Patent Number: 054250722
Section: claims

1. A non-contact method of treating a surface of an object contaminated with radionuclides, the method comprising the steps of: applying at least one layer of a coating material to said surface; and  passing a local area of intense heat across the coating material thereby providing a vitreous coating over the surface and fixing or sealing the radionuclides therein. 2. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the local area of intense heat has an energy level of at least 150 W/cm.sup.2. 3. A method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the intense heat is provided from a source comprising a laser means. 4. A method as claimed in claim 3, wherein the laser means includes a fibre optic cable through which the intense heat from the laser is applied. 5. A method as claimed in claim 3, wherein the laser means comprises a neodymium-yttrium aluminium garnet laser. 6. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the intense heat is passed across the surface by moving the object relative to the source of the intense heat. 7. A method as claimed in claim 6, wherein the source of the intense heat and the object are moved in overlapping manner. 8. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the surface comprises a metal, and the intense heat is such as to melt the surface. 9. A method as claimed in claim 1 and wherein a further layer of a coating material is applied to the surface after the application of the intense heat. 10. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the contaminated surface is a cementitious surface. 11. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the contaminated surface is a metallic surface. 12. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the coating comprises at least one of a refractory material, a cementitious material, a metal powder, a ceramic, and a mixture thereof. 13. A method as claimed in claim 3, wherein the laser means comprises one of a Nd-YAG laser, a CO.sub.2 laser, an eximer laser and a semiconductor laser.