Monitoring system of the fuel-Casette-free STATE of the control rod sleeves on the PAKS NPP.

Lifting the control rod sleeves (CRS) is one of the initial steps of the refuelling of the VVER-400-213 type reactor, which are operating at Paks NPP. If any fuel-cassette adheres to the CRS during its lift, it can result in unplanned exposure of the workers. The monitoring system has been recalibrated, because the first calibration of the monitoring system had been implemented 20 years ago, and Paks NPP had changed the fuel cycle from 12 months to 15 months.

Radiocarbon in the atmospheric gases and PM aerosol around the Paks Nuclear Power Plant, Hungary.

Our study shows a one-year-long, monthly integrated continuous monitoring campaign of gaseous radiocarbon emission and ambient air compared with 4 event-like, weekly (168 h) atmospheric aerosol radiocarbon data in every season of 2019, at 4 locations (n = 16 aerosol sample) around the Paks Nuclear Power Plant, Hungary. The study shows the first aerosol radiocarbon results around a nuclear power plant measured by accelerator mass spectrometry in Hungary. There was no dominant contribution detected in the atmospheric CO gas fraction, but we could detect excess radiocarbon in the total gaseous carbon fraction at almost every sampling point around the Paks Nuclear Power Plant.

Advanced atmospheric C monitoring around the Paks Nuclear Power Plant, Hungary.

Atmospheric air samples were collected at 9 monitoring stations (A1 to A9) less than 2 km from the Paks Nuclear Power Plant (Paks NPP) and a background station (B24). The monthly integrated CO and total carbon (CO+hydrocarbons (CH)) samples were collected to determine the excess C activity at the vicinity of the NPP. The measurements providing the C/C ratio of the monthly integrated samples were carried out on a MICADAS type AMS at HEKAL.

Fission products from the damaged Fukushima reactor observed in Hungary.

Fission products, especially (131)I, (134)Cs and (137)Cs, from the damaged Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant (NPP) were detected in many places worldwide shortly after the accident caused by natural disaster. To observe the spatial and temporal variation of these isotopes in Hungary, aerosol samples were collected at five locations from late March to early May 2011: Institute of Nuclear Research, Hungarian Academy of Sciences (ATOMKI, Debrecen, East Hungary), Paks NPP (Paks, South-Central Hungary) as well as at the vicinity of Aggtelek (Northeast Hungary), Tapolca (West Hungary) and Bátaapáti (Southwest Hungary) settlements. In addition to the aerosol samples, dry/wet fallout samples were collected at ATOMKI, and airborne elemental iodine and organic iodide samples were collected at Paks NPP.