Evaluation of implementation possibility for tritium removal technology at Cernavoda NPP

The management of tritium mainly existing in the moderator is a permanent concern of the owners of CANDU type reactors, and consequently of CNE PROD Cernavoda as well. By tritium removal, the radioactivity of the in the heavy water of the moderator can be maintained to about the value of 5 Ci/kg D2O and that of the primary heat agent at 1 Ci/kg D2O. The effect of such a reduction is the 3 times decrease of the radiation dose due to tritium and the reduction of about 10 times of the quantity of tritium released to the environment. The technical measures specified by the AECL design for CANDU 600 reactor at Cernavoda provides compliance with the current standards regarding the concentration of tritium within the operator working area, i.e. 5 x 10-6 Ci/m3. But according to ALARA principle, the standard recommends that the values should be maintained as low as possible. Besides, there is the possibility that the standards will become more restrictive in the future, so that the promotion of a heavy water tritium removal technology is a rational protection preventive measure. Starting from the possibilities to build such a facility in the country, this communication presents the proposal to include the tritium removal facility within the assembly of NPP systems. (authors)