Application in the nuclear sector

Reuter technology for decontamination
in nuclear sites.

Electrochemical cleaning is also frequently used in nuclear sites to remove radioactive contamination from metal surfaces – such as containers, pipes or other metallic parts – with the aim of enabling maintenance, reuse or in case of dismantling to dismantling allow for the disposal of waste in a lower category.

In the case of radioactive contamination, only the surface of the metal is radioactively contaminated. The radioactivity is present in the form of oxides or in a few microns on the surface. During electrochemical cleaning, the oxides and few microns of the metal are dissolved which also allows contamination to be flushed out by the electrolyte liquid. This must then be disposed of carefully.

The use of flexible carbon fibre brushes instead of rigid electrodes enables a higher current density, which means that decontamination measures can be carried out very quickly. In addition, any surface geometry can be processed. Reuter products also offer a number of other advantages: in particular, the portability of the devices and the automatic supply of electrolyte have greatly expanded the areas of application in nuclear power plants.

Case study:
Reuter & Tech y Tech at the La Hague reprocessing plant

Orano, the operator of the La Hague facility, was seeking new technologies to improve the efficiency of decontamination processes whilst offering a higher level of radiological safety and easier implementation.

During decontamination work, a very high decontamination factor had to be achieved so that the metal waste resulting from the dismantling of equipment and pipework would be suitable for above-ground disposal. There had already been positive experiences with electrochemical cleaning, but only when using rigid counter-electrodes, which limited its use to regular, flat metal surfaces. To test the use of carbon fibres, Orano DS decided to collaborate with Tech y Tech and Reuter. Reuter’s technology has, in fact, been used for years to decontaminate metal components. By allowing disposal in a lower category, costs can be reduced by several million euros.

The next step involved adapting the new electrochemical equipment so that it could be used in a specialised nuclear environment: ‘Zone 4’ is the code for work areas in nuclear facilities that are off-limits to humans. Even with protective suits, the risk of nuclear radiation exposure would be too high there. Our colleague Frédérique Damerval from Tech y Tech is now venturing into these areas too: with the aid of telemechanical robotic arms that guide the carbon-fibre brushes remotely, he cleans highly radioactive metal parts directly in Zone 4. The new process has now been successfully applied as part of a project in La Hague.

Are you interested in further information? We would be happy to advise you.

With many thanks for the technical input and pictures to
Frédérique Damerval, Tech Y Tech Frankreich