Radiation Dose Assessment of Tritium Released from the Thorium Molten Salt Reactor

Large amounts of tritium will inevitably be produced during operation from the Thorium Molten Salt Reactor (TMSR) fueled by lithium salt, which is detrimental to the human body. Therefore, it is necessary to evaluate the radiation dose of the generated tritium. The tritium production, emission, and radiation dose of TMSRs were estimated by numerical calculation. According to this study, a 2-MW(thermal) TMSR produces 3.33E+14 Bq center dot yr(-1) of tritium, discharges 2.42E+13 Bq center dot yr(-1) of tritium, and causes 1.06 mu Sv center dot yr(-1) of radiation dose. A 30-MW(thermal) TMSR produces 5.00E+15 Bq center dot yr(-1) of tritium, discharges 3.62E+14 Bq center dot yr(-1) of tritium, and causes 2.02 mu Sv center dot yr(-1) of radiation dose. A 2250-MW(thermal) TMSR produces 3.75E+17 Bq center dot yr(-1) of tritium, discharges 2.77E+16 Bq center dot yr(-1) of tritium, and causes 79 mu Sv center dot yr(-1) of radiation dose. The radiation dose of TMSRs is much less than 1 mSv center dot yr(-1), which is the dose limit for internal recruitment in China. It is determined that TMSRs are safe for humans regarding tritium hazard.