Deactivation of low-activity effluents from atomic electric power plants by selective inorganic sorbents

This article examines some possible technological solutions toward simplifying the processing of waste water from the shower and laundry rooms of nuclear power plants. In particular, the radionuclides 137Cs, 134Cs and 60Co are considered, which provide the basic contribution to the radioactivity of the effluent from atomic electric power plants. The authors present a schematic diagram of the device for sorption decontamination of the water from the shower and special laundry rooms at the Beloyarsk plant, which is the control site of this experiment. The proposed sorption decontamination unit is characterized by a simple design, occupies little space, and, if automated, can operate virtually without attendance personnel. Charges of 100 liters of sorbent per column, placed simultaneously, are calculated for the processing of a total of 20,000 m3 of water, ensuring a decontamination factor with respect to 137Cs and 134Cs radionuclides. With the columns operating in series, the decontamination factor with respect to 60Co is equal to 2, which would satisfy the annual requirements for the processing of waste water form the shower and special laundry rooms of a single atomic power plant with a power level of 100 MW