Selective absorption pilot plant for decontamination of fuel reprocessing plant off-gas

Abstract

A fluorocarbon-based selective absorption process for removing krypton-85, carbon-14, and radon-222 from the off-gas of conventional light water and advanced reactor fuel reprocessing plants is being developed at the Oak Ridge Gaseous Diffusion Plant in conjunction with fuel recycle work at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory and at the Savannah River Laboratory. The process is characterized by an especially high tolerance for many other reprocessing plant off-gas components. This report presents detailed drawings and descriptions of the second generation development pilot plant as it has evolved after three years of operation. The test facility is designed on the basis of removing 99 percent of the feed gas krypton and 99.9 percent of the carbon and radon, and can handle a nominal 15 scfm (425 slm) of contaminated gas at pressures from 100 to 600 psig (7.0 to 42.2 kg/cm2) and temperatures from minus 45 to plus 25°F (-43 to-4°C). Part of the development program is devoted to identifying flow sheet options and simplifications that lead to an even more economical and reliable process. Two of these applicative flow sheets are discussed .

85Kr management trade-offs: a perspective to total radiation dose commitment

“…Other krypton recovery systems, in various stages of development, have been proposed. These alternatives include liquid fluorocarbon absorption (Stephenson, Eby and Huffstetler 1977), cryogenic charcoal adsorbents (Kanazawa 1976), ambient-temperature adsorption, permse1ective membranes and clathrate precipitation (Nichols and Binford 1971). The application of m~ny of these to the process flow stream anticipated at a commercial FRP is questionable (ERDA 1976).…”