Development of a Selection Tool for Choosing Decontamination Technology for Canadian Applications

Decontamination is a major activity in decommissioning of Nuclear Power Plants. In efforts to reduce the overall volume of nuclear waste, retrieve reusable materials, and reduce the environmental impact, many different technologies have been developed/used in prior decommissioning projects and many more are being developed. However due to the amount of technologies available and the specific use cases for each, the ability to choose an appropriate and optimal technology is a challenge. An approach was adopted to develop a tool to assist in selection of decontamination technologies appropriate for Canadian Applications. The first step is the creation of a database to compile information of the different decontamination methods currently available in one location. The next step was the development of a software program to provide a search optimization for the database based on a set of initial user conditions. The program considers a radio-isotopic breakdown of a component as identified by the user and compares its concentration (Bq/g) to regulation limits set by the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CSNC) for Unconditional Clearance Levels. Then, by using the CNSC guidelines, it will determine if the component is under Unconditional Levels or not. If the component is not, the code will calculate the minimum cumulative Decontamination Factor (DFR) required to make the component compliant with unconditional requirements. The software allows for users to plan their decontamination roadmap at a present state as well as a future state where natural decay opens up the ability for a wider range of decontamination technologies and for a combination of multiple components to use a given decontamination technique.