Lessons learned from a review of post-accident sampling systems, high range effluent monitors and high concentration particulate iodine samplers

Post-accident sampling systems (PASS), high range gaseous effluent monitors and sampling systems for particulates and iodine in high concentrations which were installed to meet the requirements of NUREG-0737 have been reviewed at twenty-one licensee sites in Region I of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission which includes fifteen BWR's and fourteen PWR's. Although most of the installed PASS met the NUREG-0737 criteria, the highest operational readiness was found in on-line systems which were also used for routine sampling and analysis. The detectors used in the gaseous effluent monitors included external ion chambers, GM tubes, organic scintillators and Cd-Te solid state crystals. Although all were found acceptable, each had its own inherent limitations in the conversion of detector output to the time varying concentration of a post-accident mixture of noble gases