Laker TRF’s super-hydrophilic stainless-steel packing is currently in use in nuclear power plant air scrubber columns, capturing nearly 100% of the tritium previously released to the environment. All other components of the Laker TRF AWD process – Khun-style columns, heat pumps, bubble pumps and micro cryo-distillation (CD) or thermal diffusion (TD) back-ends – are well-established technologies with decades of operation.
Opportunities for CANDU® applications encompass heavy water detritiation at all operating CANDU® sites, and light water detritiation at all operating and shut-down CANDU® sites. Additional potential applications include light water detritiation at the ITER project, the UKAEA, the European Spallation Source project and the Fukushima-Daiichi site.
The Fukushima-Daiichi site is treating the stored contaminated cooling water that resulted from contact with the 2011 damaged reactors and debris through its Advanced Liquid Processing System (ALPS) to reduce all radionuclides to internationally recognized safe levels, except for tritium. Laker TRF’s AWD system can reduce the tritium concentration to the natural level that occurs in rainwater, enabling the safe release of the water into the ocean.
Candu® Operational Heavy Water Detritiation
Return of Heavy Water at Decommissioned Plants to Virgin Quality
Light Water Detritiation down to Natural Levels
Wet Scrubber Columns
Fusion Power Plant Detritiation Systems
Please see https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Canadian-technology-offers-Fukushima-tritium-optio