New decontamination technique set for wider industrial use
Midlands-based company Nuclear Engineering Services is working with Power Jet Systems to develop a bespoke range of water jet cleaning equipment that uses a new decontamination technique.
The equipment, which can decontaminate submerged surfaces in radioactive waste containers, uses Ultra High Pressure (UHP) water jetting techniques together with a rotating epicyclic cleaning head to continuously remove active surfaces to a given depth.
These wastes are then removed using vacuum techniques in a process known as ‘scabbling’. These scabbling techniques can be used underwater or in dry environments as required by the specific application.
Scabbling techniques have already been deployed in the nuclear industry for the decommissioning of active silos or ponds containing nuclear waste materials submerged in water. In both cases, the water in the silo or pond acts as a radiation barrier for not only the active contents but also the concrete wall structure.