Equipment and Surface Decontamination cont'd

DOE-STD-1136-2004

Guide of Good Practices for Occupational Radiological Protection in Uranium Facilities

such as scabbling, grinding, sand blasting, or chipping, or it may be accomplished using chemical etching

techniques. If the surface is porous, complete replacement could be necessary. The use of high-pressure

water (hydroblasting) has been quite successful for metal and concrete surfaces.

Ultrasonic cleaning techniques, electro-polishing, or chemical baths may be useful for

decontamination of high-cost items if the chemicals used are compatible with the material to be cleaned.

A description of different decontamination techniques is found in DOE/EV/10128 -1, DOE

Decommissioning Handbook (DOE 1980), and publications by Allen (Allen 1985) and the Electric

Power Research Institute (EPRI 1989). The DOE Decommissioning Handbook also includes guidance

on decontamination techniques, assessment of environmental impacts, disposition of wastes, and

preparation of decommissioning cost estimates.

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