ENHANCED REMOVAL OF RADIOACTIVE PARTICLES BY FLUOROCARBON SURFACTANT SOLUTIONS

THE PROPOSED RESEARCH ADDRESSES THE APPLICATION OF ESI'S ENHANCED PARTICLE REMOVAL TO THE NON-DESTRUCTIVE DECONTAMINATION OF NUCLEAR EQUIPMENT. IN THIS PROCESS, THE PART TO BE CLEANED IS CONTACTED, UNDER CONDITIONS OF SHEAR, WITH A SOLUTION OF A HIGH MOLECULAR WEIGHT FLUOROCARBON SURFACTANT IN AN INERT PERFLUORINATED LIQUID. IT IS THEN RINSED WITH PERFLUORINATED LIQUID AND AIR DRIED. THE PERFLUORINATED LIQUIDS OF INTEREST, WHICH ARE RECYCLED IN THE PROCESS, ARE NONTOXIC, NONFLAMMABLE, AND ENVIRONMENTALLY COMPATIBLE. THEY DO NOT CONTAIN CHLORINE OR BROMINE, AND THUS DO NOT PRESENT A HAZARD TO THE OZONE LAYER, NOR POSE A THREAT TO GLOBAL WARMING. A PROGRAM WILL BE UNDERTAKEN TO DETERMINE THE RADIATION RESISTANCE OF THE FLUOROCARBON SURFACTANT SOLUTIONS USED AS WORKING MEDIA IN THE ESI PROCESS; TO DETERMINE THE RATE AND EXTENT OF THE REMOVAL OF RADIOACTIVE PARTICLES FROM SURFACES OF TEST PIECES UNDER CONDITIONS OF SHEAR, WITH A FLUOROCARBON SURFACTANT, AS WELL AS WITH CFC-113, A STANDARD CLEANING AGENT WHICH WILL NO LONGER BE AVAILABLE AFTER 1995, AND A PURE PERFLUOROALKANE; AND TO PERFORM A PRELIMINARY ENGINEERING AND ECONOMIC ANALYSIS OF THE DECONTAMINATION OF NUCLEAR EQUIPMENT BY THE ESI PROCESS.