Coolant cleanup method in a nuclear reactor

Purpose : To effectively adsorb to remove low molecular weight organic substances from iron exchange resins for use in the removal of various radioactive nucleides contained in reactor coolants. Method : Reactor coolants are recycled by a main recyling pump in a nuclear reactor and a portion of the coolants is cooled and, thereafter, purified in a coolant desalter. While on the other hand, high pressure steams generated from the reactor are passed through a turbine, cooled in a condensator, eliminated with claddings or the likes by the passage through a filtration desalter using powderous ion exchange resins and then further passed through a desalter (filled with granular ion exchange resins). For instance, an adsorption and removing device for organic substances (resulted through the decomposition of ion exchange resins) precoated with activated carbon powder or filled with granular activated carbon is disposed at the downstream for each of the desalters. In this way, the organic substances in the coolants are eliminated to prevent the reduction in the desalting performance of the ion exchange resins caused by the formation of complexes between organic substances and cobalt in the coolants, etc. In this way, the coolant cleanup performance is increased and the amount of wasted ion exchange resins can be decreased. (Horiuchi, T.)