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Title: Effect of a reactor fuel element failure on the Columbia River radionuclide concentrations at Pasco, Washington

Abstract

The failure of a fuel element cladding in one of the water-cooled plutonium production reactors permits the erosion of irradiated uranium metal by the cooling water which is normally disposed to the Columbia River. Monitoring systems at both the reactors and at their effluent basin outlets to the river continuously monitor these streams, and if major fission-products release occurs the coolant can be held in retention basins. In addition to these monitoring systems, a river monitor is located at the 300 area which continuously monitors the gross gamma activity of the Columbia River; however, its sensitivity to rupture debris is limited because of the relatively high background'' from the short-lived (n, {gamma}) produced radionuclides in the river. In making hazard assessments and in providing adequate monitoring techniques and equipment at down-river locations, it is essential to know what changes occur in fission and (n, {gamma}) produced radionuclides following release of rupture products to the river.

Authors:
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
General Electric Co., Richland, WA (USA). Hanford Atomic Products Operation
Sponsoring Org.:
DOE/EH
OSTI Identifier:
5530559
Report Number(s):
HW-76153
ON: DE90000091
DOE Contract Number:
AC06-76RL01830
Resource Type:
Technical Report
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS; 54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES; COLUMBIA RIVER; FISSION PRODUCT RELEASE; CLADDING; FAILURES; FUEL ELEMENTS; PLUTONIUM; RADIATION MONITORING; RADIOECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION; WATER COOLED REACTORS; ACTINIDES; DEPOSITION; ECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION; ELEMENTS; METALS; MONITORING; REACTOR COMPONENTS; REACTORS; RIVERS; STREAMS; SURFACE COATING; SURFACE WATERS; TRANSURANIUM ELEMENTS; 220500* - Nuclear Reactor Technology- Environmental Aspects; 520300 - Environment, Aquatic- Radioactive Materials Monitoring & Transport- (1989)

Citation Formats

Perkins, R.W.. Effect of a reactor fuel element failure on the Columbia River radionuclide concentrations at Pasco, Washington. United States: N. p., 1962. Web. doi:10.2172/5530559.
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Perkins, R.W.. Effect of a reactor fuel element failure on the Columbia River radionuclide concentrations at Pasco, Washington. United States. doi:10.2172/5530559.
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Perkins, R.W.. Thu . "Effect of a reactor fuel element failure on the Columbia River radionuclide concentrations at Pasco, Washington". United States. doi:10.2172/5530559. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/5530559.
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@article{osti_5530559,
title = {Effect of a reactor fuel element failure on the Columbia River radionuclide concentrations at Pasco, Washington},
author = {Perkins, R.W.},
abstractNote = {The failure of a fuel element cladding in one of the water-cooled plutonium production reactors permits the erosion of irradiated uranium metal by the cooling water which is normally disposed to the Columbia River. Monitoring systems at both the reactors and at their effluent basin outlets to the river continuously monitor these streams, and if major fission-products release occurs the coolant can be held in retention basins. In addition to these monitoring systems, a river monitor is located at the 300 area which continuously monitors the gross gamma activity of the Columbia River; however, its sensitivity to rupture debris is limited because of the relatively high background'' from the short-lived (n, {gamma}) produced radionuclides in the river. In making hazard assessments and in providing adequate monitoring techniques and equipment at down-river locations, it is essential to know what changes occur in fission and (n, {gamma}) produced radionuclides following release of rupture products to the river.},
doi = {10.2172/5530559},
journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {Thu Dec 27 00:00:00 EST 1962},
month = {Thu Dec 27 00:00:00 EST 1962}
}
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Technical Report:
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DOI:  10.2172/5530559
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    As part of the Hanford Environmental Dose Reconstruction (HEDR) Project, this report addresses the radioactivity in the Columbia River. The Columbia River received cooling-water effluent from the eight Hanford single-pass reactors and was the major pathway for waterborne radionuclides. The pathway began at the Hanford Site and continued downstream past the mouth of the Columbia River to the adjacent coastal and ocean areas. The objective of the HEDR Project`s Surface-Water Transport Task is to provide monthly average radionuclide concentrations in river water at specific locations along the Columbia River. These concentrations will be used in final estimates of radiation dosesmore » that individuals may have received from the Columbia River pathway. Under this task, a river hydraulic computer model was used to simulate transport of specific radionuclides from the Hanford reactors to Portland, Oregon. The model output consisted of monthly average water concentrations of radionuclides computed for 12 locations over 253 months (January 1950--January 1971). These water concentrations were forwarded to the staff of the Environmental Pathways and Dose Estimates Task for calculating dose estimates. The model used a source term input data file developed by the staff of the Source Terms Task which provided monthly average releases from each of the eight reactors, from January 1950 through January 1971. The Environmental Monitoring Task staff provided historical river monitoring data for use in validating computed water concentrations. The purpose of this report is to document the mathematical modeling required to reconstruct concentrations of radionuclides in Columbia River water. Modeling was required because available monitoring data are limited. The specific radionuclides considered are sodium-24, phosphorus-32, zinc-65, arsenic-76, and neptunium-239, determined by their relative contribution to dose for the river pathway (Napier 1993).« less

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    Battelle, Pacific Northwest Laboratories conducted this study of the Columbia River for the Technical Steering Panel (TSP) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as part of the Hanford Environmental Dose Reconstruction (HEDR) Project. The HEDR Project was established to estimate the radiation dose that individuals may have received from operations that began at the Hanford Site in 1944. The purpose of the study was to reconstruct concentrations of radionuclides in Columbia River water for estimating doses to humans from the river pathway.

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    A paleomagnetic study was performed on about 500 surface and subsurface samples of the Columbia River Basalt Group from the Pasco Basin and vicinity, southeastern Washington. This study also included reanalysis and integration of paleomagnetic data collected during three previous paleomagnetic investigations. Emphasis was placed on testing and extending the magnetostratigraphic interpretation of the Columbia River basalts beneath the Hanford Site. A consistent magnetostratigraphy of Grande Ronde Basalt emerges from the surface and core hole paleomagnetic data. A change from reversed polarity (below) to normal polarity (above) occurs at a depth of approx. 1500 ft below the Vantage horizon. Thismore » polarity change is the R/sub 2/-N/sub 2/ contact, previously mapped in surface outcrops on the Columbia Plateau. Within the two magnetozones of the upper Grande Ronde Basalt, between-flow inclination differences of up to 60/sup 0/ probably reflect the Miocene geomagnetic secular variation. These distinctive changes in paleoinclination permit subdivision of the Grande Ronde-R/sub 2/ magnetozone into three magnetic intervals (designated GR-R/sub 2/..cap alpha.. through ..gamma..) and of the Grande Ronde-N/sub 2/ magnetozone into five magnetic intervals (GR-N/sub 2/..cap alpha.. through epsilon).The Wanapum and Saddle Mountains Basalts contain at least four magnetozones and large variations in magnetic susceptibility as well as in inclination. In the Pasco Basin core holes, the consistency of paleomagnetic directions at equivalent stratigraphic horizons indicates that these holes penetrated few if any dikes.« less

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