Re: Tritiiun Effluent Values

["Don_Jordan" <Don_Jordan@fpm.uchicago.edu>]

You may wish to consult NCRP Report #62, "Tritium in the Environment" (Nat.
Council on Rad. Prot, 
7910 Woodmont Av, Washington, DC 20014) [I think they are really in
Bethesda, MD]

Reactors apparently vary quite a bit in the amount of tritium they release.

NCRP 62 states that "[t]he annual production of fission product tritium by a
1000 MWe LWR [light water reactor]
will be in the range of 15,000 to 25,000 Ci." [NCRP 62 at 11]

How much of this is released is another question.  NCRP 62 presents a table
of measurements from several reactors, which states the tritium released
from a BWR consisted of 210 Ci gaseous and 490 Ci liquid for a total of 700
Ci; for a PWR the corresponding figures are 240 gaseous and 5500 Ci liquid,
totaqling 5800 Ci.

The specific release ratio is given as 0.02 Ci/(MWt*year) for a BWR and 0.26
Ci/(MWt*year) for a PWR
The average annual releases are given as 63 Ci/(GWe) for a BWR and 830
Ci/(GWe) for a PWR. [NCRP 62 at 13]

Note that this publication dates from 1979 and the numbers may be outdated.

Hope this helps,   Don





Don Jordan	
The University of Chicago	
Office of Radiation Safety
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Chicago,  Illinois  60615
Tel.	773-702-6299
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email Don_Jordan@fpm.uchicago.edu