An Engineering Design Study of A Reference Theta-Pinch Reacfor (RTPR): Environmental Impact Study

摘要

The recently completed engineering design study for the Reference Theta-Pinch Reactor (RTPR) has allowed an assess¬ment of the potential environmental impact of an RTPR power plant to be made. During normal operation of the plant, tritium is expected to be released at a rate of 6 Ci/day, an amount that would lead to low maximum doses (0.06 to 0.8 mrem/yr, depen¬ding on site and cooling options). These doses, and the an-ticipated integrated population doses, are considerably less than doses now considered acceptable.nProblems related to (i) the required commitment of some natural resources (e.g., beryllium and niobium), (ii) the disposi¬tion of activated structural materials and other radioactive waste (76,700 kg/yr or 12 GCi/yr at shutdown) for a five-year niobium component lifetime, and (iii) land despoilment are substantial but do not appear to compromise the viability of RTPR's as a useful power source.