Radiation dose management in nuclear power plants

Various approaches available for radiation dose management in nuclear power plants are reviewed in this paper. These approaches include radiation field reduction, accurate dose reporting, good health physics planning, exposure control during job execution, and implementation of a radiation protection culture. For the reduction of radiation fields, a wide variety of technological methods are also available. These include controlling cobalt sources, preconditioning of replacement components, controlling primary chemistry, controlling reactor shutdown and startup chemistry, chemical decontamination, minimizing fuel failures, and using sub-micron purification filters. Successful radiation management requires cooperation among the various groups with relevant responsibilities at a nuclear power plant if the desired exposure goals are to be achieved.