Soft Media Blast Cleaning

Category: Decontamination > Chemical Surface Cleaning > Biological/Microbial Degradation
Reference # : OST#1899 DOE/EM-0463 Model No : SMBC

The SMBT propels a soft blast media against the surface to be decontaminated, using mechanical abrasion and contaminant absorption to clean the surface. Compressed air is used to propel soft blast media, which is ejected through a hose and nozzle arrangement. The soft blast media is propelled against the surface being cleaned by a portable pneumatically powered Feed Unit. The soft blast media can be recycled by manually collecting it from the work area and feeding it through a separate Classifier Unit, which mechanically removes large debris and powder residues from the cleaning media after use. The media must be manually collected and loaded into the Classifier Unit for separation, then the recycled media must be manually returned to the feed Unit for reuse. The media not only loosens and removes the contaminants, but also captures the contaminants in the media matrix and breaks apart after repeated use. Dimensions of Tech Model (LxWxH): Compressor: Feed Unit: Blast Hose: Weight of Tech Model (lb.):

Benefits

*The soft media blasting permits the cleaning of materials contaminated with enriched uranium, thereby providing a substantial cost savings by reducing the quantity of material disposed off-site *The soft blast media can be recycled, reducing the overall cost of using this technology *The SMBT waste stream is of a solid matrix and therefore easier to contain *The aggressiveness of the cleaning technology can be controlled trough the selection of blast media *The SMBT clearly reduced the volume of liquid waste *Cleans and decontaminates materials, thus improving cleaning effectiveness *Decreased amount of PPE required (except for hearing) *The SMBT offered an approximate 75 % cost saving compared to disposing of materials contaminated with enriched uranium at a off-site disposal facility (Nevada Test Site)

Limitations

*Limited worker exposure times permitted in and around the cleaning enclosure. SMBT generated so much noise that workers were limited to 1h/d in the operational zone and were *SMBT is more costly than the baseline, $4.60/sq.ft versus $1.53/sq.ft respectively *SMBT mobilization and demobilization was more costly than the baseline *Increased levels of airborne contamination when compared to the baseline *The brown media generated significant quantities of dust and occasionally spark upon impact *Technology requires a enclosure unit to be erected to contain the blast media *Because the SMBT performed cleaning as well as decontamination of materials, it required more man-hours than the baseline

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Portable pneumatically powered feed unit.

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