Recent developments in powder resin precoat filtration for condensate clean-up at nuclear power plants with boiling water reactors

The necessity to optimize condensate clean-up by means of powder resin precoat filtration has gained more and more importance. Not only the cost of powder resins themselves is important in this regard, but even more so the disposal of used resins and replaced filter elements. The factors influencing direct filtration efficiency, resin consumption, and service life of filter elements (powder resin quality; way of preparing the water - resin mixture; precoating method; filter design and piping; type and quality of filter elements, and filtration speed) are outlined. A method designed to reduce filtration speed as much as possible, i.e. to enlarge the filter surface while maintaining its volume and avoiding adverse effects, is described in detail and substantiated by data obtained from pilot tests. (orig./BBR)