A ONE-YEAR STUDY OF THE TOTAL AIR-BORNE C-14 EFFLUENTS FROM 2 SWEDISHLIGHT-WATER REACTORS, ONE BOILING WATER AND ONE PRESSURIZED-WATER REACTOR

The results of a one-year study of the total air-bome C-14 effluents f rom two Swedish light-water reactors, one boiling water reactor (BWR) at Forsmark and one pressurized water reactor (PWR) at Ringhals, are p resented. Air emitted from the stacks has been collected continuously over two-week periods and the C-14 content in the samples has been ana lysed using accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS), The C-14 activity con centration in the air issuing from the stack of the PWR varied between 2 and 1132 Bq/m(3) with a mean value of 200 Bq/m(3), while from the B WR the activity concentration varied between 4 and 146 Bq/m(3), with a mean value of 95 Bq/m(3). The corresponding C-14 release rate was 0.2 7 TBq/GW(el). year for the PWR and 0.48 TBq/GW(el). year for the BWR. During the same period of time, for comparison, the C-14 activity in c ontinuously collected air from the stack of the PWR was also measured by liquid scintillation counting. In most cases the results of these m easurements were in fair agreement with tbe corresponding AMS results.