VENTILATION AND FILTRATION TECHNIQUES FOR THERMAL CUTTING OPERATIONS

Objective

THE DISMANTLING OF NUCLEAR PLANT CELLS FOR THE SEGREGETION OF DIFFERENT MATERIALS AND COMBINATIONS OF MATERIALS. THESE ARE LARGELY MILD STEELS, CARBON STEELS AND STAINLESS STEELS. A THERMAL SEGREGATION PROCESS HAS ADVANTAGES IN THAT IT IS LESS SENSITIVE TO MATERIAL THICKNESS AND TYPE AND IS MORE EASILY CONTROLLED BY REMOTE MEANS. ITS DISADVANTAGE IS THAT IT GENERATES HIGH CONCENTRATIONS OF SUB-MICRON AEROSOLS WHICH CAUSE RAPID PLUGGING OF ABSOLUTE FILTERS.
TO EXTEND THE LIFE OF THESE FILTERS AND TO REDUCE THE VOLUME OF SECONDARY WASTE, SOME FORM OF PRE-FILTRATION IS NECESSARY.
THE OBJECT OF THIS WORK PROGRAMME IS TO:
1) CATEGORISE AEROSOLS PRODUCED BY A RANGE OF THERMAL CUTTING PROCESSES,
2) IDENTIFY SUITABLE PRE-FILTRATION DEVICES,
3)TEST THEM AGAINST CUTTING AEROSOL CHALLENGE,
4) RECOMMEND A SUITABLE FILTRATION SYSTEM WHICH MINIMISES SECONDARY WASTE PRODUCTION AND THE MAN-REM DOSE TO OPERATORS.
THIS WORK WILL INITIALLY BE CARRIED OUT IN A PURPOSE-MADE RIG AND WILL CONTINUE TO A FULL-SCALE MOCK-UP OF THE WINDSCALE AGR PLANT (HERO FACILITY).
CO-OPERATION WITH CEA SACLAY (CONTRACT NO FI1D-0007) WILL TAKE PLACE OVER THE WORK PERIOD AND WILL TAKE THE FORM OF INFORMATION EXCHANGE AND THE INTERCHANGE OF APPARATUS AND PERSONNEL.

B.1. LITERATURE SURVEY FOR IDENTIFICATION OF FORMER WORK AND OF ALTERNATIVE TECHNIQUES.
B.2. GENERAL INVESTIGATION INTO AEROSOL BEHAVIOUR FOR VARIOUS CUTTING TECHNIQUES.
B.3. CONSTRUCTION OF A FILTERING RIG AND DETAILED STUDY OF VARIOUS FILTRATION SYSTEMS.
B.4. ASSESSMENT OF VARIOUS TESTED FILTER SYSTEMS FOR THEIR APPROPRIATENESS IN DECOMMISSIONING APPLICATIONS WITH ACTIVE AEROSOLS.
B.5. EXECUTION OF FULL-SIZE VENTILATION TRIALS INCLUDING AEROSOL DEPOSITION IN DUCTINGS AND PLATE OUT ON THE DECOMMISSIONING MACHINE.

Programme(s)

FP1-DECOM 2C - Research programme (Euratom) concerning the decommissioning of nuclear installations, 1984-1988

Topic(s)

Data not available

Call for proposal

Data not available

Funding Scheme

CSC - Cost-sharing contracts

Coordinator

United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA)

Address

Risley laboratory
WA3 6AT Warrington
United Kingdom

EU contribution

€ 0,00

Participants (1)

Commissariat à l'Energie Atomique (CEA)

France