Within the framework of pilot industrial operation, an acceptance trial stage of abrasive jet blasting facility for metal has started In Chornobyl NPP Turbine Hall.
The facility is actually a complex of special-purpose equipment designed for decontamination of surfaces of the dismantled equipment with the compressed air and shot blast.
“The facility represents a box divided into the contaminated and “clean” areas (before and after decontamination accordingly), where items are subject to shot blasting decontamination by pressure air supply, removing the upper layer and decontaminating the material”, - says Oleksandr Titarchuk, Head of the Decommissioning Shop, commenting on the facility operation.
This is the most advanced technology up to date, as compared to the sand-blasting decontamination. In contrast with sand-blasting, the process is based on metal shot which is the end product and doesn’t require specific temperature conditions (such as heating), and furthermore this method allows to significantly reduce secondary waste production during decontamination.
Read more: Installation of a abrasive blasting metal decontamination facility
The facility will be used for reduction of waste produced at ChNPP as well as of areas for their storage, saving public costs and bringing the metal back to the economy.