Influence of the rate of conversion of HT to HTO on projected radiation doses from release of molecular tritium

Conference · Sun Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1978

OSTI ID:6479476

Jacobs, D. G.; Easterly, C. E.; Phillips, J. E.

Releases of tritium in the past have been largely in the form of tritiated water and the projected radiation doses could be estimated by assuming tritium behavior to parallel that of water. There is increasing interest in potential releases of tritium in the form of HT because of significant recent advances in fusion reactor research. Several recent studies have shown that bacteria containing the enzyme hydrogenase can catalyze the conversion of HT to HTO at rates several orders of magnitude faster than the rates measured in atmospheric systems. Rates of conversion in the soil were combined with estimates of rates of permeation of HT into the soil and with global and local models depicting tritium transport and cycling. The results suggest that for the anticipated conversion rates, the impact on projected radiation doses should be relatively minor.

• Research Organization: Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-26
• OSTI ID: 6479476
• Report Number(s): CONF-781029-6; IAEA-SM-232/81
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

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54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
560161 -- Radionuclide Effects
Kinetics
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63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
BACTERIA
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA-MINUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BIOCHEMICAL REACTION KINETICS
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
DOSES
EARTH ATMOSPHERE
ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSPORT
ENZYME ACTIVITY
ENZYMES
HUMAN POPULATIONS
HYDROGEN ISOTOPES
HYDROGENASE
ISOTOPES
KINETICS
LABELLED COMPOUNDS
LIGHT NUCLEI
MASS TRANSFER
MICROORGANISMS
NUCLEI
ODD-EVEN NUCLEI
OXIDOREDUCTASES
POPULATIONS
RADIATION DOSES
RADIOISOTOPES
RADIONUCLIDE MIGRATION
REACTION KINETICS
SOILS
TRITIUM
TRITIUM COMPOUNDS
TRITIUM OXIDES
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES