DISCHARGE PATHWAYS AND TECHNIQUES OF MONI TORING THEM

The normal operation of nuclear nuclear power plants gives rise to art ificial radioactive materials which are reliably kept out of the envir onment by a system of material and physical barriers staggered in dept h. Only a small fraction of these radioactive substances are discharge d into the environment during normal operation, e.g. with the ex-vent air and the liquid effluent. These radioactive emissions are limited s o as to protect persons outside the plant, and their discharge must be monitored pursuant To the requirements in Sec. 46, Subsec. I of the G erman Radiation Protection Ordinance. Section 72 of that Ordinance req uires these monitoring systems to meet the state of the art. This ensu res continuous further development of the monitoring systems in radiat ion protection. The article traces the development of radiation measur ement for monitoring the plant-environment interfaces over the past te n to fifteen years. Interface, in this sense, refers to those points a t which radioactive materials may be discharged or released into or sp read in, the environment during normal operation or under accident con ditions. In the operation of a nuclear power plant, these are the ex-v ent ail; the liquid effluent, the exit of the controlled area, and the delivery of radioactive residues for safe recycling. Also decommissio ning steps must be included, as they imply releasing plants and plant components, respectively, from the provisions of the the Atomic Energy Act. The survey is completed by some remarks about environmental moni toring and remote monitoring of nuclear reactors.