Centre for Canadian Nuclear Sustainability
October 7, 2021
2 min read

Innovation Research Series: Liquid-waste processing systems and reducing waste

The Centre for Canadian Nuclear Sustainability (CCNS) and Westinghouse have entered into a Collaboration Research Agreement to study techniques to minimize and reclassify nuclear by-products that would improve safety, schedule, and reduce overall decommissioning costs.

The Centre for Canadian Nuclear Sustainability
The Centre for Canadian Nuclear Sustainability

This study will look at using a portable processing system to process liquid waste, such as used oils and solvents. The modular design would reduce the amount of equipment needed by using a single system in multiple locations. It would also reduce the volume of by-products through the decontamination process by concentrating the materials into fewer packages, resulting in lower environmental impact.

Westinghouse is also studying reducing the waste classification on internal reactor components through chemical decontamination techniques. Waste is classified mainly by the level of radioactivity, such as high-level, intermediate-level and low-level. A variety of analyses will be conducted on an OPG component, such as a feeder tube from the refurbishment project, to determine if an item can be reclassified to a lower category. If successful, it could reduce dismantling time and increase safety through handling a lower-level classification of waste.

About Westinghouse:

Westinghouse Electric Company is a nuclear energy organization and supplier of nuclear plant products and technologies to utilities throughout the world. Westinghouse supplied the world's first commercial pressurized water reactor in 1957. Today, Westinghouse technology is the basis for approximately one-half of the world's operating nuclear plants.

Innovation Research Series:

The Centre for Canadian Nuclear Sustainability has established an annual $2-million innovation fund for new research and development projects that will help prepare for decommissioning and advance solutions for minimizing nuclear materials and recycling clean materials.

The ideas, techniques and solutions that come from these projects will help reduce timelines and costs for the decommissioning project, enhance employee safety, reduce radiation exposure and waste, and ensure the safety of the community and environment.

Centre for Canadian Nuclear Sustainability

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