Use of a reverse osmosis system for treating radwaste at Palo Verde

Nuclear power plants rely heavily on their radioactive waste disposal systems in order to maintain the plant in operation. When the radioactive waste evaporator at Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station developed cracks, plant personnel arranged to have a portable demineralizer system process the low-level radwaste normally handled by the evaporator. In addition, a reverse osmosis system was positioned upstream of the demineralizers to remove a majority of the dissolved solids from the stream before it was sent to the demins. This paper discusses the developments at Palo Verde which lead it to using an RO/demin system and how the RO reduced the load on the demineralizers