Curie Reduction of Liquid

Effluent at Nuclear Power Plants

Presented by Tim Carraway

 Technologies

 Two Primary Types of Liquid Waste

Processing Technologies
 Membranes for BWR’s?
 Demineralization with Chemical Injection
for PWR’s?

Over 1 Billion Gallons Processed by end of 2004

Key Steps for Technology Selection

 Do Not Prematurely Conclude a Specific

Technology Will Provide a Solution

 Detailed Assessment is Required to

Determine the Best Fit Solution
 Plant Operating Philosophy Typically Requires
Changes to Ensure Overall Success
Perform Detailed Influent Assessment
 Characterize All Sources
 Equipment Drains
 Floor Drains
 Miscellaneous Sources (Lab Drains, Resin Transfer
Water, Various Storage Tanks)

 Consider Condensate System Inputs (BWR)

 Do Not Rely on a Single “Snapshot”

 Include Outage and Non-Outage Chemistry
 Also Consider Evolutions Such as Condensate System
Backwashes and URC’s
Typical Influent Parameters
Cations Anions TDS

TSS TOC Conductivity

Gross Gamma Silica Calcium

Activity
Magnesium Chlorides Iron

Sulfates Temperature Turbidity

•Identify the Range for Each Parameter

•The Analysis Must Be Complete
•Ensure Unusual Plant Evolutions Are Considered
Identify Effluent and Performance Goals
 Curies
 Is Zero Curie Discharge Desirable?
 Is Lowering Curie Discharge Desirable?
 Recycle Water Chemistry
 TOC
 Conductivity
 Sulfates
 Chlorides
 Others
 Waste Generation
 Operator Dose
Understand the Total Costs

 Confirmatory Testing
 Plant Modifications
 Equipment Installation
 Equipment
 Operations
 Maintenance
 Process Waste Disposition
 Training
 When Comparing Costs to Existing Processes
Ensure All Costs are Considered
Understand There is Not a Single
Generic Solution

 The Proposed Technology Must Consider Influent

Chemistry and Plant Goals

 System Components Must be Configured Based

on Specific Plant Conditions

 Consider Testing With Scaled Down Equipment to

Verify Performance
 Another Way to Mitigate Risk
Post Implementation Keys to Success

 Continually Track, Trend and Analyze Performance

Data

 Use Data to Define Improvements and Optimize

System Performance
 Maximize Filter Run Times, Media Throughput,
Membrane Life

 Measure Effectiveness of Changes to Any Plant

Operating Philosophies
Goals

 PWR’s
 Minimize curie discharge
 Minimize waste generation
 BWR’s
 Minimize or eliminate curie discharge
 Produce reactor grade make-up water
Allows 100 % recycle of water processed
 Minimize waste generation
PWR’s

 Demineralization with Chemical Addition

 Cost effective
Provides
similar effluent activity results as
membrane based technology
Demin Systems are simple and less
expensive to operate and maintain
 Provides versatility and the ability to “target”
specific radionuclides (such Co-58 and Sb-125)
BWR’s

 Membrane Based Technology :

 Provides “zero” curie discharge capability
 Provides reactor grade quality make-up water
 Produces less waste generation than Demin
Systems

Curie Definition
 History of Membrane Technology
 Membrane Technology has been in Operation
Since 1995
 45 Million Gallons Processed Annually with
Membrane Technology
 Currently, Membrane Technology is in operation at
4 Nuclear Power Plants
 9 Mile One (First to Operate Technology in
1995)
 9 Mile Two
 Pilgrim Station
 TVA’s Brown Ferry Station
Over 100 Million Gallons Processed at Pilgrim Station
 Contaminants

Dissolved Suspended
Charged Uncharged

Ions

Organics Organics Organics

Silica Silica Silica

Gases

Non Living
(Silt, Sand, Clay, etc.)

Living or Dead (Bacteria, Algea,

Fungi, etc)
 DISSOLVED SUSPENDED
0.0001 0.001 0.01 0.1 1 10 100 1000
Micron Micron Micron Micron Micron Micron Micron Micron

Particle Filtration
Metal Colloids
Ions
Microfiltration
Aqueous
Salts
Ultrafiltration
Beach
Bacteria
Sand
Nanofiltration

Reverse Osmosis
Colloids

 col·loid noun (plural col·loids)

a suspension of small particles dispersed in
another substance

 Due to the small size of colloidal particles, the

natural movement of water molecules does not
allow them to settle. Even in static conditions,
colloidal particles will Never settle out in solution.
Membrane Based System

 System Primary Components

 Reverse Osmosis Membrane Skids
 Granular Activated Carbon Beds
 Process Feed Tank
 Filters

 Demineralizer
 Polisher
GAC Vessels
Control
Module

2nd Pass RO
Plant
F-1

Process
Feed Tank

1st Pass RO F-2

First Pass RO Skid
First Pass RO Skid Rear View
Second Pass RO Skid
Second Pass RO Skid Rear View
Process Feed Tank Skid
Membrane System Results

 Processed over 280 Million Gallons Total

 Average 45 Million Gallons per Year
 Achieved 100 % recycle for all water
processed, resulting in “zero curie”
discharge
 Produces close to theoretically pure water
 Curies Discharged
0.467
0.5

0.45

0.4
Curies Discharged

0.35

0.3

0.25

0.16 0.16
0.2

0.15
0.0764
0.1

0.05 0 0 0 0

0
Plant 1 Plant 2 Plant 3 Plant 4

Media System THERMEX

 Reactor Feedwater Conductivity
uS/cm 0.1

0.1 Near theoretically

0.09 pure water
0.08
0.08

0.07
0.058
0.055
0.06

0.05

0.04

0.03

0.02

0.01

0
EPRI Guidelines INPO Guidelines THERMEX Results Theortically Pure
 Reactor Feedwater TOC
ppb
200
200
180

160
Exceptionally low
140 level of organic
120 contaminants.

100
100
80

60

40
32
20

0
EPRI Guidelines INPO Guidelines THERMEX Results
 Waste Generation
2,700
3,000
2,750
2,500
2,250 1,900
1,800
2,000
Cubic Ft.

1,750
1,500
1,250
800
1,000
470
750
302 350
200
500
250
0
Plant 1 Plant 2 Plant 3 Plant 4
Pre-THERMEX THERMEX
 Annual Savings
Annual Savings
$1,200,000

$978,000
$900,000
$1,000,000

$768,000
$800,000

$600,000

$400,000
$198,000

$200,000

$0
Plant 1 Plant 2 Plant 3 Plant 4

These savings also include the cost of our services

Does Not include savings such as substantial ANI insurance reductions
Demins with Chemical Injection

 System Primary Components

 Granular Activated Carbon Beds
 Demineralization Vessels
 Filters

 Chemical injection allows targeting of specific

isotopes
 Duratek Systems Currently in use at 11
Plants
 Carbon
Carbon Carbon
Cation Carbon
Anion
Vessels
Vessels Vessels
Resin Vessels
Resin

Charge Control Module

Detector

Polymer
AIMTM Chemical
Injection
Injection System
 DISSOLVED SUSPENDED
0.0001 0.001 0.01 0.1 1 10 100 1000
Micron Micron Micron Micron Micron Micron Micron Micron

Particle Filtration
Metal Colloids
Ions
Microfiltration
Aqueous
Salts
Ultrafiltration
Beach
Bacteria
Sand
Nanofiltration

Reverse Osmosis
Demin/Chemical Injection Results

 Processed over 500 Million Gallons Total

 Average 20 Million Gallons per Year
 Minimizes Curie Discharge
 Provides 1st Quartile Curie Discharge Results
 Average Effluent Activity: 2.6E-6 uCi/ml
 Average DF: > 2,000
 Average Waste Generation: < 200 cu.ft./yr
Callaway ALPSTM Installation
Callaway Final Installation
Callaway Final Installation
Annual Curies Released
0.03

0.025

0.02

0.015
Plant 1
0.01

0.005

0
Pre-ALPs Post ALPs
Annual Curies Released
1.6
1.4
1.2
1
0.8
Plant 2
0.6
0.4
0.2
0
Pre-ALPs Post ALPs
Annual Curies Released
0.45
0.4
0.35
0.3
0.25
0.2 Plant 3
0.15
0.1
0.05
0
Pre-ALPs Post ALPs
End of Presentation
Definition

cu·rie [ ky ree, kyoor ]

(plural cu·ries) noun
unit of radioactivity: a unit of
radioactivity equal to 3.7 times 1010
disintegrations per second

[Early 20th century. Named for the

French physicists Pierre Curie (1859–
1906) and Marie Curie, who studied
radioactivity.]