Table 3-2. Worst-case doses in rem resulting from release of 1 Ci of tritium

DOE-HDBK-1129-99

accident). DOE-STD-3009-94, "Preparation Guide for U.S. DOE Nonreactor Nuclear Facility

Safety Analysis Reports," provides detailed guidance for performing accident analyses.

One method of estimating dose is through the use of the HOTSPOT health physics codes

developed by Steven C. Homan of LLNL. These codes operate on a PC, and provide a fast

calculational tool for evaluating accidental releases. They are a first-order approximation of the

radiation effects associated with short-term (less than 24 hours) atmospheric release of radioactive

materials. Reference [21] is a detailed analysis by Bill Wall of LLNL for estimating maximum dose

from a tritium release that uses HOTSPOT methodology as its base. Fifteen DOE tritium release

locations (note that ground release locations will differ slightly from stack locations) were analyzed,

the results of which should be considered as preliminary, and are presented in Table 3-2. A set of

consistent conservative assumptions was used for all locations. Dose results are presented in

current SARs, and are not directly intercomparable due to differing assumption sets among sites.

These were calculated, in part, to help provide personnel involved in a real-time determination of

bounding doses from tritium releases. These tabled values are worst-case doses for the

associated curie releases at these locations, and cannot be compared to the dose values

calculated in the SARs, which are normally estimated by more detailed computational methods.

Additionally, the use of actual meteorological conditions and site topography would mitigate the

tabled values here to smaller doses. An estimation of the impact of topography on the deposition

velocity can be found in the document, "Estimates of Dry Deposition and Plume Depletion over

Forests and Grassland" (IAEA-SM-181/19), Ray Hosker, Jr. In fact, in many cases, the

atmospheric conditions needed for the worst-case doses from ground and stack releases

presented here are mutually exclusive. Indeed, one of the objectives of reference [21] was to

determine which combinations of conditions and parameters result in worst-case doses. Readers

are encouraged to review and comment on the detailed analysis presented in [21].

TABLE 3-2. Worst-case doses in rem resulting from release of 1 Ci of tritium

SAVANNAH RIVER SITE

OXIDE

ELEMENTAL

Ground

Stack

Ground

Stack

Facility

233-H

Site Boundary

6.0E-7

1.8E-7

2.4E-11

7.2E-12

100 meters

1.6E-3

2.1E-5

6.4E-8

8.4E-10

238-H

Site Boundary

6.0E-7

1.5E-7

2.4E-11

6.0E-12

100 meters

1.6E-3

9.8E-6

6.4E-8

3.9E-10

234-H

Site Boundary

6.0E-7

3.7E-8

2.4E-11

1.5E-12

100 meters

1.6E-3

2.1E-7

6.4E-8

8.4E-12

232-H-line 1&2

Site Boundary

6.0E-7

3.7E-8

2.4E-11

1.5E-12

100 meters

1.6E-3

2.1E-7

6.4E-8

8.4E-12

232-H-line 3

Site Boundary

6.0E-7

3.7E-8

2.4E-11

1.5E-12

100 meters

1.6E-3

2.1E-7

6.4E-8

8.4E-12

MOUND

OXIDE

ELEMENTAL

Ground

Stack

Ground

Stack

Facility

NCDPF

Site Boundary

1.6E-3

3.2E-6*

6.4E-8

1.3E-10*

100 meters

1.6E-3

2.3E-6

6.4E-8

9.2E-11

HEFS

Site Boundary

1.6E-3

2.5E-6*

6.4E-8

1.0E-10*

100 meters

1.6E-3

1.4E-6

6.4E-8

5.6E-11

SWIC

Site Boundary

8.0E-4

2.5E-6*

3.2E-8

1.0E-10*

100 meters

1.6E-3

1.4E-6

6.4E-8

5.6E-11