Nuclear Engineering and Technology

Korean Nuclear Society (한국원자력학회)
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Laser beam decontamination of metallic surfaces with a pulsed (150 W) Nd: YAG laser

  • Anne-Maria Reinecke (Technische Universitat Dresden, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Institute of Hydrogen and Nuclear Energy) ;
  • Margret Acker (Technische Universitat Dresden, Radiation Protection Section and Central Radionuclide Laboratory) ;
  • Steffen Taut (Technische Universitat Dresden, Radiation Protection Section and Central Radionuclide Laboratory) ;
  • Marion Herrmann (Technische Universitat Dresden, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Institute of Hydrogen and Nuclear Energy) ;
  • Wolfgang Lippmann (Technische Universitat Dresden, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Institute of Hydrogen and Nuclear Energy) ;
  • Antonio Hurtado (Technische Universitat Dresden, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Institute of Hydrogen and Nuclear Energy)
  • Received : 2023.04.18
  • Accepted : 2023.07.26
  • Published : 2023.11.25
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Abstract

Laser decontamination of radioactive surfaces is an innovative technology. Our contribution to improving this technology includes studies on laser beam decontamination with a pulsed laser of an average power of 150 W, equipped with a hand guided working head. Our investigations are focused on metallic surfaces typical in nuclear power plants, such as stainless steel, bright and rusted mild steel, galvanized steel, and painted steel. As typical nuclides of contaminated surfaces we chose Co-60 and Cs-137, the most frequently occurring nuclides in many nuclear plant components; Sr-85 as a representative of Sr-90, the potentially most harmful fission nuclide; and Am-241 as a representative of the minor alpha-radiation emitting actinides. Here, we present our results of decontamination and recovery ratios. Decontamination ratios of 90-100% were achieved on different surfaces.

Keywords

Acknowledgement

We would like to thank the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research, which financed this work within the framework of the FORKA funding program (FKZ: 15S9418A). Furthermore, we would like to thank Mr. Dr. Wiechers, head of dismantling at the Karlsruhe reprocessing plant, and Mr. Carsten Friedrich, deputy head of the dismantling department at VEK Karlsruhe, for their support in the successful application of the method in the control area of WAK.

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