Tritium transport around nuclear facilities

Conference · Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1981

OSTI ID:5944225

Murphy, Jr, C E; Sweet, C W

The transport and cycling of tritium around nuclear facilities is reviewed with special emphasis on studies at the Savannah River Laboratory, Aiken, South Carolina. These studies have shown that the rate of deposition from the atmosphere, the site of deposition, and the subsequent cycling are strongly influenced by the compound with which the tritium is associated. Tritiated hydrogen is largely deposited in the soil, while tritiated water is deposited in the greatest quantity in the vegetation. Tritiated hydrogen is converted in the soil to tritiated water that leaves the soil slowly, through drainage and transpiration. Tritiated water deposited directly to the vegetation leaves the vegetation more rapidly after exposure. Only a small part of the tritium entering the vegetation becomes bound in organic molecules. However, it appears tht the existence of soil organic compounds with tritium concentrations greater than the equilibrium concentration in the associated water can be explained by direct metabolism of tritiated hydrogen in vegetation.

• Research Organization: Du Pont de Nemours (E.I.) and Co., Aiken, SC (USA). Savannah River Lab.
• DOE Contract Number: AC09-76SR00001
• OSTI ID: 5944225
• Report Number(s): DP-MS-81-86; CONF-811082-1; ON: DE82001801; TRN: 82-000934
• Resource Relation: Conference: Workshop on tritium radiobiology and health physics, Chiba, Japan, Oct 1981
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
PLANTS
RADIONUCLIDE MIGRATION
SAVANNAH RIVER PLANT
SOILS
SURFACE AIR
TRITIUM
DISTRIBUTION
DATA COMPILATION
DEPOSITION
HYDROGEN TRITIDE
METABOLISM
NUCLEAR FACILITIES
RADIOACTIVE AEROSOLS
RADIONUCLIDE KINETICS
TRITIUM OXIDES
AEROSOLS
AIR
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA-MINUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
CHALCOGENIDES
COLLOIDS
DATA
DISPERSIONS
ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSPORT
FLUIDS
GASES
HYDROGEN ISOTOPES
INFORMATION
ISOTOPES
LABELLED COMPOUNDS
LIGHT NUCLEI
MASS TRANSFER
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
NUCLEI
NUMERICAL DATA
ODD-EVEN NUCLEI
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
RADIOISOTOPES
SOLS
TRITIUM COMPOUNDS
US AEC
US DOE
US ERDA
US ORGANIZATIONS
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
500300* - Environment
Atmospheric- Radioactive Materials Monitoring & Transport- (-1989)
510301 - Environment
Terrestrial- Radioactive Materials Monitoring & Transport- Soil- (-1987)
520301 - Environment
Aquatic- Radioactive Materials Monitoring & Transport- Water- (1987)