Hard chemical decontamination of steam generator bundles

A steam generator bundle decontamination procedure is presented in order to facilitate the out-of-service generator dismantling. In the process, a combination of nitric acid and cerium nitrate with regeneration of the cerium 3+ into cerium 4+ through ozone injection, is used. Decontamination is performed at low pH and at ambient temperature. The removed activity from the bundles is transferred to the decontamination solution, dried and immobilized as a solid form, and then embedded for storage. Application to the decontamination of an exchanger at Tricastin