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Calculation of Release of Radioactive Materials in Gaseous and Liquid Effluents from Pressurized-Water Reactors: GALE-PWR 3.2 Code (NUREG-0017, Revision 2)

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Publication Information

Manuscript Completed: February 2020
Date Published: July 2020

Prepared by
J. J. Tomon
K. J. Geelhood1
D. V. Colameco1

1Pacific Northwest National Laboratory Richland, WA 99352

John Tomon, NRC Project Manager

Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Washington, DC 20555-0001

Availability Notice

Abstract

This report is documentation for the release of the GALE-PWR 3.2 (Gaseous and Liquid Effluents—Pressurized-Water Reactor 3.2) code. The GALE-PWR-3.2 code is a computerized mathematical model for calculating the releases of radioactive material in gaseous and liquid effluents (i.e., the gaseous and liquid source terms) from nuclear power plants (NPPs). The code is a tool that can be used to determine compliance with the requirements of Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR) Part 50, "Domestic Licensing of Production and Utilization Facilities," Appendix I, "Numerical Guides for Design Objectives and Limiting Conditions for Operation To Meet the Criterion 'As Low as Is Reasonably Achievable' for Radioactive Material in Light-Water-Cooled Nuclear Power Reactor Effluents."

For domestic and international applicants submitting a new reactor application for review and approval by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), the staff considers use of the following to be an acceptable method for demonstrating compliance with 10 CFR Part 50, Appendix I:

  • GALE86 code

  • DC/COL-ISG-05, "Interim Staff Guidance on the Use of the GALE86 Code for Calculation of Routine Radioactive Releases in Gaseous and Liquid Effluents from Boiling-Water Reactors and Pressurized-Water Reactors To Support Design Certification and Combined License Applications," issued July 2008 (Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS) Accession No. ML081710299)

  • Regulatory Guide (RG) 1.112, Revision 1, "Calculations of Releases of Radioactive Materials in Gaseous and Liquid Effluents from Light-Water-Cooled Nuclear Power Reactors," issued March 2007 (ADAMS Accession No. ML070320241)

When the source term or reactor design parameters differ from those given in the GALE86 code, DC/COL-ISG-05, and RG 1.112, Revision 1, they should be described with sufficient detail, and the basis of the alternate method, model parameters, and assumptions should be provided, to allow the NRC to conduct an independent evaluation.

The purpose of the release of this version of the GALE-PWR code is to comprehensively verify the applicability of the current methodology described in NUREG-0017, Revision 1 (ADAMS Accession No. ML112720411), "Calculation of Releases of Radioactive Materials in Gaseous and Liquid Effluents from Pressurized Water Reactors (PWR-GALE code)," issued April 1985, to both the current U.S. PWR facilities and proposed NPP designs. Additionally, the GALE-PWR 3.2 code includes a graphical user interface (GUI) to facilitate easier use of the code.

This report documents the updated GALE-PWR 3.2 code, which is in a self-contained executable and includes installation instructions and description of the various screen shots of the GALE-PWR 3.2 code GUI.

Page Last Reviewed/Updated Wednesday, March 24, 2021