Ash radioactivity level and ambient dose equivalent rate in the vicinity of the TPP „Kosovo B“ Obilić.

Abstract

In this paper, the specific activities of radionuclides in ash and ambient dose equivalent rate of gamma radiation in the air in the vicinity of the thermal power plant (TPP) "Kosovo B", Obilić were measured. Five samples for determination the activity of radionuclides in the ash by gamma spectrometric method were taken from the ash dump of the TPP "Kosovo B". The specific activities of the radionuclide 226Ra in the ash are in the range of 9.5 ± 0.6 Bq/kg - 22.4 ± 0.8 Bq/kg. The specific activity of 232Th is in the range of 9.7 ± 0.7Bq/kg - 13.42 ± 0.8 Bq/kg, and the specific activity of 40K is in the range of 22 ± 2Bq/kg - 65 ± 3 Bq/kg. The radiation risk index based on the obtained values is 0.48. The results of measuried ambient dose equivalent rate of gamma radiation on the ground and at a height of 1 m from the ground, at 40 locations, show that the values are within the permitted limits of the world average in the wider study area. The obtained values were measured with the RADEX RD1053+ detector, and ranged from 0.12-0.25 μSv/h on the ground, and 0.11-0.21 μSv/h at the height of 1 m. From the radiological point of view, there are no significant exceedances of the level of radioactivity in the vicinity of the TPP "Kosovo B", Obilić.