Abstract: Methods and apparatus for decontaminating disposable protective products prepared from polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), used in a nuclear power plant, to less than minimum detectable activity (MDA) are disclosed. In the disclosed methods and apparatus, solid protective products made of PVA, generated from a nuclear power plant, are dissolved into a liquid, and then are decontaminated to less than MDA. The PVA solution decontaminated in this way is concentrated to an appropriate concentration or dried, and finally is subjected to self-disposal. This can fundamentally block the generation amount of combustible waste amounting to 50% or more of low and intermediate level waste of nuclear power plants, thereby considerably contributing to a reduction of the operating expenses of the nuclear power plants.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
November 12, 2010
Date of Patent:
April 1, 2014
Assignee:
Hana Inspection & Engineering Co., Ltd.
Inventors:
Jin-Kil Kim, Eui-Dong Lee, Hyun-Ki Kim, Seong-Jun Hong