Mechanical decontamination techniques for floor drain systems
The unprecedented nature of cleanup activities at Three Mile Island Unit 2 (TMI-2) following the 1979 accident has necessitated the development of new techniques to deal with radiation and contamination in the plant. One of these problems was decontamination of floor drain systems, which had become highly contaminated with various forms of dirt and sludge containing high levels of fission products and fuel from the damaged reactor core. The bulk of this contamination is loosely adherent to the drain pipe walls; however, significant amounts of contamination have become incorporated into pipe wall oxide and corrosion layers and embedded in microscopic pits and fissures in the pipe wall material. The need to remove this contamination was recognized early in the TMI-2 cleanup effort. A program consisting of development and laboratory testing of floor drain decontamination techniques was undertaken early in the cleanup with support from the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI). Based on this initial research, two techniques were judged to show promise for use at TMI-2: a rotating brush hone system and a high-pressure water mole nozzle system. Actual use of these devices to clean floor drains at TMI-2 has yielded mixed decontamination results. The decontamination effectiveness that has been obtained is highly dependent on the nature of the contamination in the drain pipe and the combination of decontamination techniques used.
- OSTI ID:
- 5321707
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-871101-; CODEN: TANSA; TRN: 90-002486
- Journal Information:
- Transactions of the American Nuclear Society; (USA), Vol. 55:3; Conference: Joint meeting of the American Nuclear Society and the Atomic Industrial Forum, Los Angeles, CA (USA), 15-19 Nov 1987; ISSN 0003-018X
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS
FLOORS
DECONTAMINATION
DRAINAGE
THREE MILE ISLAND-2 REACTOR
REACTOR ACCIDENTS
EPRI
FISSION PRODUCTS
PIPES
REACTOR CORE DISRUPTION
WATER
ACCIDENTS
CLEANING
ENRICHED URANIUM REACTORS
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
ISOTOPES
MATERIALS
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
POWER REACTORS
PWR TYPE REACTORS
RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS
REACTORS
THERMAL REACTORS
WATER COOLED REACTORS
WATER MODERATED REACTORS
220900* - Nuclear Reactor Technology- Reactor Safety
210200 - Power Reactors
Nonbreeding
Light-Water Moderated
Nonboiling Water Cooled