Residual Radionuclide Contamination Within and Around Commercial Nuclear Power Plants: Assessment of Origin, Distribution, Inventory and Decommissioning.

摘要

The residual radionuclide concentrations, distributions and inventories at seven nuclear power plants (four shutdown and three operating) have been investigated to provide a data base for use in formulating policies, strategies and guidelines for the eventual decommissioning of retired nuclear power plants. The study has addressed radionuclides transported from the reactor pressure vessel and deposited in all other contaminated systems of each nuclear plant. Emphasis has been placed on measuring the long-lived radionuclides which are of special concern from a low-level waste management standpoint, including 60Co, 59Ni, 63Ni, 90Sr, 94Nb, 99Tc, 129I, 137Cs, and alpha-emitting transuranic radionuclides with half-lives greater than five years. The total residual radionuclide inventories (excluding the pressure vessel) at the seven nuclear plants examined in the study appear to be proportional to the product of the unit power level (megawattage) and the length of operations in years. Thus, extrapolations of the radionuclide inventories at other nuclear plants may perhaps be made.