Waste properties of a strippable coating used for the TMI-2 reactor building decontamination

摘要

Strippable coating material considered for use in the TMI-2 reactor building decontamination has been tested for Sr, Cs, and Co leachability, for radiation stability, and for resistance to biodegradation. It was also immersion tested in water, a water solution saturated with toluene and xylene, toluene, xylene, and liquid scintillation counting (LSC) cocktail. Leach testing, performed using a modified IAEA procedure, resulted in all of the Cs and Co activity and most of the Sr activity being released from the coating in just a few days. Immersion resulted in swelling of the coating in all of the liquids tested. Gamma irradiation of the coating did not produce any apparent physical changes in the coating to a dose of 1 x 10/sup 8/ rad, however, radiolytic gas generation of H/sub 2/, CO, and CO/sub 2/ was observed. Biodegradation testing was performed in soil samples from the Barnwell, South Carolina, and Hanford, Washington, low-level waste disposal sites. These test results indicate that strippable coating radwaste of itself will not meet the requirements for stabilized Class B waste outlined in 10 CFR 61 (proposed) and the NRC Draft Branch Technical Position on Waste Form.