Treatment of Radioactive Wash Water
Nuclear fission is not possible without radioactive material, so it’s natural that the process creates contaminated water. This water is not for cooling water in the reactor, as a closed-circuit system is used in this application to ensure that high concentration radiation cannot escape. However, radioactive solid and liquid waste is obtained from processing and treatment in the secondary areas of nuclear power stations. Decanters and separators from GEA Westfalia Separator are used in such applications.
In-house laundries operate in all nuclear power stations. The work clothes of the service personnel such as overalls, gloves, overshoes etc. have to be constantly cleaned. The washing machines operate non-stop particularly during the shut-down times when work is carried out in critical zones. A considerable amount of water results from this process that might contain radioactive substances which have to be separated.
Treatment of radioactive wash water
The wash water is discharged into collecting tanks and then pumped to a decanter. Compared with the precoat filters that were used previously, the decanter can considerably reduce the volume of solids because the discharge concentrate from the decanter has a water content of only 10 to 35 percent. The solids that are not separated are homogenized by the centripetal pump in the decanter discharge, and the clarified wash water is sent to the separator for polishing. The polished wash water is collected in control tanks and checked extensively for radioactivity. When it is subsequently discharged into the watercourse, the levels of radioactivity are far below the statutory limit levels.