Effect of filtering at containment venting on the consequences for the environment

Containment venting is considered in many countries as an option to avoid an uncontrolled release of radioactivity due to containment rupture in the case of a severe reactor accident. The source term is reduced by filtering the vented gases and so the consequences are mitigated further. In this study the benefits of filtering are assessed by calculating the consequences of a release with and without a filter. The results show that with a filtered release the consequences for the environment remain below the intervention levels applied in the Netherlands, except those for land contamination with iodine. 10 refs., 6 figs., 2 tabs