Method of purifying ion exchanger resins spent in the operation of a nuclear reactor

Claim 1

In a method of treating liquid coolant from a coolant loop of a nuclear reactor and containing radioactive fission and corrosion products and chemical substances for conditioning the coolant by pasing said liquid coolant in contact with mixed-bed ion exchanger resins to remove radioactive fission and corrosion products which are radionuclides mechanically and chemically bound as radioactive cations and anions to the ion exchanger resins, the ion exchanger resins also removing conditioning substances, the combination therewith comprising the sequential steps of freeing from radioactive fission and corrosion products and from conditioning substances the ion exchanger resins spent in the operation of removal of said products and said substances by thoroughly rinsing the resin with demineralized water so as to release said mechanically bound suspended radioactive substances from the resins, separating the released suspended radioactive substances contained in the demineralized water in a mechanical filter, rinsing with diluted mineral water in a mechanical filter, rinsing with diluted mineral acid the resin previously rinsed with demineralized water so as to release radioactive cations and anions therefrom and produce a mineral acid containing radionuclides of said radioactive cations and anions together with the conditioning substances, selectively adsorbing radionuclides of the cations and anions in an adsorber substance which is a reactant for the radionuclides fixed on an inorganic carrier, separating the conditioning substances from the mineral acid with which the resins have been rinsed and coverting the separated conditioning substances into a form of chemical compounds used in said liquid coolant for reuse in liquid coolant.