Evaluation of Radiological Hazards of Particulates Emissions From a Coal Fired Power Plant

摘要

Natural minerals may contain radionuclides of natural origin of Uranium-238 (~(238)U) and Thorium-232 (~(232)Th) decay series. Similarly, coal like any other minerals found in nature contains trace amount of such naturally occurring radionuclides including Potassium-40 (~(40)K). The generation of electricity by coal fired power plant (CFPP) releases particulates emission to the atmosphere and deposited on the surrounding area that may increase the natural background radiation level within the facility. This paper presents an evaluation of the natural radioactivity concentration found in the particulates emission from a typical CFPP in Malaysia. Standard Gaussian dispersion model approach was used to predict the potential radiological hazards arising from the particulates released from the stack.