Optimizing performance of primary coolant cleanup systems is important to reduce personnel radiation exposure and to achieve industry collective radiation exposure (CRE) goals. Key optimization strategies include improving equipment availability and reliability, maximizing system flow rates, and maximizing resin media performance specifically to achieve high removal efficiencies for cobalt. In BWRs, efficient removal of Cobalt-60 (Co-60) is particularly important because it accounts for >90% of the gamma radiation fields. EPRI has developed a new specialty media, called CoSeq, which is selective for removing soluble cobalt. This new media is different from conventional ion exchange resin due to its high capacity for sequestering (irreversibly removing) cobalt. After laboratory quantities were tested on various synthetic and plant generated liquid waste samples, small quantities of powdered form CoSeq were produced for full scale demonstrations in U.S. BWR plant reactor water cleanup (RWCU) filter demineralizers. BWR demonstrations were performed during refueling outages and power operating conditions. Results of BWR CoSeq demonstrations are presented in this paper. CoSeq is expected to be commercially available in 2014 via our manufacturing licensee, Purolite Corporation. Available operating experience with commercial product will be presented. Based on the unique property of this media, future BWR, PWR, and other applications are identified.
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