LLW reduction methods employed at de Pont/NEN research products

Conference · Wed Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1986 · Trans. Am. Nucl. Soc.; (United States)

OSTI ID:6734236

Hsu, J N.C.; d'Urso, A; Anderson, G; Chisholm, R; Seaforth, R

Recent and changing low-level radioactive waste (LLW) disposal regulations and limitations have made it an economic necessity to implement programs to minimize radwaste. Du Pont Biomedical Department's NEN Research Products plant in Boston, Massachusetts, produces radioactive products for research labeled with tritium, /sup 14/C, /sup 32/P, and /sup 35/S. An extensive radwaste minimization effort has been established with very significant reduction results without compromise in radiation safety. The disposal of radwaste is a complicated, highly regulated business. The economic factors include a combination of cost per unit volume, cost per unit volume, cost per unit radioactivity, and cost effective/ineffective packaging methods and handling procedures. The first two cost factors are uncontrollable. Methods described in this paper, however, have controlled the third cost factor to offset to some extent the increases of the first two factors. Tritium-containing products comprise the largest category of products produced. A high-integrity package has been put into use. A tritium gas recycling apparatus has been developed for purification of high-level waste tritium gas. Carbon-14 waste has been reduced by careful review of synthesis procedures. An extensive program to hold-for-decay for the waste containing /sup 32/P and /sup 35/S has been established. A computer program has been developed whereby all waste generated is tracked from cradle-to-grave. Therefore by various methods, some simple and some complex, very significant low-level waste reductions have been achieved to control rapidly increasing disposal costs.

• Research Organization: du Pont/NEN, Boston, MA
• OSTI ID: 6734236
• Report Number(s): CONF-861102-
• Journal Information: Trans. Am. Nucl. Soc.; (United States), Vol. 53; Conference: American Nuclear Society and Atomic Industrial Forum joint meeting, Washington, DC, USA, 16 Nov 1986
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

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COMPUTER CODES
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