Considerations regarding design of ion exchange columns for applications in heavy water nuclear reactors- a comprehensive review

In nuclear reactor applications the principal role of the purification system is to maintain a satisfactory chemistry of moderator and coolant which are different at various stages of reactor operations e.g. during reactor start up, for removal of neutron poison from the moderator, the purification flows are much different compared to steady state operation of the reactor. In order to cater to varying requirements regarding purification load, optimisation in connection with ion exchange column design plays an important role and becomes very challenging in Heavy Water Nuclear Reactors mainly due to the fact that heavy water is very very expensive. In this paper a comprehensive review is made for various designs adopted so far regarding IX column in Indian PHWRs of 220 MWe size for normal operations. Design and operating experience regarding large size IX column used for occasional needs during dilute chemical decontamination of 220 MWe PHWRs is also discussed. The experience regarding development testing of the proposed design of ion exchange column for 500 MWe PHWRs is also discussed