Oxidative degradation of anion exchange resin in chloride form during purification of reactor coolant after alkaline permanganate treatment in dilute chemical decontamination

In boiling water reactors, primary system piping is contaminated by radioactive species like 51Cr and 60Co, resulting in high radiation fields. Dilute Chemical Decontamination (DCD) is a preferred choice to reduce the radiation field. In DCD process, oxidation step involving alkaline permanganate or acid permanganate is employed for effective dissolution of oxides (rich in chromium), from the metal surfaces of reactor components. After completion of the oxidation step, removal of the unused chemicals is carried out by the use of ion exchange process. This poses a problem of possible degradation of ion exchange resin by the oxidative chemicals during the removal. In this paper, this aspect has been investigated and the results obtained are discussed. (author)