Commercial testing of a unit for high-temperature removal of corrosion products from water coolant

Recently interest has been shown in the Soviet and foreign nuclear power industries in the removal of corrosion products from hot (150-300C) flows of water coolant. This interest is explained by the need to increase the efficiency of removal of corrosion products from the loops of an atomic power plant in order to lower the rate of formation of deposits of such corrosion products on the in-loop surfaces, especially the heat-transfer surfaces. Filter materials - heat-resistant titanium-based inorganic sorbents - have been developed and investigated for removal of corrosion products from hot flows of water coolant at atomic power plants. The basic regularities underlying the process of filtration on sorbent beds have been studied. The efficiency of removal from water of corrosion products and radionuclides produced by corrosion is 50-95% for total iron, 80-85% for 51Cr, 90% for 54Mn, 99% for 56Mn, 90% for 59Fe, 50-70% for 60Co, 95% for 95Nb, and 95% for 95Zr. Technologies for sorbent regeneration and hydraulic reloading, a design for a high-temperature filter, and the layout of a treatment system have been developed. The information amassed to date served as the basis for the creation of the high-temperature treatment unit at the Beloyarsk Atomic Power Plant. This paper presents the results of the testing of a commercial unit for high-temperature treatment of water coolant. Such units have been included in the plans for a number of atomic power plants and heat-and-electric generating plants. The testing therefore was conducted to gain experience in their operation