A method and procedure for clearance of slightly contaminated metal materials from nuclear power plant based on the regulatory framework in China

Amounts of slightly contaminated metal with radioactivity were produced during the operation of the nuclear power plant, such as the frame of the waste filter from the ventilation system of nuclear power plants. This created a realistic demand to clear them to implement the strategy of radioactive waste minimization. In this paper, a clearance procedure for the kind of metal materials was established based on the regulatory framework in China. The characteristics of radioactive contamination showed the monitoring of surface dose rate and β contamination could be used as sequential screening methods. Then a detailed radioactivity analysis could be used as a supplementary. This could simplify the procedures and increase efficiency for clearance of the slightly contaminated mental materials. It could also provide a technical base for the radioactive waste minimization in nuclear power plants.