Characterisation of Ontario Power Generation's Spent Resins

Abstract

This paper describes the results from a program undertaken to characterise spent resins produced from the nuclear operations of Ontario Power Generation. The resins were sampled from steel containers or liners located within storage structures at the Western Waste Management Facility (WWMF) in Tiverton, Ontario. At the time of sampling, the resins had been stored in these structures for durations ranging between 6.5 and 18 years. In addition, samples were also collected from in-station tanks at Darlington where resins have been stored for periods of up to 12 years. The sampled resins were physically, chemically and radiochemically characterised. For two of the resins sampled at the WWMF, results were correlated with characterisation data for both the liner headspace gases and the free water sampled from the bottom of the liners.