Dilution pattern of low level liquid discharge in the coastal seawater at Kalpakkam using 3H as tracer

At Kalpakkam two units of pressurized heavy water reactors (PHWRs) are operating with the installed capacity of 230 MWe each for the last 25 years. Apart from these reactors there are other nuclear facilities namely Kalpakkam Reprocessing Plant and Fast Breeder Test Reactor etc. Low level radioactive liquid waste generated from these nuclear facilities are treated, diluted and disposed into sea by the Centralised Waste Management Facility (CWMF). The liquid waste is discharged into the sea at about 270 m away from the shore through an approach jetty located near Madras Atomic Power Station (MAPS). Since, the low level liquid waste contains important fission products such as 137Cs, 90Sr etc. and activation product 3H, it is essential to study the dilution and dispersion pattern, with a view to ascertain the possible accumulation of reactor released radioactivity on the near shore. To carry out the dilution and dispersion study, the 3H content in the liquid waste itself was used as a tracer