Low-level waste technology developed for complex treatment of Navy low radioactive effluents

Lately, the problem of decontamination of low radioactive wastes (LRW) from nuclear Navy vessels located in North-West and East Regions of Russia has become an issue of international significance. Certain political decisions have been taken which led to the intensification of practical measures in extension and modernization of LRW processing in the Russian Federation. This report presents the major results f design work taken in order to improve a certain LRW processing facility based on the principle of adsorption. The plant belongs to the Repair and Transportation Enterprise (RTE) ATOMFLOT, Murmansk, North-West Region. The study had been conducted within the frame of International Collaboration with the Brookhaven National Laboratory, the USA, on a contract basis, partially financed by special funds of the USA Environmental Protection Agency and the Norwegian Foreign Affairs Ministry. According to the design, the plant capacity should increase from 1,200 to 5,000 cubic meters of three Navy LRW effluent types to be treated annually, envisaging composite cleaning from radionuclides and toxic materials, generated in the course of nuclear facilities operation. The process includes the treatment of specific Navy wastes which present a mixture of standard LRW (waters from the primary circuit and decontamination solution) with sea water and containing 10--20 g/l salts