Radionuclide Release to Stagnant Water in Fukushima-1 Nuclear Power Plant

Abstract

After the severe accident in the Fukushima-1 nuclear power plant, a large amount of contaminated stagnant water has been produced in turbine buildings and surrounding areas. This rapid communication reports the calculation of the radionuclide inventory in the core, the collection of the measured inventory in the stagnant water, and the estimation of the radionuclide release ratios from the core to the stagnant water. The present evaluation is based on data obtained before June 3, 2011. It was revealed that the release ratios of tritium, iodine and cesium were several tens of percent, while those of strontium and barium were smaller by one or two orders of magnitude. These release ratios of the Fukushima accident were equivalent to those of the TMI-2 accident.