Filtering radioactive aerosols: a major challenge

Most industrial activities produce aerosols. In nuclear facilities, they can be radioactive. In some fuel cycle facilities, several levels of filtration are used to prevent aerosols from dispersing into the atmosphere, both inside and outside. The final level of air purification is provided by high-efficiency filters (HEPA), which must remain operational even in the event of fire. For some twenty years, IRSN has been deciphering the physics of aerosols to understand the risks of clogging very high efficiency (VHE) filters. After proposing an empirical approach based on realistic experiments, the researchers developed a phenomenological model to assess filter performance in any situation.