An evaluation of air effluent and workplace radioactivity monitoring at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant

Technical Report · Mon Feb 01 04:00:00 EST 1993

OSTI ID:6745158

Bartlett, W T ^[1]

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1. Environmental Evaluation Group, Carlsbad, NM (United States) Environmental Evaluation Group, Albuquerque, NM (United States)

Improvements are needed in the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) air effluent and workplace radioactivity monitoring prior to receipt of radioactive wastes. This report provides a detailed review Zf radioactivity air monitoring regulatory requirements and related facility design requirements. Air monitoring data, supplied by the Westinghouse Isolation Division, are analyzed. The WIPP Final Safety Analysis Report (FSAR) requires that the WIPP radiological facilities always have multiple confinement barriers to prevent the accidental release of radioactive material to the environment. The Waste Handling Building has standard confinement barriers that satisfy the regulatory requirements, but the underground confinement barriers.include a more complex system for filtering air in the event of-an accidental release. A continuous air monitor (CAM) is an integral part of the underground confinement barrier strategy. For the last four years'' the reliability and sensitivity of the CAMs have been the subject of numerous reports and meetings which are summarized in this report. Data supplied to the Environmental Evaluation Group (EEG) show that the Station A CAM, which monitors the underground.exhaust, does not satisfy the requirements of the FSAR. The CAM system is not fail-safe, and operations appear to be affected by high levels of salt aerosol and poor detector performance. Additional test information is needed to establish the limits of CAM performance. Findings and recommendations are also provided on alternative monitoring methods, procedures and calculations.

• Research Organization: New Mexico Inst. of Mining and Technology, Socorro, NM (United States); Environmental Evaluation Group, Carlsbad, NM (United States); Environmental Evaluation Group, Albuquerque, NM (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: DOE; USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: AC04-89AL58309
• OSTI ID: 6745158
• Report Number(s): DOE/AL/58309-52; EEG--52; ON: DE93008837
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

052002* -- Nuclear Fuels-- Waste Disposal & Storage
053002 -- Nuclear Fuels-- Environmental Aspects-- Radioactive Effluents-- (1992-)
054000 -- Nuclear Fuels-- Health & Safety
11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
540130 -- Environment
Atmospheric-- Radioactive Materials Monitoring & Transport-- (1990-)
AEROSOLS
AIR POLLUTION
COLLOIDS
COMPLIANCE
DISPERSIONS
EXHAUST SYSTEMS
FUNCTIONAL MODELS
MEASURING INSTRUMENTS
MONITORING
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
NUCLEAR FACILITIES
PERFORMANCE
PILOT PLANTS
POLLUTION
RADIATION DETECTORS
RADIATION MONITORING
RADIOACTIVE AEROSOLS
RADIOACTIVE WASTE FACILITIES
REGULATIONS
SOLS
UNDERGROUND FACILITIES
US DOE
US ORGANIZATIONS
WIPP