Usually, to remove radioactive contamination from building structures, traditional mechanical methods are used, as well as decontamination with a gas jet, abrasive blowing, and others. In general, their use is linked to the generation of secondary radioactive waste and radioactive dust, both of which must be conditioned, i.e. lead to acceptance criteria for disposal.
Scientists from the TPU School of Advanced Manufacturing Technologies have proposed a technology based on the electric impulse destruction of a material under a liquid layer.
"TPU is one of the leaders in the study of electric discharge technology. We have accumulated extensive experience in the development and creation of electric pulse installations for various purposes. For the project, we adapt the previously developed installation for the electric pulse cutting of rocks and concrete in water. In particular, we create an optimal electrode system in the configuration required for efficient removal of a concrete layer of a certain area and depth. This system will become part of a device designed to decontaminate structures," Artem Yudin, project manager and researcher at the TPU R&D Laboratory for Pulse-Beam, Electric Discharge and Plasma Technologies, says.
At this stage, scientists have assembled and examined a prototype electrode system.
Scientists suggest that Russian and international companies engaged in the decommissioning of nuclear facilities can become customers of installations based on the developed technology.“We carried out preliminary tests of the proposed solution in a horizontal version, when the electrode system is superimposed on the sample from above. The data obtained indicate the fundamental possibility and promise of such an approach. At the next stage, an electrode assembly will be developed that is capable of removing a layer from the surface of the walls. That is, to work in a vertical position,”