Simulation for radiolytic products of seawater: effects of seawater constituents, dilution rate, and dose rate

Abstract

Radiolysis calculations of simulated seawater were conducted using reported data on chemical yields and chemical reaction sets to predict the effects of seawater constituents on water radiolysis. Hydrogen, oxygen, and hydrogen peroxide were continuously produced from simulated seawater during γ-ray irradiation. The concentration of H2 exceeded its saturation concentration before it reached the steady-state concentration. The production behavior of these molecules was significantly promoted by the addition of bromide ions (Br−) because of the high reactivity of Br− with the hydroxyl radical, an effective hydrogen scavenger. It is also shown that the concentrations of these molecules were effectively suppressed by diluting seawater constituents by less than 1%.