ML19340E968
| ML19340E968 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | 05000148 |
| Issue date: | 03/31/1980 |
| From: | KANSAS, UNIV. OF, LAWRENCE, KS |
| To: | |
| Shared Package | |
| ML19340E951 | List: |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 8101160408 | |
| Download: ML19340E968 (13) | |
Text
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Environmental Impact Appraisal for
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l University of Kansas Nuclear Reactor l
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',, Environmental Impact Appraisal This section deals with the environmental effects which can be attributed to the operation of the University of Kansas (Lawrence) Training Reactor since its initial criticality in 1961. It will also address potential future environmental effeets.
A. Facility, Environmental Effects of Construction The KU Training Reactor is housed in the Nuclear Reactor Center which is located toward the west side of the KU campus. The nuclear reactor occupies the south end of the Center and the Radiation Biophysics Program now occupies the north end. There have been no significant effects on the terrain, vege-tation, wildlife, nearby water or aquatic life due to the operation of the reactor.
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There are no exterior conduits, pipelines, electrical or mechanical
, structures or transmission lines attached to the nuclear reactor facility other than utility service facilities which are similar to those required in other campus facilities, especially laboratories. Heat dissipation is accom-plished by evaporation and conduction from the pool. There is no external cooling system on the KU Training Reactor.
Make-up water for the cooling system is'readily available and is obtained from the City of Lawrence water supply. Radioactive gaseous effluents consist of very small quantities of Ar-41. There are m4nimal radioactive liquid effluents (less than a liter per year) associated with the production of isotopes in the KU reactor. These solid and liquid radioactive sastes are generated through the irradiation of samples to be used on campus for neutron acti-i= s vation analysis, classroom proj ects with radioactive materials, or for tracer studies. These radioactive samples are normally of such short half life
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that disposal is by decay. There is one Kansas Department of Health and Environment approved field study involving the use of small amounts of Tantalum.
The sanitary waste systems associated with the Nuclear Reactor facility are similar to those at other univeristy reactors. The design excludes the possibility of discharging un-monitored liquids into the sanitary waste system. .
- 3. Environmental Effects of Facility Operation The KU Nuclear Reactor has a maximum power output of 250 We limited to an average of 10 G and a mvi=um of three hours at 250 KWt. The environ-cental effects of thermal effluents of this order of magnitude are negligible.
The waste heat is rej ected to the atmosphere through the roof of the Nuclear ,._.
rp Reactor building. Replacement water is equal to that lost by evaporation at the top of the 6000 gallon reactor tank with a top surface area of 45 ft This amount of water loss by evaporation has minimum effects on the environ-ment.
The room in which the reactor is located is continuously monitored for gamma-ray fields. The gamma detectors are Jordan ion chambers, three of which are mounted on the walls of the reactor bay and one of which is attached to the ceiling directly above the reactor tank.
At 10 E t, none of the alarms have ever been unexpectedly triggered.
The south wall and ceiling monitor do exceed five mR/hr at 250 Et. The maximum rate has never exceeded 100 mR/hr.
The reactor has been used above 10 Et an average of six hours per year for the past five years. Tis
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-E= Air samples a:;e obtained in and near the reactor building on a weekly basis during periods in which the reactor is being routinely used. (Samples are not normally taken when the reactor is not being operated.) A low volume air sampler is used to draw air through a filter with the volume determined by a flow meter. Gross beta activity is deter =ined by 2 s gas flow count-l ing and gross gamma act '.vity with a NaI scintillation counting system.
Table I summad:es the data for the last five years and is representative i .
of results throughout the life of the reactor.
l The de=ineralizer regeneration effluent is held in a hold-up tank for a l
period of time to allow for decay, The gross beta and gamma activity in the f
effluent is determined before it is released to the sanitary sewer system.
Table 2 gives the total amount released to the sewer system in each of 3 the past five years. The concentrations as the effluent enters the drain is
-5 uci/ml of beta plus gamma and less than 4 x 10 ~
uC1/ml less than 9 x 10 l
alpha. Thus the dilution factor obtained by averaging these concentrations with the normal sewage volume causes the disposal to be far below Appendix 3, Table I, Column 2.
Water samples from the reactor tank are obtained on a periodic basis and analyzed for gross alpha, beta and ga==a activity. The maximum activities
-7 -6 -6 recorded were 6.5_ x 10 , 2 x 10 , and 1 x 10 pCi/ml respectively with
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averages of 7 x 10 x 10 , and 7.0 x 10 pC1/ml. Of course, in this case, the sampling time relative to reactor operations does make a diff erence . It is seen that the values are extremely s' mall.
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Radioactive samples made in the reactor are normally allowed to decay ::
to extremely small values following which they may be disposed of via the sewer in the case of liquid samples. Indium foils and other such materials are kept and reused.
The number of samples of radioactive materials produced in the reactor over the past five years are given in Table 3. This table also gives the i
total activity produced.
C. Environmental Effects of Accidents Accidents ranging from failure of experiments to the insertion of 1.5%
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excess reactivity result in doses of only a small fraction of 10 CFR Part 100 ,
guidelines and are considered negligible with respect to the environment. l l
D. Effects of Facility Operation gg.
a No adverse impact on the environment is expected from the operation of
,the reactor based on the analysis given above.
E. Alternatives to Operation of the Facility There are no suitable or more economical alternatives which can accomplish t .
( both the educational and the research objectives of this facility. These ,
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! objectives include the training of students in radiation protection aspects of nuclear reactors, the production of radioisotopes, its use as a source of neutrons for neutron activation analysis, and also its use as a demonstration I
tool to f amiliarize the general public with nuclear reactor operations.
F. Long-Term Effects of Facility Construction and Operation The long-term effects of a research facility such as the KU Nuclear Training Reactor are considered to be beneficial as a result of the contribu- Eib tion to scientific knowledge and training. This is especially true in view
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$5 of the relatively low capital costs ($147,000) involved and the minimal impact on the environment associated with a facility such as the KU Training Reactor.
G. Costs and Benefits of Facility and Alternatives The annual operating cost for a facility such as the KU Training Reactor is approximatley $29.000 with negligible environmental impact. The benefits include, but are not limited to: training of radiation protection students, performance of activation analysis; production of short-lived radioisotopes; and education of students and public. Some of these activities could be conducted using particle accelerators or radioactive sources, but these alternatives are at once more costly and less efficient. There is no reason-able alternative to a nuclear training reactor of the type presently used of the University of Kansas - Lawrence Campus for conduct 1ng the broad spectrum l((
of activities previously mentioned.
Approximately an average of five graduate degrees a year have been awarded in Radiation Biophysics with emphasis on radiation protection. In addition, two to three undergraduate degrees are completed per year. All of these students receive training involving the reactor.
It is possible to have a Radiation Biophysics degree program without a Nuclear Reactor Facility. However, past experience for most disciplines show a much better understanding when experiments and experience accompany a lecture / problem learning system.
Another example of the benefits recovered from a facility of this type is the visitors tours. Appror*mately 2000 people have visited the facility in the last five. years and have either been shown by demonstration or by lecture /
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tour, the purpose of nuclear reactors in our society.
J Table I.
AIR SAMPLES
__( Vicinity of Nuclear Reactor Center)
Average Beta Activity Average Gamma Activity Year # Samples (pCi/ml) # Samples (pC1/ml)
-I 7/1/73 - 6/30/74 32 < 4.0 x 10 ' 32 < 1. 8 x 10-
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7/1/74 - 6/30/75 37 < 3. 4 x 10 37 < 2.2 x lo
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7/1/75 - 6/30/76 ,
84 <3.4 x 10 84 < 2. 2 x 10
-12* -II 7/1/76 - 6/30/77 45 <3.4 x 10 45 < 2. 2 x 10
-12* < 2.0 x 10-7/1/77 - 6/30/78 23 <2.0 x 10 27
-11 -II 7/1/77 - 6/30/78 5 1.2 x 10 1 4.1 x 10
-1 * -11 7/1/78 - 6/30/79 46 < 2. 8 x 10 46 < 3. 2 x 10
-1 -11 7/1/78 - 6/30/79 5 2.4 x 10 5 4.0 x 10
- Represents the average minimum detectable activity for the samples colJected.
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i Table 2.
HOLD UP TANK (Demineralizer Regeneration Effluents)
Year Gross Beta Activity Gross Gamma Activity 7/1/73 - 6/30/74 0.9 uci 22.1.uci 7/1/74 - 6/30/75 8.0 uCi 19.9
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7/1/75 - 6/3d/76 2 x 10 1 x 10 7/1/76 - 6/30/77 Less than Minimum 0.34 Detectable 7/1/77 - 6/30/78 1.7 3.8
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7/1/78-6/35/79 0.012 0.079 q:;
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Table 3.
PRODUCIION OF RADIOISOTOPES _
Years No. of Samples Activity (uC1) 7/1/73 - 6/30/74 12 < 44 + 630 Ta 80 7/1/74 - 6/30/75 23 < 456 (of which 200 3r) 80 66 7/1/75 - 6/30/76 30 < 460 (of which - 300 Br) + 4300 Cu 182 69 g 7/1/76 - 6/30/77 22 < 133 + 690 Ta + 6200 12 7/1/77 - 6/30/78 10 < 25 + 1370 Ta 7/1/78 - 6/30/79 11 < 62 I
Isotopes produced included Co (calibration foils), 'Na, "In 0 Cu, 198 g 697n, 122Sb, 124Sb, (foils reused), C1, Cu, 50 7 Br, br, 3r, K, P(r. races) and traces of other isotopes.