Cernavoda Tritium removal facility project implementation approach and challenges

Detritiation Instalation Department, Nuclearelectrica, Cernavoda NPP, Cernavoda, Romania

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Published online: 11 June 2026

Abstract

As a CANDU6 Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) operator and considering the radiological impact of Tritium, Nuclearelectrica decided to build a Tritium Removal Facility at Cernavoda Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) in order to decrease the Tritium concentration in the moderator and primary heat transport heavy water and consequently reduce the operation personnel doses and radioactivity releases to public and environment. The selected option was to use a Liquid Phase Catalytic Exchange (LPCE) – Cryogenic Distillation (CD) technology and a mixed hydrophilic packing and hydrophobic catalyst, developed by the Romanian National Research and Development Institute for Cryogenics and Isotopic Technologies (ICSI). This technology has been documented in the facility conceptual design that represented the Employer’s requirements used for the Plant and Design-Build the Cernavoda Tritium Removal Facility contract awarded to Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co., the company who operates a similar facility at Wolsong.