Dry Ice Blasting used to Decontaminate a "Semi-Hot" Cell

Inner tank surface before decontamination. Inner tank surface after decontamination.

There are large numbers of old reactors, other nuclear facilities and legacy sites worldwide that are either being actively dismantled or are candidates for decommissioning in the near term.

Dry ice blasting was used for decontamination of a “semi-hot” (i.e. hot cell containing lower levels of radioactivity) cell used for dissolving spent fuel in the past. The cell, made from cast iron, was partially decontaminated in the past and then its internal and external surface was covered with coating to prevent the contamination from spreading. The coating was partly removed by a paint remover at first and then dry ice blasting was applied for decontamination.

Dry ice blasting was also used for decontaminating building surfaces and removal of contaminated coatings. Small amounts of secondary RAW was generated and dispersion of contamination was limited. The “semi-hot” cell was then reused for other research activities.

Source: International Atomic Energy Agency's report, "Innovative and Adaptive Technologies in Decommissioning of Nuclear Facilities"

For more information about dry ice blasting, contact Continental Carbonic.

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