Significance of rupture debris in the Columbia River

Technical Report · Mon Aug 17 04:00:00 EDT 1959

OSTI ID:5832940

McCormack, J D; Schwendiman, L C

The contribution of ruptures to the fraction of MPC in the Columbia River at Pasco was estimated on the basis of the radioactive strontium content of the Columbia River at Pasco, from 107 Basin samples, and from rupture monitor charts during ruptures using available data on rupture monitor calibration. Data are not highly accurate, although results are reasonably consistent. It is estimated that ruptures contribute 20% of the present Sr/sup 90 -90/ content of the Columbia River at Pasco and about 4% of the gross fission product activity. The average rupture studied released an estimated 30 curies of fission products to the river, measured at Pasco, or 10% of the previously used weighted average. Adequate data are lacking to determine the basin and river clean-up of rupture debris, but because of the apparent solubility of many of the fission products, clean-up by particle deposition is thought to be minor. Additional work to characterize rupture debris is needed to permit clean-up to be estimated. Estimates were made of plausible but low probability releases of fission product from ruptures with the attendant impact on the Columbia River. It is estimated that a release of 22 grams of uranium/minute with nominal exposure of 500 MWD/ton would raise and maintain the Columbia River to the MPC at 24 hour decay. A very unlikely coincidence of ruptures could raise the river to three times the occupational limit (MPC)

• Research Organization: Hanford Works, Richland, WA (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: AC06-76RL01350
• OSTI ID: 5832940
• Report Number(s): HW-61325; ON: DE86008615
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS
220502* -- Nuclear Reactor Technology-- Environmental Aspects-- Radioactive Effluents
520301 -- Environment
Aquatic-- Radioactive Materials Monitoring & Transport-- Water-- (1987)
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
ACCIDENTS
ALKALINE EARTH ISOTOPES
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA-MINUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
COLUMBIA RIVER
DAYS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
ECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS
EVEN-EVEN NUCLEI
EVEN-ODD NUCLEI
FAILURES
FISSION PRODUCTS
FUEL ELEMENT FAILURE
HAPO
INTERMEDIATE MASS NUCLEI
ISOTOPES
MATERIALS
MAXIMUM PERMISSIBLE CONCENTRATION
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
NUCLEI
RADIOACTIVE EFFLUENTS
RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS
RADIOACTIVE WASTES
RADIOECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
RADIOISOTOPES
REACTOR ACCIDENTS
RIVERS
RUPTURES
SAFETY STANDARDS
STANDARDS
STREAMS
STRONTIUM 89
STRONTIUM 90
STRONTIUM ISOTOPES
SURFACE WATERS
US AEC
US DOE
US ERDA
US ORGANIZATIONS
WASTES
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES