On June 25, Chornobyl NPP hosted a delegation of the specialists from Ukrainian Nuclear power plants and Ecocenter enterprise. The objective of the visit was testing the developed by Chornobyl NPP instruments for sampling the ion-exchanging resins. This experience will be necessary for the delegation participants to be used at their enterprises.
About the reasons why exactly ChNPP was chosen as the training location Olerksandr Skomarokhov, Deputy Technical Director for radioactive waste management, said: “Nuclear power plants of Ukraine have encountered the difficulties in the ion-exchanging resin sampling as such experience is new for them. The constraints are imposed by the dimensions of the premises, where the tanks for resin storage are located, and by the fact that the density of the resins increases depending on the depth of their location in the tank.”
The ion-exchanging resins are able to settle over time. Due to this fact the sampling is complicated as closer to the bottom of the tank the resin becomes stiffer. The lower marks are at the level of more than 9 meter deep that’s why in order to take samples at the required depth, when the roofs are low over the tanks, it is necessary to extend the probe rod.
The circumstances led ChNPP to the development and multiple improvement of its own device – know-how which would take into account all peculiarities of the process. “ChNPP took samples from all of its tanks. Within all the options of the sampling devices used at the international practices our device is the most reliable and simple. It ensures sampling from the necessary level”, assures Mr. Skomarokhov.
During the visit the delegates studied the design of the above mentioned sampling device and witnessed its use during operations with their own eyes.
The visit was organized within the framework of U4.01/14A project Specification of the Wasteforms to Allow Safe Treatment, Storage and Disposal of Problematic Radioactive Waste Held at the Ukrainian Nuclear Energy Facilities. The project defines the problematic wastes of the Ukrainian NPPs as ion-exchanging resins, salt melt, and perlite. The nuclear power plants have to take samples of them and forward for characterization to SSE Ecocenter. Based on the characterization data within the framework of the project the processing flowchart of these wastes to prepare them for disposal will be developed.
