Melting Tests for Recycling Slightly Radioactive Metallic Wastes Arising from Decommissioning

Abstract

To address the future recycling of metallic wastes arising from the decommissioning of nuclear facilities, melting tests of radioactively contaminated metals were carried out with attention to the resultant partitioning of radionuclides. The behavior of radionuclides is dominated by the volatility and the oxidizable tendency of each element. For the behavior of 65Zn, a different result from the existing one is obtained; i.e., significant amounts of 65Zn remain in the ingot. Melting procedures and flux compositions exert an effect on the transfer behavior of the volatile radionuclides evaluated.