Predicting radiation fields around reactor components

The mechanisms by which radiation fields grow around the out-core components of water-cooled reactors have been identified. Mathematical models of these mechanisms (which agree well with experimental data) are used to find ways of minimizing fields in CANDUs. Thus, the models indicate that: preconditioning is not important in feeder contamination; there is little incentive to specify low-cobalt steel for feeders; differences in the long term contamination of Inconel and Incoloy boiler tubes are negligible; high temperature filtration of the coolant reduces field growth. (author)