Comprehensive cooling water study annual report. Volume IV: radionuclide and heavy metal transport, Savannah River Plant

Technical Report · Mon Jul 01 04:00:00 EDT 1985

OSTI ID:6529369

Gladden, J B; Lower, M W; Mackey, H E; Specht, W L; Wilde, E W

The principal sources of tritium, radiocesium, and radiocobalt in the environment at the Savannah River Plant have been reactor area effluent discharges to onsite streams. Radioactive releases began in 1955, with the period of major reactor releases occurring between 1955 and 1968. Since the early 1970s, releases, except for tritium releases, have been substantially reduced. Radioisotope liquid releases resulted specifically from leaching of reactor fuel elements with cladding failures which exposed the underlying fuel to water. The direct sources of these releases were heat exchanger cooling water, spent fuel storage and disassembly basin effluents, and process water from each of the reactor areas. Offsite radiochemical monitoring of water and sediment at upriver and downriver water treatment facilities indicates that SRP contributions of gamma-emitting radionuclide levels present at these facilities are minute. Tritium in water attributable to SRP operations is routinely detected at the downriver facilities; however, total alpha and nonvolatile beta concentrations attributable to SRP liquid releases are not detected at the downriver facilities. The historic material balance calculated for onsite releases of tritium transported to the Savannah River exhibits a high accounting of tritium released. Other radionuclides released to onsite streams have primarily remained in onsite floodplains. Radionuclide releases associated with reactor operations are derived primarily from disassembly basin water releases in the reactor areas and historically have been the major source of radioactivity released to onsite streams. The movement and interaction of these releases have been governed by cooling water discharges. Liquid releases continue to meet DOE concentration guides for the various radioisotopes in onsite streams and in the Savannah River.

• Research Organization: Du Pont de Nemours (E.I.) and Co., Aiken, SC (USA). Savannah River Lab.
• DOE Contract Number: AC09-76SR00001
• OSTI ID: 6529369
• Report Number(s): DP-1697-4; ON: DE86003106
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

520302* -- Environment
Aquatic-- Radioactive Materials Monitoring & Transport-- Aquatic Ecosystems & Food Chains-- (-1987)
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
ACTINIDES
ALKALI METAL ISOTOPES
ALKALINE EARTH ISOTOPES
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA-MINUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
CESIUM 137
CESIUM ISOTOPES
COBALT 60
COBALT ISOTOPES
ELEMENTS
ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS
ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSPORT
EVEN-EVEN NUCLEI
HYDROGEN ISOTOPES
INTERMEDIATE MASS NUCLEI
INTERNAL CONVERSION RADIOISOTOPES
ISOMERIC TRANSITION ISOTOPES
ISOTOPES
LIGHT NUCLEI
MASS TRANSFER
MATERIALS
METALS
MINUTES LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
NUCLEI
ODD-EVEN NUCLEI
ODD-ODD NUCLEI
PLUTONIUM
RADIOACTIVE EFFLUENTS
RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS
RADIOACTIVE WASTES
RADIOISOTOPES
RADIONUCLIDE MIGRATION
SAVANNAH RIVER PLANT
SEDIMENTS
STREAMS
STRONTIUM 90
STRONTIUM ISOTOPES
SURFACE WATERS
TRANSURANIUM ELEMENTS
TRITIUM
US AEC
US DOE
US ERDA
US ORGANIZATIONS
WASTES
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES