Fission product iodine release and retention in nuclear reactor accidents— experimental programme at PSI

Iodine radionuclides constitute one of the most important fission products of uranium and plutonium. If the volatile forms would be released into the environment during a severe accident, a potential health hazard would then ensue. Understanding its behaviour is an important prerequisite for planning appropriate mitigation measures. Improved and extensive knowledge of the main iodine species and their reactions important for the release and retention processes in the reactor containment is thus mandatory. The aim of PSI's radiolytical studies is to improve the current thermodynamic and kinetic databases and the models for iodine used in severe accident computer codes.