Considerations on the decontamination of a reprocessing plant

Although fundamental differences prevail in the radiochemical and chemical nature of contaminations in a power reactor and a reprocessing plant, the fundamental approach towards decontamination follows essentially the same lines for both plants: the best decontamination is to avoid contamination; first measures against contamination should already start at the design stage of the plant, comprising for instance, care for smooth surfaces, avoid dead zones, limit welds as much as possible in down stream parts, foresee possibilities for internal and external water jets, provide appropriate surface coatings, etc...; select appropriate operation conditions to reduce formation of contaminating cruds; adopt your decontamination procedure to the needs of your facility with respect to: corrosion behaviour, dose commitments, operational safety and compatibility with the waste treatment facilities. Efficient decontamination procedures have been developed and applied in various reprocessing plants in different countries. Experience gained at Eurochemic can in this respect be considered as a valuable contribution that certainly can be of help for the operation of nuclear power reactors, too