Tritium Production and Release Path, Braidwood

Tritium Production and Release ,Path Braidwood Operations Training

Original Developed by: Dan Redden Tom Ross Exelon Nuclear Fuels

hdmatior in this record w&a dh I" a with te Freedom of Inktx#Ma Ak% __,••oo•o'-7/ 6,-11 o Tritium Basics

*Unstable isotope of Hydrogen , Nucleus (triton): 1proton &2 neutons , Readily incorporates into water , Decays via a weak beta (6KeV) with a 12.3 year half life

OPS Fundamentals Solid Understanding of Plant Design and System Interactions Learn the Fundamentals ° IITritium Basics

Why the concern over Tritium?

The city of Wilmington draws their drinking water from the Kankakee. Exelon and the Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA) provide sampling equipment to ensure that Tritium limits are not exceeded.

Property along the "Lake Blowdown" pipe contaminated with tritium from spurious operation of "Vacuum Breakers"

Cross contamination of normally "Clean" systems at Braidwood resulting in groundwater tritium on our property Tritium Basics (Cont'd)

Manmade Generation: #Nuclear Weapons Testing *Primarily in1950's &60's *After 35+ years decay, 5x natural tritium still inenvironment @Expected to return to natural levels by 2030 Tritium Production Reactors *US large scale production ended at Savannah River in1988 New production at Watts Bar using lithium loaded Fuel rods sNuclear Power Reactors @Over 90% of tritium generated istrapped within fuel &BP rods Key Nuclear Reactions Producing Tritium

Ternary Fission 1/10,000 fissions , Dominant production mechanism innuclear power reactors . Most tritium chemically "trapped" inU0 2pellet matrix , 10BRelated Production @Soluble boron (tritium produced directly incoolant) sIFBA (ZrB2)coated fuel pellets (tritium produced inside fuel rod) sWABA discrete BPs (tritium produced inside WABA rod) vTritium production reaction: 10B+ 1n -ý2 4 He + 3H @Fast neutron, 0,04 barn ,Lithium production reaction: I°B + in 4 7Li + 4He #Thermal neutron, 3800 barn Key Nuclear Reactions Producing Tritium(contd)

@Lithium Related Production eLithium (99.95% 71i) added at BOC, reduced thereafter e7 Li generated from 10Bin coolant, lFBA, &WABA 7 e Li + in -_ in + 4He + 3H , Fast neutron, 0.33 barn o6 Li + In - 4'He+ 3H , Thermal neutron, 940 barn 6Li suspected to deplete rapidly (neut reaction +demin removal)

, Other Minor Production * 2H + In -> 3H @Thermal neutron, 0.0005 barn '11B& 1 4N(negligible production) Where Does Tritium Come From?

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H.2 incoolant 1% Fission Product Leaks Burnable Absorber Leaks 1% .1% Li-7 inCoolant Dfu 1% Burnabl Absorber Diffusln

Tritium (Fission Product) Diffusion . B-10 inCoolant 25% 60%

Li-6 inCoolant i0% Braidwood Blowdown Line - Vacuum Breakers

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Actions - Braidwood Recycle Team

Short Term (starting immediately through the next 1- 3years): Release tank liquid discharges were suspended at Braidwood Station Team develop methods to allow continued operation with zero liquid release from release tanks Water management Reduce inputs to radwaste Deborate using resin when RCS boron <200 ppm Water management and effective use of installed demineralizers Outage water management (e.g. loop fill source)

Long Term: Operate the plant as designed (recycle primary water) (b)(4) (b)(4) (b)(4)

EC 359099

* This EC will: * Modify the RWMT inlet piping to segregate water sent to vendor processing from that water received from the ALPS system. * Also segregates water sent to ALPS from that sent to the release tanks, CSTs, PWSTs and SG Blowdown

(b)(4)