Nuclear facilities present unique maintenance challenges due to their radiation-sensitive environments, where contamination, buildup of radioactive material on surfaces, threatens safety, compliance, and operations. A key issue in the industry has been effective decontamination while minimizing radiation exposure and operational disruptions.

Traditional methods requiring system disassembly, direct intervention, and chemical treatments introduce significant risks and limitations. However, technologies like Altum’s precision-controlled ultrasound systems are providing options by enabling non-invasive cleaning that maintains operational integrity.

What Are the Challenges of Cleaning in Radiation-Sensitive Environments?

Traditional Approaches and Their Limitations

Conventional cleaning methods in nuclear facilities typically rely on chemical decontamination, or mechanical and manual cleaning techniques, like hydroblasting. These approaches often require:

• Direct access to contaminated areas by maintenance personnel
• System shutdown and disassembly
• Application of potentially hazardous chemicals
• Mechanical actions that may generate secondary waste or aerosolize contaminants

While these methods can be effective, they come with drawbacks. Manual cleaning exposes workers to radiation, sometimes requiring rotation of personnel to maintain exposure within acceptable limits. Chemical approaches generate mixed waste streams that require specialized handling and disposal. Mechanical methods may cause wear on sensitive components, potentially shortening equipment lifespan, and often require downtime.

The Personnel Exposure Concern

Perhaps the most significant limitation of traditional cleaning methods is the radiation personnel is exposed to during operations. The ALARA principle (As Low As Reasonably Achievable) guides radiation safety practices worldwide, but conventional decontamination often pushes against these boundaries.

Workers involved in direct decontamination can receive significant radiation doses, particularly when addressing highly contaminated components or systems. Over time, these exposures add up, creating lifetime dose concerns for specialized personnel and increasing organizational risk.

Regulatory Requirements and Compliance Challenges

Nuclear facilities operate under stringent regulatory frameworks that establish clear requirements for both radiation control and environmental protection. These regulations typically mandate:

• Regular decontamination of systems and surfaces
• Strict contamination limits for operational areas
• Comprehensive documentation of cleaning processes and outcomes
• Detailed waste management protocols

Meeting these requirements while using traditional cleaning approaches often results in compliance challenges, extensive documentation burdens, and increased operational complexity.

The Cost of Downtime

Perhaps the most immediately noticeable impact of traditional decontamination approaches is their economic cost. When critical systems must be shut down for cleaning, facilities experience:

• Lost production and revenue
• Labor costs for decontamination teams
• Extended outage periods
• Decreased overall facility availability

For power-generating facilities, these shutdowns can be very costly due to lost generation capacity alone, creating significant pressure to minimize cleaning-related downtime.

The Innovation of Non-Invasive Cleaning Technologies

Defining Non-Invasive Cleaning

Non-invasive cleaning technologies represent a paradigm shift in the approach to decontamination. Rather than requiring system disassembly or direct access to contaminated surfaces, these methods remove contaminants while maintaining operations.

In the context of radiation-sensitive environments, non-invasive cleaning refers to decontamination methodologies that can effectively remove radioactive particles and films without:

• System disassembly
• Direct human intervention in high-radiation areas
• Introduction of additional chemicals or contaminants
• Mechanical actions that could damage sensitive components

The Science of Software-Guided Ultrasound Technology

At the forefront of non-invasive cleaning innovation is precision-controlled ultrasound technology, developed by Altum Technologies. Altum’s solution consists of ultrasound transducers, which are externally applied to the equipment, for example around a pipe. These transducers transmit high-frequency soundwaves into the liquid flowing inside the equipment.

The soundwaves induce temperature and pressure variations or create microscopic vibrations, which effectively remove contaminants from surfaces. Altum’s solution also includes innovative software, which uses algorithms to focus the ultrasound power specifically where it’s needed for effective cleaning.

Comparison with Traditional Methods

Key Advantages of Non-Invasive Ultrasonic Cleaning

Utilizing a non-invasive, high-power ultrasound solution like Altum’s technology for cleaning in nuclear operations brings multiple benefits:

1. Operational Continuity: Many systems can be cleaned while remaining in operation, eliminating costly shutdowns.
2. Reduced Personnel Exposure: Remote operation significantly decreases the radiation dose to maintenance staff.
3. Enhanced Regulatory Compliance: Altum’s technology simplifies regulatory compliance through consistent results and better ALARA demonstration.
4. Enhanced Cleaning Efficacy: Altum’s solution generates around 16 times more power than conventional ultrasonic systems, which makes it a very efficient solution.
5. Minimized Secondary Waste: Less reliance on chemicals means reduced secondary waste generation and simplified disposal processes.
6. Component Preservation: The gentle nature of properly calibrated ultrasound preserves the integrity of sensitive components, extending their operational lifespan.
7. Increased Safety for Personnel & Environment: Beyond worker safety, non-invasive cleaning technologies deliver substantial environmental benefits by minimizing liquid waste generation, reducing contamination spread risk, lowering emissions from waste processing, and decreasing the overall environmental footprint of decontamination activities.

Ultrasound Applications Across Nuclear Operations

Process Equipment Cleaning During Operation

One of the most valuable applications of non-invasive cleaning with Altum’s ultrasound is the ability to decontaminate process equipment while it remains operational. Equipment like piping systems, valves, and filtration components can accumulate radioactive deposits over time, reducing efficiency and increasing radiation fields in the surrounding areas.

Traditional approaches would require taking these systems offline, potentially disrupting entire facility operations. Altum’s non-invasive ultrasound technology allows for decontamination while processes are on-going, keeping equipment clean.

Targeted Hot Spot Management

Radiation “hot spots”, areas in a system where the level of radiation is significantly greater than in neighbouring regions, present significant challenges in facility management. These areas can disproportionately contribute to overall radiation fields and worker exposure.

Altum’s ultrasound technology can precisely target cleaning action to specific hot spots to remove the radioactive deposits and lower dose rates. For example, in one of our installations for hot spot removal, dose rates were lowered 100 times in just five minutes.

Waste Handling and Preparation for Disposal

Before contaminated components can be safely disposed of, they often require decontamination to reduce activity levels. Non-invasive cleaning offers significant advantages in this context:

• Decontamination of components prior to disassembly, reducing exposure during handling
• Potential reclassification of waste to lower activity categories
• Decreased disposal costs through activity reduction

Conclusion

Altum’s non-invasive ultrasound cleaning technology represents a transformative approach to managing radiation-sensitive environments. By eliminating the need for system disassembly, reducing personnel exposure, minimizing waste generation, and enabling cleaning during ongoing operations, this technology addresses the core challenges that have long affected nuclear facility maintenance.

As facilities worldwide face growing pressure to optimize performance while maintaining the highest safety standards, Altum’s precision-controlled ultrasound solutions offer a clear path forward. This technology is changing how the industry approaches decontamination and setting a new standard for effective, efficient, and responsible nuclear maintenance practices.

To discover how our technology can address your specific decontamination challenges, reduce personnel exposure, and deliver substantial operational savings, contact our technical specialists for a consultation. We have the experience and capabilities to transform your approach to nuclear cleaning and decontamination.

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