Tritium distribution modeling in a Light Water New Production Reactor

The tritium distribution and tritium release pathways in a new light water production reactor were examined. A computer model was developed to track the tritium as it makes its way through the various plant systems and ends up either as a release to the atmosphere, the cooling tower blowdown or to the solid waste system. The model was designed to predict the integrated yearly tritium releases and provide estimated airborne tritium concentrations in various locations within the plant. WNP-1 was used as a representative model for a Light Water New Production Reactor (LWNPR). The Tritium Distribution Model solves for the time dependent tritium concentration in a system of nodes. These nodes are connected to one another via a set of internodal flow paths and to various sources and sinks. For example, plant systems such as the primary system are the nodes, piping and leaks are the internodal flow paths, make-up water is a source, and release to the atmosphere is a sink. The expected water mass of each node; the flow rates between nodes, sources, and sinks; and tritium source rates are provided as input. The code will solve for the time dependent tritium concentration in each node and themore » amount of tritium ''released'' to the sinks. Preliminary calculations have been performed using WNP-1 plant specific information obtained primarily from the WNP-1 FSAR. Further work is currently in progress to refine the model and provide a more realistic set of input values which will better represent an operating LWNPR. 1 ref., 1 fig., 1 tab.« less