Decontamination of BWR fuel bundles

Conference · Fri Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1988 · Trans. Am. Nucl. Soc.; (United States)

OSTI ID:6810499

Ocken, H

Decontamination of individual systems in operating reactors, such as recirculation piping in boiling water reactors (BWRs) and steam generators in pressurized water reactors, is becoming an accepted technique to reduce radiation fields and occupational radiation exposure. Because a significant inventory of radioactivity resides on the reactor core, a longer term goal is to effect full plant decontamination with the fuel in place. Full plant decontamination has proved effective in CANDU and steam-generating heavy water reactor plants, but only recently have US plants begun to consider seriously the merits of such an approach. Clearly, a first step is to show that exposure to commercial decontamination solvents of highly irradiated core components will not induce any adverse effects. This paper describes a study of the application of the LOMI and CANDECON solvents to three-cycle discharged fuel bundles from the Quad Cities-2 BWR. Highly irradiated stainless steel specimens cut from a section of a LaCrosse BWR control blade also were decontaminated at the same time as the fuel bundles. CANDECON was selected as being representative of dilute chelant process and LOMI as representative of more strongly reducing processes. Both processes were preceded by the application of an oxidizing alkaline permanganate (AP) oxidizing step to help dissolve chromium.

• OSTI ID: 6810499
• Report Number(s): CONF-880422-
• Conference Information: Journal Name: Trans. Am. Nucl. Soc.; (United States) Journal Volume: 56
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS
210100* -- Power Reactors
Nonbreeding
Light-Water Moderated
Boiling Water Cooled
BWR TYPE REACTORS
CLEANING
CORROSION PRODUCTS
DECONTAMINATION
ENRICHED URANIUM REACTORS
EPRI
FISSION PRODUCTS
FUEL ASSEMBLIES
ISOTOPES
MANAGEMENT
MATERIALS
POWER REACTORS
QUAD CITIES-2 REACTOR
RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS
RADIOACTIVE WASTE MANAGEMENT
REACTORS
RESEARCH PROGRAMS
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WATER COOLED REACTORS
WATER MODERATED REACTORS