Methodology Used in the Radiological Assessment of a Coal‐Fired Power Plant

A radiological assessment of the workers and the public potentially affected by the operation of the Teruel Coal‐fired Power Plant (the UPT Teruel), was performed under realistic assumptions. This assessment is part of a wider study to characterize the potential radiological impact of Naturally Occurring Radioactive Materials (NORM), in which our team, integrated by University of Extremadura and CIEMAT, is carrying out the study on coal‐fired power plants sponsored by the Spanish Nuclear Safety Council (CSN). The study comprises the four biggest coal‐fired power plants in Spain. Taking into account the working conditions and the plant specifications, six groups of workers were defined, established considering the 17 working tasks that could be of any importance for this assessment. For the public, considering that the area is barely inhabited, two different recreational scenarios were defined. Therefore, in‐plant and outside measurements, needed for the assessment of each scenario, were carried out. Where experimental data were not available or measurements ranged within the natural background radiation values, modelling has been used. Every measured or estimated activity concentration in coal and other used materials or in the by‐products generated in the power plant, for every radionuclide in the natural chains of $238U,$ $232Th$ and $40K,$ were below $0.32 Bq g−1.$ Those values are under the $0.5 Bq g−1$ reference value for exemption and clearance of $238U,$ $232Th$ and $226Ra$ and the $5 Bq g−1$ for $40K$ recommended in Europe. In the dose evaluations for six groups of workers, a maximum of $21 μSv a−1$ was obtained (mainly due to the inhalation of resuspended particles). For both considered scenarios for the public, all the evaluated doses were below $4.3 μSv a−1.$ These results are considered negligible from a radiological point of view. In this work the models and assumptions used for the evaluation of workers and public doses, the assessment, as well as the most relevant experimental results and conclusions are presented.