Products to 'Fix' or Repel Contamination

[UncaBuffalo]

I'm looking for a product to:

1.  Spray on highly contaminated items as they leave the refueling cavity/SFP to keep contamination from spreading.
                                                        &
2.  Spray on clean items before they enter the pools to keep the contamination from sticking.



I don't know that a single product will fill both roles, so any techniques that help with one or the other are also appreciated!  



I started my research on specific plant threads where I know techs have chemicals they like, but (as Sun Dog pointed out), a combined thread might help other people with a similar question...

This discussion about anti-contamination additives has some great information in it.  But, five years from now someone searching for answers will not find them because they are imbedded in Cooper and SONGS threads.  Maybe this topic deserves a stand along header.

Okay.  Here's what has been said so far...everyone please contribute other techniques they have used to control contamination...esp. on items entering & leaving the fuel pools.


(From the Cooper thread)

What is the brand name of the fixative we sprayed on items coming out of the refueling cavity?

20% glyserol/water works nicely in a bug sprayer. I remember using WD-40 alot in the drywell at Cooper, worked good for valves but probably not for cavity. Are you trying to keep control of airborne or are you wanting to lock down contamination to prevent spread?

I just looked at the chem permit for WD-40 at the current plant...can't be used on piping internals...oh well...  

What are you trying to keep it out of? To bad about wd-40 ,thats a good idea. How bout a spray on car wax? It is relativly inert and biodegradable.Shoudnt glom up the works. Hows that for tech speak?

I've never heard of anyone using carwax - not sure if I could get a chem permit for it...has to be low-chlorides, compatible with the resin beds, etc.  I'll kick it around with the chemistry gurus.  Thanks for the idea.

(From the SONGS thread)

During the ISFSI project (projects?), the equipment was sprayed with some chemical before it went in the pool (...to keep the contamination from sticking).  What brand of chemical was it?

Considering some of the adventures provided by Procurement and Maintenance in the past, I wouldn't be surprised if that chemical was known as "Scotchgard^TM"

alconox

Excellent!  Thanks!  

Any opinion on whether it worked well enough to recommend?

...That stuff works pretty well, but if you use it in your cavity after drain down it is a serious safety issue. It is as if you are walking on vasiline coated stainless. I remember it being difficult to climb the rungs to exit without losing footing. Keeps the contamination from floating away though.

I don't see "Keeping things from sticking" in the product discription:
Source: http://www.alconox.com/static/section_top/gen_catalog.asp

It's my experience with it that there is no residue.  It neither interfeers with footing, nor causes contamination to not stick to it.

Yes, once rinsed. What I was referring to is the way we used it at SONGS with the cavity. Gotta go down there to rinse, and until it is rinsed it was very slippery. I don't remember using it as a preventative measure to keep things from becoming contaminated prior to being submerged in contaminated water, but it works well to prevent airborn on large, highly contaminated areas. We have also had tremendous success with a 20% glycerol/water mixture here at Humboldt. We used it in bug sprayers while removing and packaging our fuel racks. Wrap it or paint it are the most effective ways to prevent something getting contaminated. Alconox would simply wash away once dunked I think.

Our water is somewhere around -4 Uci/ML (Cs-137, Am-241, Pu-239, Sr-90...sounds like fun huh?!), we can use as much water as we like. We don't use anything other than water on the way in, and water on the way out. Many many times our cords and fuel tools come out of the water <1K/<20 from just using water and a sprayer. That might not be an option at a running plant, just wanted to share the experience.

[stormgoalie]

When we load spent fuel into dry storage containers we spray everything down with DI water as it is coming out of the water. This includes tooling, lifting beam, and dry storage container.  Thus far we have had very good results and have only had to do light deconning before moving the container to our processing building, which has never seen a loss of contam control I might add.

[UncaBuffalo]

Note to the voting public:

Elmer's Glue was included as a choice, because we had decent luck with it at WPPSS.  

However, I have been told that it wreaks havoc on filters & clean-up systems when dried Elmer's Glue comes off an item and floats around the pool...  

[mostlyharmless]

Thats the thing. I know of some good products but most dry and become a particulate hazard when they crack. Demin water is what I have used and seen used the most, but its only good till it dries out. Pulling racks out,casks, many things,demin works.

[spentfuel]

Just a comment for consideration if the rx cavity and sfp are involved be carefull what you select is compatible with the plants material guide programs.  Which has to do with chemical compatability with primary systems.

If using water demin or other wise what out for possible reactivity issues with dilution of moderators.  Some older pools have issues with boraflex degradation and are forced to borate fairly heavily to maintain compliance with UFSAR and tech specs.

sf

[UncaBuffalo]

Okay, I have some more information on the Alconox use at SONGS that Meterswangin mentioned:
 

1.  Wipe the entire transfer cask/canister (TC) down with towels soaked in Alconox.
2.  Let it dry, don't wipe any Alconox off.  
3.  Do NOT rinse the TC down while lowering it into the spent fuel pool.  (It is believed that the film - which you really can't see - protects the TC from becoming contaminated.)
4.  When removing from the spent fuel pool, use demin/nuc service water to rinse the TC down.  
5.  Wipe it down with towels - mostly just to dry the TC off.  

SONGS has found that the TC comes out of their pool clean.  It should be noted that the water in their pool is extremely clean and your mileage may vary.  Also, their results are based on a quick turn-around...when the TC was left in a pool for several days, it DID become contaminated.


Many thanks to all those at SONGS who helped me obtain this information.

[twinturbo427]

check this out:   http://www.raddecon.com/nuclear-power-plants.htm

[UncaBuffalo]

check this out:   http://www.raddecon.com/nuclear-power-plants.htm

I checked the link out.  Sounds good for cavity decon...

Is it also useful for single items coming out of the pool...maybe in a bug sprayer?

[twinturbo427]

The company does have a way to spray the product but I do not recall the method.  The decon of small parts and hand tools went quickly with a simple douse and rinse.  We even used some in a sonic/vibratory cleaner for nuts and bolts, but that was unnecessary as it works on contact. 

I read a report on vessel deconning, I will look for it.

[Piggyback Beta]

For a cask, coat it with your choice of strippable coating (our choice is Stripcoat TLC).  Then DI water about 350 gallons.  Check your boron allowable limits in a P.   For other items, check out CCWet made by InstaCote.  First used in DOE (Hanford?), it does a great job providing a wetting agent.  Sugar water, so watch out for bugs if they can get to it. 

[twinturbo427]

I know it is late but I found this in my internet cruising:    http://www.enduracoatings.com/industries/energy-component-coatings.php

and as a nub in commercial nuclear can only say that it caught my attention and hopefully helps in some way.

[UncaBuffalo]

Cooper uses 'Exosen' as a fixative.