Nuclear Plant Journal, March-April 2015 NuclearPlantJournal.com
17
fields may be higher than before despite
implementing the source term reduction
measures of zinc injection and Stellite™
removal. Only a multivariate “big data”
approach would be able to decipher these
inter-relationships.
What if we had a computer-based
logic decide for us? Historically,
implementation of tools to reduce source
term has been based on other plants’
experiences,
often
underestimating
operational differences among plants. For
instance, while zinc injection has resulted
in good to exceptional benefits for most
units, one unit experienced detrimental
radiation field conditions when zinc
injection began. The tool is seldom to
blame. If the starting conditions for a
chemical reaction differ from the assumed
conditions, the chemical reaction may
take a different direction. To avoid such
occurrences and select the most beneficial
source term implementation strategy, a
decision logic is needed that considers
state-of-the-art research, knowledge,
expertise, and available technologies
– along with station-specific operating
practices and experiences.
What if we could remove the most
detrimental radiation from the radiation
field? Cobalt-60 is the leading source of
high-energy radiation. Eliminating Co-60
by replacing elemental cobalt-containing
materials is possible, but has proven
challenging. Not all can be removed.
However, if we could remove all elemental
and Co-60 from the primary coolant, no
cobalt would be activated and no Co-60
would deposit on out-of-core surfaces.
Today, the primary coolant cleanup
systems and media are not designed for
this purpose. EPRI’s Co-Seq
®
resin,
currently being commercialized through a
resin vendor, has an exclusive selectivity
for the divalent cobalt ion and bonds
to it irretrievably. More information is
available in EPRI report 3002003123,
Cobalt Sequestering Media: CoSeq®
Development and Boiling Water Reactor
Plant Demonstration Results.
Contact:
Carola
Gregorich,
telephone: (650) 855-8917, email:
Source: Electric Power Research
Institute’s (EPRI) Nuclear Executive
Update, January 2015.
Scan the QR Code for more information
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