Patent ID: 7708890

Claim:
A method of processing at least a part of an aqueous radioactive fluid or (AF) removed from a volume of such fluid in a nuclear reactor to selectively capture or remove radioactive isotopes in a reduced quantitative package substantially devoid of solid salt constituents, to minimize the amount of radwaste generated for evaluation, evaporation, solidification, off-site transportation or later activity and to assist in revitalizing the neutron absorption capacity of the volume of such fluid in the nuclear reactor by removing boron in the form of B 11 therefrom as a part of said method, when B 10 is later added to such fluid; said method having at least one step of conveying a liquid volume of the (AF) to a release point for liquid effluents of the (AF) in an ambient environment apart and outside of the nuclear reactor for separately carrying away boron constituents in the (AF) in said assist in revitalizing said neutron absorption capacity; the (AF) being directed to a supply area at the nuclear reactor; said method comprising the steps of: (a) demineralizing the (AF) by gross ion exchange for reduction of the amount of radioactive isotopes passing therethrough while substantially permitting salts, boron and nonradioactive substances to pass through and lowering the pH of said substances to pass through such that substantially most of the boron can later pass through an RO membrane and then (b) polishing by reverse osmosis or (RO) of the (AF) and (c) dividing the (AF) into a first liquid volume or permeate liquid volume and a second liquid volume or reject liquid volume, the permeate liquid volume having from about half to substantially none of the radioactive isotopes present in the (AF) and a substantial amount of any monovalent salts, boric acid and water present in the (AF), and the reject liquid volume having at least an increased fraction of the boron, salts and radioactive isotopes present in the (AF); (d) recycling and feeding the reject liquid volume back into step (a) for removing generally most of the radioactive isotopes to generate a demineralizer effluent, and conveying the permeate liquid volume in said at least one step of conveying a liquid volume of the (AF) to the release point for liquid effluents of the (AF), and dividing the demineralizer effluent into a further permeate liquid volume having substantially none of the radioactive isotopes present in the demineralizer effluent and having a reduced volume relative to said recycling and feeding the reject liquid volume, and a further reject liquid volume having any of the radioactive isotopes remaining in the demineralizer effluent; and (e) conveying the further permeate liquid volume in said at least one step of conveying a liquid volume of the (AF) to the release point for liquid effluents of the (AF).