Document: NRC Regulatory Guide
Document ID: c9ebcbb0-96c4-4d29-be51-5acae9cc858a
Document Type: regulatory_guide
Title: Estimating Aquatic Dispersion of Effluents from Accidental and Routine Reactor Releases for the Purpose of Implementing Appendix I (Rev. 1)
Source: NRC Regulatory Guide Division 1
Source URL: https://www.nrc.gov/docs/ML0037/ML003740390.pdf
Revision Date: 2023-06
Chapter: 
Section ID: RG-1.113
CFR Part: 
CFR Title: 

Content:
lyzed on a case-by-case basis. Standards for analysis of releases to ground water are currently being developed by the American Nuclear Society and will be published by the American National Standards Institute. B. DISCUSSION Radioactive material in aqueous effluents may be released from nuclear power stations, either routinely or accidentally, into a variety of receiving surface water bodies, including nontidal rivers, lakes, reservoirs, cooling ponds,,estuaries, and open coastal waters. This material is dispersed by turbulent mixing and by streamflow in rivers, by tidal or nontidal coastal currents in estuaries and coastal waters, and by internal circulation or flow-through in lakes, reservoirs, and cooling ponds. Parameters influencing the dispersion patterns and con centration reduction near a site include the direction and speed of flow of currents, both natural and plant-induced, in the receiving water; the intensity of turbulent mixing; the size, geometry, and bottom topography of the water body; the location of effluent discharge in relation to the receiving water surface and shoreline; the amount of recirculation of previously dis charged effluent; the characteristics of suspended and bottom sediments; the sediment sorption propertiesi and radioactive decay. This guide describes calculational models acceptable to the NRC staff for estimating aquatic dispersion of routine or accidental releases of radioactive material from a nuclear power station to a surface water body. The models discussed include both simplified models having straight forward analytical solutions and more complex models requiring numerical solution. In general, In this guide, the term "dose," when applied to individuals, is used instead of the more precise term, "dose equivalent," as defined by the International Commission on Radiological Units and Measurements (ICRUM). 1.113-1 the modeling techniques discussed represent adaptations of work currently available in the liter ature. Because.