Development of Remote Laser Decontamination System - 18183

A cleaning method using a laser ablation technology is widely used in various industries such as automobile, aviation, and semiconductor industries. Recently, applying this technology to decontamination works has been receiving attention as a useful and effective decontamination method. The laser decontamination method allows for decreasing a generation of secondary radioactive waste because materials like abrasive and water are not required. This is one of big advantages in use for decontamination works. Additionally, the system is compact and requires less than 100 W electric power. These features provide a low running cost. Remote operation obviously plays an important role in terms of a dose reduction in highly-radioactive and contaminated environment. The laser decontamination method is also suitable for remote works using manipulators as the laser head is light and compact, and a reaction force during operation is small, compared to the other types of decontamination tools. This paper provides an outline and a capability of the remote laser decontamination system developed by IHI Corporation (IHI) with some results of component tests for this system. (authors)