Nuclear Powerplant Safety: Source Terms. Nuclear Energy.

There has been increased public interest in the potential effects of nuclear powerplant accidents since the Soviet reactor accident at Chernobyl. People have begun to look for more information about the amount of radioactivity that might be released into the environment as a result of such an accident. When this issue is discussed by people working in the field of nuclear energy, they often talk about the source term. This technical concept was used exclusively by scientists and members of the nuclear power industry. People have become interested in what it represents rather than the concept. The purpose of this pamphlet is to make this complex idea, the source term, meaningful in understanding nuclear powerplant safety. Topics include: (1) "Nuclear Power Plant Safety: Source Terms"; (2) "Why It's Called 'Source Term'"; (3) "Source Term Research"; (4) "Understanding Source Term Behavior"; (5) "Potential Hazards"; (6) "Design Characteristics"; (7) "Use of Source Terms"; (8) "Source Term Reassessment"; and (9) "Toward a Better Understanding." Also described are two factors indicating that in the event of an accident, less radioactivity would be released than had been estimated in previous licensing documents. (RT)