Relative radiological impact from a reactor accident in the case of emerging nuclear fuels.
An assessment has been carried out on the radiological impact on an area contaminated from an accident of a nuclear reactor loaded with different actinide fuels considered in transmutation and recycling schemes. The impact of these schemes is compared to reference cases of commercial UO2 and MOX fuels. The effective dose equivalent delivered to permanent residents has been calculated using the RESRAD code and used as an index for the assessment purposes. The highest and lowest doses would be delivered from the self-generating recycling of actinides in fast and thermal reactors, respectively. External irradiation is the main contributor to the dose delivered to the target population in comparison to ingestion and inhalation. The external dose delivered would be attributed for the first few years to 134Cs and for the following several tens of years to 137Cs.
Nicolaou
G
G
Laboratory of Nuclear Technology, School of Engineering, Demokritus University of Thrace, Xanthi 67100, Greece. nicolaou@ee.duth.gr
D000059:Accidents; D008671:Actinoid Series Elements / Q000032:analysis*; D000396:Air Pollutants, Radioactive / Q000032:analysis*; D009688:Nuclear Reactors; D011829:Radiation Dosage; D011834:Radiation Monitoring; D011847:Radioactive Fallout / Q000032:analysis*
D008671:Actinoid Series Elements; D000396:Air Pollutants, Radioactive; D011847:Radioactive Fallout