The Decontamination of Soft-Plated Nickel Surfaces Compared to Alternative Surface Materials Used in Radioactive Transport and Storage Containers

Surfaces of raw, nickel-plated, and epoxy-coated spheroidal graphite cast iron, together with stainless steel, were contaminated with a modified fission product solution then conditioned by heat treatment. This was followed by a variety of simple decontamination techniques. It was shown that the ease of removal of contaminations similar to those expected on a dry storage container surface is significantly affected by the roughness of the surface. The raw cast iron surface was virtually impossible to significantly decontaminate. Highest decontamination factors were obtained on nickel-plated and epoxy-painted surfaces using steam/detergent mixtures. Stainless steel only performed well in a polished condition. In a supplementary irradiation experiment, scanning electron microscopy indicated visible decomposition of an epoxy-painted surface at a gamma dose of 3.1 × 10⁶ Gy (3.1 × 10⁸ rad). A nickel-plated surface did not undergo any visible changes at the same dose.