; and affect of resin on corrosion products, rendering these more filterable. The experiments also showed that the elemental composition of stainless steel corrosion products is dependent upon conditions such as the oxygen content of the water. It was observed that the mechanism of crud pick-up by resin consists of a combination of ion exchange and filtration. Consequently, any calculations of resin service-life for a reactor purification system based solely on resin exchange capacity give an inaccurate and pessimistic estimate. (auth)
- Research Organization:
- Westinghouse Electric Corp. Atomic Power Dept., Pittsburgh
- DOE Contract Number:
- AT(30-3)-222; SUBCONTRACT NO. 1
- NSA Number:
- NSA-13-018743
- OSTI ID:
- 4256513
- Report Number(s):
- YAEC-115
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: For Yankee Atomic Electric Co. Orig. Receipt Date: 31-DEC-59
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
ACIDITY- ANIONS- BORON OXIDES- DECONTAMINATION- FILTERS- ION EXCHANGE- ION EXCHANGE MATERIALS- POWER PLANTS- REACTORS- RESINS- SOLUTIONS- TESTING
ACIDITY- CORROSION- DECONTAMINATION- FISSION PRODUCTS- ION EXCHANGE- ION EXCHANGE MATERIALS- PERFORMANCE- POWER PLANTS- REACTORS- SOLUTIONS- WATER
CELLULOSE- CORROSION- EFFICIENCY- FILTERS- IMPURITIES- ION EXCHANGE MATERIALS- POWER PLANTS- REACTORS- STAINLESS STEELS
CORROSION- IMPURITIES- ION EXCHANGE MATERIALS- OXYGEN- POWER PLANTS- REACTORS- STAINLESS STEELS- WATER
DECONTAMINATION- EFFICIENCY- ION EXCHANGE MATERIALS- POWER PLANTS- REACTORS- RESINS- TES