Tritium: its generation and pathways to the environment at CANDU 6 generating stations

Abstract

Tritium production rates and its pathways in CANDU 6 generating stations are studied in this paper. Tritium is generated primarily by the D(n, γ)T reaction in the reactor core. The major sources of tritium are moderator and coolant heavy water which are exposed to high neutron flux levels during reactor operation. A small amount of tritiated heavy water escape from heavy water filled systems is inevitable. Most of the tritiated heavy water which escapes is recovered through well-equipped heavy water recovery and collection systems. The vaporized tritiated heavy water is controlled by the D20 vapour recovery and ventilation systems. Similarly, the liquid tritiated heavy water is collected by portable D20 recovery tools and by an active drainage system. The remaining small amount escapes as tritiated heavy water and is lost to the environment in airborne and/or waterborne form.