Improvements in nuclear plant effluent control systems

S>From international nuclear industries fair; Basel, Switzerland (16 Oct 1972). Over a decade of operating experience is now available for commercial boiling water reactor (BWR) nuclear power plants. Experience with existing plants of release of radioactive materials to the environment has indicated a high degree of compliance with a conservative design objective. In consequence, offplant radiation doses have been very small compared to permissible or natural background. Advanced effluent management systems are being offered now for use with the modern BWR. These systems provide the BWR with capability to meet the proposed regulations of the United States Atomic Energy Commission (USAEC) in Appendix 1 of 10 CFR 50. The systems are designed with the objective of eliminating radioactive releases to the fullest extent practicable. The key systems described are: a maximum recycle radioactive liquid treatment system utilizing traveling belt filters for solids concentration which treat all liquid waste streams which are major carriers of radioactivity to purify the water for recycle to inplant usage; and a high performance offgas effluent control system. (auth)