Novel Decontamination Materials for use in the Civil Nuclear Industry

Abstract

Nuclear power is a low carbon, high output energy source which is employed on a global scale. However, it is not without drawbacks; the generation of long lived radioactive waste has presented a problem since the operation of the first nuclear reactors in the 1940s. The treatment of radioactive waste materials is therefore of considerable importance to prevent further spread of radionuclides, deterioration of storage conditions and the potential for accidents. With these considerations in mind projects were undertaken investigating the use of new hydrogels for the decontamination of radionuclides and the use of foams for neutron poisoning applications. The development of a new hydrogel decontamination method for the removal of 137Cs and 90Sr radionuclides from stainless steel surfaces was explored and the significant number of synthesised gels characterised with full rheological profiles. Many targeted gel loadings were examined for the delivery of effective decontamination treatments; with solid encapsulation of radionuclides, high DFs (up to 95 for 137Cs and 24 for 90Sr on stainless steel substrates, exceeding literature precedents), no lateral spread of radionuclide contamination and a minimal volume of liquid waste reported. This shows excellent potential for industrial and research lab applications for the safe treatment and disposal of localised, highly contaminated surfaces with the need for minimal human interaction; thus greatly reducing potential dose. The ease of transport, storage and stability of these materials shows great promise for emergency implementation in the case of a “dirty bomb” chemical, biological or radionuclide (CBRN) attack scenario, where deployment would be of minimal difficulty and high effectiveness without the risk of property destruction. The concept of neutron poisoning foams for accident remediation or emergency scenarios was investigated, with potential loading materials examined; building up to experimental studies of the feasibility of this technology. The experimental configurations and investigations into this concept have no prior literature precedent and address a key contingency need with full detailed assessment of the plausibility and potential materials which may be applied to this problem. This work concluded that a neutron poisoning foam is not a feasible delivery method.

Date of Award	1 Aug 2018
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	The University of Manchester
Supervisor	Francis Livens (Supervisor) & Stephen Yeates (Supervisor)