Characterization of diffuse emissions from the Clinton P. Anderson Meson Physics Facility (LAMPF), Los Alamos National Laboratory, New Mexico

Abstract

The Clinton P. Anderson Meson Physics Facility (LAMPF) is an 800 megaelectron volt (MeV) proton accelerator operated by the University of California for the United States Department of Energy (DOE). The accelerator produces activation products of air that are discharged up a stack that is monitored to determine total activity released. Recently, EPA regulators expressed concern over diffuse emissions (often called fugitive emissions) escaping from the facility by pathways other than the stack. These emissions are not monitored by existing instrumentation. This paper strives to estimate the activity being released diffusely from LAMPF for the purpose of refining offsite dose calculations. The major source of these diffuse emissions is air that moves through gaps in the shielding around the targets in the experimental areas. To estimate the emissions, approximately 250 air samples were taken inside the experimental area to determine average air concentration, then the parameters of the ventilation system were used to determine outflow rate. A release of 5.88 x 10[] +- 4.25 x 10[] Becquerels (160 [] 5 Curies) of radioactive gases was estimated for the run cycle of Summer 1992. A model is proposed to calculate releases in the future. The model is simplistic (based solely on beam current) but includes an error estimate to account for other factors that may affect the release amount. The estimated release and this model apply only to Area A. Release estimates from other experimental areas should also be considered.