Application of Electromagnetic Fields to Improve the Removal Rate of Radioactive Corrosion Products

TTo comply with increasingly strict regulations for protection against radiation exposure, many nuclear power plants have been working ceaselessly to reduce and control both the radiation sources within power plants and the radiation exposure experienced by operational and maintenance personnel. Many research studies have shown that deposits of irradiated corrosion products on the surfaces of coolant systems are the main cause of occupational radiation exposure in nuclear power plant. These corrosion product deposits on the fuel-clad surface are also known to be main factors in the onset of axial offset anomaly (AOA). Hence, there is a great deal of ongoing research on water chermistry and corrosion processes. In this study, a magnetic filter with permanent magnets was devised to remove the corrosion products in the coolant stream by taking advantage of the magnetic properties of the corrosion products demonstrated a removal efficiency of over 90% for particles above 5${\mu}m$. This finding led to the construction of an electromagnetic device that causes the metallic particulates to flocculate into larger aggregates of about 5${\mu}m$ in diameter by using a novel application of electromagnetic flocculation on radioactive corrosion products.