Effluent control in fuel reprocessing plants

A study is reported on how extrapolations of current and developing technology might be applied to the task of reducing radioactive effluents from future fuel reprocessing plants to near zero.'' The study indicates that significant reductions of effluente can be achieved by integrating advanced effluent control systems with new concepts of containment and ventilation that would reduce net inleakage of air to the process enclosures and provide for extensive recycle of gases and liquids. If net plant effluent flow rates can be thus reduced and if the highly efticient fission product removal systems, under development do in fact become available, it should be possible to reduce the discharge of activity to the environment in futarff plants by four to six orders of magnitude. Overall plant retention factors in the order of 10/sup 10/ for iodine, 10/sup 5/ for tritium and krypton, and 10/sup 14/ to 10/sup 16/ for part iculates appear possible. (auth)