Studies on the contribution of the aquatic water body to the tritium flux in the atmosphere near the discharge point of Kakrapar Gujarat Site, India

Abstract

The contribution of the aquatic water body to the tritium (3H) flux in the atmosphere near the discharge point of Kakrapar Gujarat Site has been assessed by collecting and analyzing the 3H activity in the air moisture and in the water sample near the aquatic discharge point. The observed air 3H activity near the discharge point was in the range of ≤0.20–19.8 Bq/m3, whereas the predicted 3H activity at the same location due to the atmospheric release through stack varied from 0.10 to 0.15 Bq/m3. The range of water 3H activity through the discharge point varied from ≤10 to 3482 Bq/l. The 3H flux (water to air transfer) was estimated and found to be in the range of ≤5.90E+01 – 2.05E+04 Bq/m2/s. The observation shows that during radioactive aquatic releases, there is an increase in the 3H activity levels in the water vapor near the aquatic discharge point. The observed 3H activity levels in air samples were extremely low to contribute any additional dose to the member of the public as compared to the public dose obtained from natural background sources.