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
Activity
Silica
Calcium
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
Charged
Suspended
Uncharged
Ions
Organics
Organics
Organics
Silica
Silica
Silica
Gases
Non Living
(Silt, Sand, Clay, etc.)
Living or Dead (Bacteria, Algea,
Fungi, etc)
DISSOLVED
SUSPENDED
0.1
1
0.0001 0.001 0.01
Micron
Micron
Micron
Metal
Ions
Micron
Micron
Colloids
10
100
1000
Micron
Micron
Micron
Particle Filtration
Microfiltration
Aqueous
Salts
Ultrafiltration
Bacteria
Nanofiltration
Reverse Osmosis
Beach
Sand
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
Curies Discharged
0.45
0.4
0.35
0.3
0.25
0.2
0.16
0.16
0.15
0.0764
0.1
0.05
0
0
0
0
0
Plant 1
Plant 2
Media System
Plant 3
THERMEX
Plant 4
Reactor Feedwater Conductivity
uS/cm
0.1
Near theoretically
pure water
0.1
0.09
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
level of organic
contaminants.
140
120
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
2,000
Cubic Ft.
1,900
1,800
1,750
1,500
1,250
800
1,000
470
750
500
350
302
200
250
0
Plant 1
Plant 2
Pre-THERMEX
Plant 3
THERMEX
Plant 4
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
Vessels
Vessels
Carbon
Cation
Vessels
Resin
Control Module
Charge
Detector
Polymer
Injection
Carbon
Anion
Vessels
Resin
AIMTM Chemical
Injection System
DISSOLVED
SUSPENDED
0.1
1
0.0001 0.001 0.01
Micron
Micron
Micron
Metal
Ions
Micron
Micron
Colloids
10
100
1000
Micron
Micron
Micron
Particle Filtration
Microfiltration
Aqueous
Salts
Ultrafiltration
Bacteria
Nanofiltration
Reverse Osmosis
Beach
Sand
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
Plant 3
0.2
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.]