PAVAN: an atmospheric-dispersion program for evaluating design-basis accidental releases of radioactive materials from nuclear power stations

Technical Report · Mon Nov 01 00:00:00 EST 1982

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/6609044· OSTI ID:6609044

Bander, T. J.

This report provides a user's guide for the NRC computer program, PAVAN, which is a program used by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission to estimate downwind ground-level air concentrations for potential accidental releases of radioactive material from nuclear facilities. Such an assessment is required by 10 CFR Part 100 and 10 CFR Part 50. The program implements the guidance provided in Regulatory Guide 1.145, Atmospheric Dispersion Models for Potential Accident Consequence Assessments at Nuclear Power Plants. Using joint frequency distributions of wind direction and wind speed by atmospheric stability, the program provides relative air concentration (X/Q) values as functions of direction for various time periods at the exclusion area boundary (EAB) and the outer boundary of the low population zone (LPZ). Calculations of X/Q values can be made for assumed ground-level releases (e.g., through building penetrations and vents) or elevated releases from free-standing stacks. Various options may be selected by the user. They can account for variation in the location of release points, additional plume dispersion due to building wakes, plume meander under low wind speed conditions, and adjustments to consider non-straight trajectories. It computes an effective plume height using the physical release height which can be reduced by inputted terrain features. It cannot handle multiple emission sources. A description of the main program and all subroutines is provided. Also included as appendices are a complete listing of the program and two test cases with the required data inputs and the resulting program outputs.

• Research Organization: Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: AC06-76RL01830
• OSTI ID: 6609044
• Report Number(s): NUREG/CR-2858; PNL-4413; ON: DE83004404
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS
AEROSOLS
ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSPORT
COMPUTER CODES
P CODES
NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS
RADIATION ACCIDENTS
WIND
VELOCITY
DIFFUSION
EMERGENCY PLANS
GASES
GROUND LEVEL
MANUALS
PLUMES
RADIOACTIVE AEROSOLS
RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS
RADIONUCLIDE MIGRATION
STABILITY
ACCIDENTS
COLLOIDS
DISPERSIONS
DOCUMENT TYPES
FLUIDS
LEVELS
MASS TRANSFER
MATERIALS
NUCLEAR FACILITIES
POWER PLANTS
SOLS
THERMAL POWER PLANTS
500300* - Environment
Atmospheric- Radioactive Materials Monitoring & Transport- (-1989)
220502 - Nuclear Reactor Technology- Environmental Aspects- Radioactive Effluents