• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.55 no.10
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• pp.3665-3676
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• 2023

The use of ion exchange resins to remove ionic impurities from solution is prevalent in industrial process systems, including in the primary heat transport system (PHTS) purification circuit of nuclear power plants. Despite its extensive use in the nuclear industry, our general understanding of ion exchange cannot fully explain the complex chemistry in ion exchange beds, particularly when operated at or near their saturation limit. This work investigates the behaviour of mixed-bed ion exchange resin, saturated with species representative of corrosion products in a CANDU (Canadian Deuterium Uranium) reactor PHTS, particularly with respect to iron chemistry in the resin bed and the removal of lithium ions from solution. Experiments were performed under deaerated conditions, analogous to normal PHTS operation. The results show interesting iron chemistry, suggesting the hydrolysis of cation resin bound ferrous species and the subsequent formation of either a solid hydrolysis product or the soluble, anionic Fe(OH)₃^-.