A furnace isolation chamber for containing a component to be Hot Isostatically Pressed is disclosed. The disclosed furnace includes inherent passive features to assist in the containment of released toxic gases via a thermal gradient within the chamber. The chamber comprises longitudinally cylindrical sidewalls; a top end extending between and permanently connected to the sidewalls, thereby closing one end of the chamber; and a movable bottom end, which is opposite the top end and forms a base end of the chamber. The movable bottom end is adapted to receive the component, and comprises a mechanism for raising and lowering the component into the high temperature zone of the furnace in the HIP system. The isolation chamber forms an integral part of the HIP system with the base end of the chamber comprising a cool zone as a result of being located outside of the high temperature zone of the furnace.

The invention concerns an apparatus and a method for treating radioactive material (36), in particular for cleaning radioactive contaminated water. The apparatus comprises a process chamber (10) with a combustion zone (12) for generating an oxygen rich gas (34) and an oxidation zone (14), which is arranged to receive the oxygen rich gas (34) from the combustion zone (12). The process chamber (10) further comprises a feed opening (16) for feeding the radioactive material (36) into the oxidation zone (14) and the process chamber (10) is configured to use the oxygen rich gas (34) for oxidizing the radioactive material (36) to obtain oxidized material (38). The apparatus further comprises a separation device (50) operationally connected to an outlet of the process chamber (10) and configured to at least partly separate the oxidized material (38) into a gaseous fluid (56) and a non.sup.− gaseous residue (58). This way a greatly reduced volume of the radioactive material (36) is achieved, enabling safe and efficient handling and/or compact and space-saving disposal of the radioactive material (36).

The invention is intended for integrated decontamination of soils contaminated with mercury (amalgam) or/and radionuclides. Method for soil decontamination includes preparation of pulp by mixing soils with water at the soil sampling point with separation of fraction with fragments more than 100 mm in the pulp preparation module, disintegration of pulp and soil aggregates in the disintegration module with separation of plants residues and fraction with fragments more than 10 mm. Pulp thickening. In the hydroclassification module the pulp is separated into sand and fine particle fractions, the fine particle fraction goes to the dehydration module, designed as a concentrator, where it is thickened and dehydrated for further disposal. If mercury and amalgam are present in soils they are separated in the thickening module. Technical result—implementation of a low-waste nonchemical technology for decontamination of soil from mercury, its water-insoluble forms, amalgam or/and radionuclides in a single technological process without equipment resetting, separation of metal mercury or its amalgam.

A mobile melting device for consolidating contaminated scrap and to a corresponding method. The melting device has a crucible chamber and a crucible base. The crucible is arranged on the crucible base during operation, and the crucible base and the crucible chamber together form a gas-tight furnace housing. It is thus possible to carry out the method in a vacuum or under protective gas such that even a reactive material can be consolidated. The melting device can be assembled and disassembled with little effort.

A sparger includes a main pipe connecting inside and outside of a water tank having a storage space therein for storing cooling water, so as to define a flow path through which steam and air containing radioactive materials generated outside the water tank are discharged into the cooling water, a header part connected to one end portion of the main pipe located in the storage space, and having a storage chamber in which the steam and air transferred through the main pipe are collected, and a plurality of discharge nozzles disposed in a spacing manner, each having inlet and outlet formed on one end located in the storage chamber and another end located in the storage space, respectively, to discharge the steam and air from the storage chamber to the storage space, and at least some of the plurality of discharge nozzles protruding from the header part by different lengths.

Radioactive material adsorbing clay material effectively and efficiently removes radioactive material, namely radium, from aqueous fluids, thereby purifying the same. Methods of synthesizing and using the same are further provided.

A canister for interim storage and subsequent consolidation of waste materials via hot pressing and comprising at least one ion exchange material. The canister is configured to house the ion exchange material after it is exchanged with a contaminating ion without releasing the contaminating ion and to consolidate waste materials via hot-isostatic pressing. A method comprising contacting a fluid waste with an ion exchange material.

A method of fragmentation of elements of a nuclear reactor includes placement of elements inside a cask and subsequent cutting, the cask being perforated. Each element is lowered into the cask by a full internal height of the cask using a gripper having clamping jaws. The element is intercepted at an upper edge of the cask, lifted, and positioned using video surveillance and artificial lighting so that a hydraulic cutter is directly under the clamping jaws. The element is cut at a point corresponding to a level of the upper edge of the cask, separating from the element a fragment equal to the internal height of the cask. Then the upper part of the element remaining after cutting is lowered inside the cask by the full internal height of the cask and the cutting of the element into fragments is repeated until the element is fully cut to fragments.

A method for decommissioning a heavy water reactor facility includes: removing the plurality of guide tubes from a plurality of through-holes; installing a plurality of shielding stoppers in the plurality of through-holes; removing the shielding stopper installed in one through-hole of the plurality of through-holes, and inserting a cutting device into a lower portion of the reactivity mechanism deck through the one through-hole to cut a connection portion between the reactivity mechanism deck and the calandria vault by using the cutting device; and separating the reactivity mechanism deck from the calandria vault.

The invention relates to a combination of containers intended to discharge radioactive substances into the earth's magma by pouring them into lava lakes, and to a method for using these containers. The radioactive substances are preferably placed in ovoid waste containers that are loaded into a transport container and discharged therewith into a lava lake. The transport container decomposes by melting following a first immersion at a given depth and releases the waste containers, which continue to move downwards.