Estimation of early Hanford releases of sup 131 I

Conference · Tue Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1991 · Transactions of the American Nuclear Society; (United States)

OSTI ID:5770470

Heeb, C M; Burger, L L ^[1]

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1. Battelle Pacific Northwest Lab., Richland, WA (United States)

Airborne {sup 131}I released at Hanford from December 1944 to December 1947 accounts for > 90% of the Hanford historical dose. Iodine-131 with its 8-day half-life and fission yield of 2.9% is the most significant dose contributor. The timing of {sup 131}I releases and amount released will play a key role in reconstructing the historical Hanford dose. Airborne releases from B and T chemical separations plants occurred from 200-ft stacks. Dissolver off-gases were principally NO and NO{sub 2}. Volatile fission products, notably xenon and iodine, escaped with gaseous acid reaction products. The principal iodine compound in the gas phase was elemental iodine because iodide ions were oxidized, while iodate ions were reduced. other species present included iodine chloride (from chloride impurities) and possibly small amounts of methyl iodide formed from carbon impurities in fuel elements or from organic impurities in dissolved and vent systems. In spite of the loss of key separations plant records and inherent uncertainty in release factors stemming from complex iodine chemistry, techniques for reconstructing early Hanford {sup 131}I releases have been developed. The techniques make efficient use of data available to provide estimates, including uncertainty ranges in the magnitude and timing of releases.

• OSTI ID: 5770470
• Report Number(s): CONF-910603--
• Conference Information: Journal Name: Transactions of the American Nuclear Society; (United States) Journal Volume: 63
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

053002 -- Nuclear Fuels-- Environmental Aspects-- Radioactive Effluents-- (1992-)
054000* -- Nuclear Fuels-- Health & Safety
11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
540130 -- Environment
Atmospheric-- Radioactive Materials Monitoring & Transport-- (1990-)
AEROSOLS
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA-MINUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BIOSPHERE
CHLORIDES
CHLORINE COMPOUNDS
COLLOIDS
DAYS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
DISPERSIONS
DOCUMENTATION
DOSES
ELEMENTS
ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS
FISSION YIELD
FLUIDS
GASEOUS WASTES
GASES
HALF-LIFE
HALIDES
HALOGEN COMPOUNDS
HANFORD PRODUCTION REACTORS
HANFORD RESERVATION
HAZARDS
HEALTH HAZARDS
HISTORICAL ASPECTS
HUMAN POPULATIONS
IMPURITIES
INFORMATION
INTERMEDIATE MASS NUCLEI
IODINE 131
IODINE CHLORIDES
IODINE COMPOUNDS
IODINE ISOTOPES
ISOTOPES
MANAGEMENT
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
NONMETALS
NUCLEAR REACTION YIELD
NUCLEI
ODD-EVEN NUCLEI
PLUTONIUM PRODUCTION REACTORS
POPULATIONS
PRODUCTION REACTORS
PUBLIC INFORMATION
RADIATION DOSES
RADIATION HAZARDS
RADIOISOTOPES
RARE GASES
REACTOR FUELING
REACTORS
SOLS
SOURCE TERMS
STACK DISPOSAL
TIME DEPENDENCE
US DOE
US ERDA
US ORGANIZATIONS
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WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTES
XENON
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
YIELDS