Decontamination method

A method of decontaminating steel components, the method comprising the steps of:

• (a) melting a mass of material including:
• (i) a proportion of steel components contaminated by one of adhering naturally occurring radioactive material (N.O.R.M.) and low specific activity (L.S.A.) scale the steel components being of known total radioactivity;
• and
• (ii) a mass of slag forming material;
• (b) melting said mass of material to provide a volume of molten steel and volume of slag, the N.O.R.M. and L.S.A. scale migrating to said slag;
• and
• (c) separating said slag from said molten steel, wherein said mass of slag forming material is selected to provide a predetermined dilution of N.O.R.M. and L.S.A. scale in said slag.

A method for decontamination of steel components contaminated with radioactive material, the method comprising the steps:

• (a) providing a mass of material including:
• (i) a proportion of steel carrying radioactive material;
• and
• (ii) a mass of slag forming material;
• (b) determining the total radioactivity of said proportion of steel carrying radioactive material;
• (c) melting said mass of material, to provide a volume of molten steel and a volume of slag, the radioactive material originally present on the steel migrating to the slag;
• and
• (d) separating said slag from the molten steel, wherein said mass of slag forming material is selected to provide a predetermined concentration of radioactive material in said slag that is sufficiently dilute to permit handling and disposal of said slag without restriction.