Accident assessment: role of the containment radiation monitor
The containment radiation monitor may provide information to a power reactor operator that can aid assessment of the degree of core damage following a loss-of-coolant accident (LOCA). This paper reports calculations of the exposure rates that would exist in the containment of a commercial pressurized water reactor (PWR) following severe reactor transients. The results indicate exposure rates of 1 to 2 R . h/sup -1/ 30 minutes after a large LOCA, 4 to 5 x 10 R . h/sup -1/ one hour following a release of the gap activity, and 4 . 10/sup 6/ R . h/sup -1/ two hours after a transient that resulted in a fuel melt. Furthermore, differences between the energy spectra of photons released by noble gases and halogens suggest that containment radiation monitors may be designed to differentiate between these radioelements. The calculated exposure rates are not in agreement with the response of containment radiation monitors during the incident at the Crystal River Reactor. Inhomogeneous source terms, the operation of containment building systems, and inaccuracies in release estimates, measurements and calculations may have contributed to this discrepancy in one degree or another.
- Research Organization:
- Pacific Northwest Labs., Richland, WA (USA); Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC (USA)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC06-76RL01830
- OSTI ID:
- 6473981
- Report Number(s):
- PNL-SA-8477; IAEA-CN-39/95; CONF-801056-6; ON: TI85016693
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: International conference on current nuclear power plant safety issues, Stockholm, Sweden, 26 Oct 1980
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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