FACILITIES THROUGH RECLAMATION AND REUSE

LARGE VOLUMES OF OILS CONTAMINATED WITH RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS ARE GENERATED ROUTINELY AT LARGE FIXED NUCLEAR FACILITIES, ESPECIALLY NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS. THE OIL IS NOW USUALLY SOLIDIFIED AND DISPOSED OF AS RADIOACTIVE WASTE, WHICH IS CUMBERSOME AND EXPENSIVE. THE PROPOSED RESEARCH WOULD PROVIDE THE DATA AND PROCESSES TO REDUCE THIS VOLUME THROUGH A RATIONAL THREE-PART PROGRAM: 1) PROCEDURES AND METHODS FOR OIL SEGREGATION AND CLASSIFICATION, 2) ANALYTICAL METHODS FOR ASSAYING THE RADIOACTIVE QUALITY OF OIL, AND 3) DEVICES AND METHODS FOR REMOVING RADIOACTIVE CONTAMINANTS FROM OIL. THE REQUIRED DATA WILL BE GENERATED FROM 1) SURVEYS OF OIL TYPES AND QUANTITIES DISPOSED AT NUCLEAR FACILITIES, 2) MEASUREMENTS OF THE STATES AND FORMS OF THE RADIOACTIVE CONTAMINANTS IN OILS, AND 3) TESTING SELECTED METHODS FOR REMOVING THE CONTAMINANTS. PRELIMINARY DESIGNS OF SYSTEMS AND PROCEDURES FOR COLLECTING, CLASSIFYING, PROCESSING, AND CERTIFYING OILS FOR REUSE OR RELEASE FOR UNRESTRICTED USE, WILL BE PRODUCED.