After sampling indicates sufficiently low level of activity, the fluid will be pumped to special dock facilities for transfer to inland waste disposal sites. No waste will be discharged at sea under present operating plans.
A special 129-foot vessel, the NSV ATOMIC SERVANT, will service the Savannah’s reactor and handle the radioactive wastes.
The majority of the potentially radioactive gases vent into a central manifold. Here they are monitored, diluted by fan-driven air and discharged up the radio mast after passing through a series of filters. During normal operation, the manifold is vented continuously. However, if the radiation monitor indicates activity levels too high for satisfactory dilution, the gases can be diverted into the containment shell.
GAS FILTERED, MONITORED
The region between the containment vessel and the secondary shielding is ventilated with a 4,000 cfm fan which discharges about half way up the radio mast. This gas is not expected to be radioactive but as an added precaution it is monitored to determine if radioactivity is present.
All gases released through the radio mast are filtered to remove particulate matter.
The containment shell air is purged with fresh air periodically at sea and prior to entry by the ship’s engineering crew. During normal operation the only radioactive gas in the shell is argon-41, at a concentration less than the maximum permissible level for continuous occupational exposure. The only potential sources of activity in the containment air above tolerance levels would be fission products and these are not present during normal operation. However, as previously described, prior to purging, air samples will be analyzed to ascertain the activity levels.
HEALTH PHYSICS MONITORING SYSTEM
This system provides radiation protection to crew and passengers through constant monitoring for any abnormalities in radiation levels that might occur. This is accomplished through a system of 12 radiation detector units in the following locations: A-deck, outside doctor’s office; B-deck, aft passageway; B-deck, port passageway; C-deck, port passageway; C-deck, aft passageway; D-deck, starboard passageway; D-deck, both fore and aft bulkheads and at tanktop level, the port, starboard, fore and aft passageways.
These 12 monitor units feed their readings into 2 channels, with 6 monitors on each channel according to a predetermined sequence. A manually operated detector permits switching to any one monitor to allow observation and study of that station for as long as desired. By means of a recorder on each channel, a permanent record of the 12 monitoring stations can be obtained.