Progress of Cryogenics and Isotopes Separation , ISSN: 1582-2575
2006, Volume 9, Issue 17+18

Radiological Safety System Based on Real-Time Tritium-In-Air Monitoring on Room and Effluents

Abstract

Exposure to tritium is an important health hazard at any tritium handling facility, so that a real-time tritium monitoring system is very important for its operation in safety conditions. The tritium handling facility operators need to be informed at any time about tritium in air concentration level into a room, or a stack effluent, in order to establish if any leaks in tritium containments, or any releases to the room or environment happened. This information is very important so that protective measures and corrective action to be taken quickly.In this paper we describe the conceptual desing af an improved real-time tritium monitoring system at Heavy Water Detritiation Pilot Plant from National Institute for Cryogenics and Isotopes Separation, Rm. Valcea, Romania. The conceptual design of the Radiological Safety System of the ICIT Water Detritiation Pilot Plant is intended to provide the maximum achievable safety level based on the ALARA concept.

The main functions of tritium monitoring system are:

-Monitoring of working areas and gaseous effluents: Tritium-in-air activity concentration measurements;

-Local and remote data display;

-Assessing of ambient dose equivalent rates and dose equivalents in the working environment (for personnel exposure control and work planning);

-Assessing of total tritium activity released to the environment through ventilation exhaust stack;

-Safety functions: local and remote alarms, locking/unlocking personnel access, process shut-down in emergency conditions and start the air cleaning systems

With all these features our tritium monitoring system is really a safety system for personnel and for environment.