Environmental Radiation from a Coal-fired Power Plant Using Domestically Produced Coals

概要

論文の詳細を見る
Environmental samples of ditch soil, ditch water, sea water, and sands were taken from a 280-MWe coal-fired power plant with a daily coal consumption of 2800 tons. Fly and bottom ashes were also taken from the same power plant. A 30 cm^3 Ge(Li) detector coupled with a well-shielded and computer-aided multichannel analyzer was used to determine the radio-nuclides in environmental samples and ashes. Coal samples of North Taiwan with an ash to coal ratio of 1:4 were also investigated. Four major radionuclides of ^<232>Th, ^<238>U, ^<235>U, and ^<40>K were reported assuming the secular equilibrium exists in thorium and uranium series. The annual release of ^<232>Th, ^<238>U, and ^<235>U into atmosphere is 240, 210, and 30mCi, respectively. Both fly and bottom ashes have highest activity per gram. On the other hand, the ^<235>U content in Taiwan coals, ditch water at the plant site, and sands along the seashore off the plant site is below the detection limit. It is of some concern to mention that fossil fuel power plants, especially those burning coal, also emit radioactive effuents. The source of this activity is the fly ash discharged from such plants, which contains trace amounts of uranium and thorium and their decay products.
日本放射線影響学会の論文