Radioactivity Release from Radionuclide Power Sources. II. Release of Strontium Titanate to the Ocean Environment

摘要

In a program to determine the dissolution behavior in the ocean of radioactive fuels used as space vehicle power sources, rates of release of radionuclides from fuel-simulants to seawater had been measured in the laboratory. However, the experimental conditions did not account for factors existing in the natural environment. A companion study was made with two fuel-simulant speciments immersed in the ocean, with extensive limitations because of the lack of experimental control. For one of the specimens, the release rate approximated that obtained in the laboratory work. For the other, the rate was higher by an order of magnitude. The increase could be attributed only to the action of biological growth on the specimen, since no other significant parameters could be investigated. The large release of radioactivity in an ocean environment indicates the necessity for in-situ testing as well as laboratory testing. (Author)