Estimated doses from decommissioning activities at commercial nuclear power stations
This paper reviews generic population dose estimates for decommissioning reference boiling water reactors (BWRs) and pressurized water reactors (PWRs) and provides extrapolated estimates of the total collective dose resulting from decommissioning commercial nuclear reactors operated in the United States. Decontamination and decommissioning of retired nuclear power reactors is a necessary part of the nuclear fuel cycle. During decommissioning of large facilities, radioactivity will be encountered in activated reactor components and in contaminated piping, equipment, and building surfaces. The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) sponsored a series of studies to evaluate the technology, safety, and costs of decommissioning a variety of nuclear fuel cycle facilities. The NRC adopted the following standardized definitions concerning decommissioning: (1) decommissioning: the measures taken at the end of a facility's operating lifetime to ensure the protection of the public from any residual radioactivity or other hazards present in the facility; (2) DECON: immediate decontamination leading to the release of the facility for unrestricted use; (3) SAFSTOR: safe storage plus deferred decontamination leading to release of the facility for unrestricted use; and (4) ENTOMB: entombment plus decay leading to release of the facility for unrestricted use. In the NRC studies, the most likely decommissioning alternative for most facilities was assumed to be DECON or SAFSTOR.
- OSTI ID:
- 5198065
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-890604--
- Journal Information:
- Transactions of the American Nuclear Society; (USA), Journal Name: Transactions of the American Nuclear Society; (USA) Vol. 59; ISSN TANSA; ISSN 0003-018X
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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