Improved Radiation Monitoring and Decontamination Processes to Reduce Significant Radioactive Waste Costs via Recycling

Abstract

UniTech Services Group has been designing, manufacturing, and using custom radiation monitoring equipment to efficiently survey materials for recycling or reuse while significantly reducing the risk associated with traditional hand frisking. Additionally, they have developed and used custom decontamination processes that have allowed several million pounds of scaffolding and tooling to be released for unrestricted use back to the owners, or recycled as non-radioactive scrap metal. The combined effect of custom monitoring and decontamination processes has reduced significant volumes of radioactive waste in a low risk, cost effective, manner. This paper and presentation will highlight the processes and showcase the types of materials decontaminated. The intent is to make waste generators aware of new processes that could be applied to the waste materials stored in their vaults or generated as a result of major maintenance evolutions. The application of alternative workflows using custom monitoring technologies to handle high volumes of project generated LLRW (e.g. from reactor refurbishment or facility decommissioning) and their impact on project costs and schedules will also be discussed.