ML20030A448
| ML20030A448 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Big Rock Point File:Consumers Energy icon.png |
| Issue date: | 01/18/1960 |
| From: | CONSUMERS ENERGY CO. (FORMERLY CONSUMERS POWER CO.) |
| To: | |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 8101090528 | |
| Download: ML20030A448 (3) | |
Text
SECTION VI
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WASTE DISPOSAL A.
GENERAL The design of the proposed Plant will include features to give def-inite assurance that any release of radioactive materials to the environment will be accomplished in conformance with applicable licensing regulations.
B.
RADIOACTIVE LIOUID WASTES The plant will be provided with equipment to permit treatment of liquid wastes by demineralization, evaporation, temporary storage, and longer term storage. The reactor system proposed will require that only a small quantity of liquid wastes be discharged to the en-virons. This is currently estimated as a maximum of the order of 1000 gallons per average day. This small quantity for disposal results principally from those process wastes which, due to their chemical characteristics, are not appropriate for reuse in the process following treatment.
When it is intended to dispose of radioactive liquid wastes, control will be on a batch basis. The batch urder consideration will be sampled and analyzed to the extent necessary to determine whether safe disposal can be accomplished by dilution with the large volume condenser cooling water flow into Lake Michigan. The design basis is that the concentration in the discharge canal during such periods of dispasal of a batch will not exceed the concentrations stated in applicable licensing regulations. Continual sampling of the dis-charge canal will audit total release to the Lake.
C.
GASEOUS RADIOACTIVE WASTES The operation of the direct cycle boiling water reactor will involve some release of radiogases to the atmosphere. The plant will include sufficient short-term decay facilities so that the significant quantities of short-lived activatien product gases will be reduced to insignificant quantities (less tham 100 microcuries per second) prior to release to the stack.
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The quantities of fission product gases (xenons and kryptons) available for release is a function of the significance of fuel element defects. It is expected that, en the basis of the stack 9/oloYoSW
.VI-2
-height (240 feet), and on appropriate atmospheric diffusion pa-rameters, it will be' established that stack discharge of the order of one-half curie per second will be a permissible level, which will be unlikely to cause radiation exposure off of the plant prop-erty in excess of those doses permitted by the appropriate licensing regulations.
Therefore, it is expected that the normal discharge of radiogases from the. proposed plant will be only a minor fraction of that which may be permitted.
Continuous monitoring instrumentation will be used to insure op-eration within the license established.
D.
SOLID RADIOACTIVE WASTES It is not contemplated that any solid radioactive wastes will be discharged to the environment. Such wastes either will be con-tained in approved storage facilities on the site, or will be re-moved from the site by licensed contractors for storage or disposal elsewhere.
E.
EFFECTS OF POSTULATED ACCIDENTAL RELEASE OF WASTES The possible radiological effects of various postulated operating errors involving the waste disposal systems have been estimated.
j With regard to stack release of radiogases, failure of both the manual and automatic closure on discharge from the air ejector system is considered. Conservatively assuming that no variation in wind direction or atmospheric stability occurred over a period i
of one hour, emission of noble gases from defective fuel at a rate I
500 times that of the probable manual shutdown level would be re-quired before an annual permissible dose applicable to the general public could be received in that time, at any point in the plant en-i virons.
With regard to accidental discharge of liquids, primary reactor water contaminated with 104 curies of fission products is con-sidered as a worst source which might be available. If such liquid were_ drained to a waste collection tank, and then accidentally pumped to the discharge canal at the maximum pumping rate avail-able, the concentration in the discharge canal would be of the order of 0. ljic/cc. The consultant's report (Appendix 5) indicates that diffusion by a factor of 100-200 would occur in an hour, and that
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the average current movement from the site to the main portion of I
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VI-3 Lake Michigan is of the order of 0.1 miles per hour. The refore continued diffusion, decay, and slow movement would limit the region of significantly contaminated lake water to a relatively small area.
Accidental leakage of such liquids from any aboveground storage facility would be controlled by diking provided. Underground leak-age would encounter the low permeability and high ion exchange propertica of the natural overburden. Any liquids reaching the fractured limestone stratum would be limited in their movement toward the lake by the low horizontal velocity (O. 05 feet per day) in this stratum. This would permit time for artificial control of the ground water level between the plant and the lake, if necessary.
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