Handling of liquid radioactive wastes produced during the decommissioning of nuclear-powered submarines
Liquid radioactive wastes are produced during the standard decontamination of the reactor loop and liquidation of the consequences of accidents. In performing the disassembly work on decommissioned nuclear-powered submarines, the equipment must first be decontaminated. All this leads to the formation of a large quantity of liquid wastes with a total salt content of more then 3l-5 g/liter and total {beta}-activity of up to 1 {center_dot}10{sup {minus}4} Ci/liter. One of the most effective methods for reprocessing these wastes - evaporation - has limitations: The operating expenses are high and the apparatus requires expensive alloyed steel. The methods of selective sorption of radionuclides on inorganic sorbents are used for reprocessing liquid wastes form the nuclear-powered fleet. A significant limitation of the method is the large decrease in sorption efficiency with increasing total salt-content of the wastes. In some works, in which electrodialysis is used for purification of the salt wastes, the total salt content can be decreased by a factor of 10-100 and the same quantity of radionuclides can be removed. We have developed an electrodialysis-sorption scheme for purifying salt wastes that makes it possible to remove radionuclides to the radiation safety standard and chemically harmful substances to the health standards. The scheme includes electrodialysis desalinization (by 90% per pass on the EDMS apparatus), followed by additional purification of the diluent on synthetic zeolites and electro-osmotic concentration (to 200-250 g/liter on the EDK apparatus). The secondard wastes---salt concentrates and spent sorbents---are solidified. (This is the entire text of the article.)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE
- OSTI ID:
- 226805
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-950768-; ISSN 1063-4258; TRN: 96:000730-0020
- Journal Information:
- Atomic Energy (New York), Vol. 78, Issue 4; Conference: 6. annual scientific and technical conference of the Nuclear Society International: international cooperation for nuclear development, Kiev (Ukraine), 3-7 Jul 1995; Other Information: PBD: Oct 1995; TN: Translated from Atomnaya Energiya; 78: No. 4, 287-288(Apr 1995)
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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