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Title: A simplified model for calculating atmospheric radionuclide transport and early health effects from nuclear reactor accidents

Abstract

During certain hypothetical severe accidents in a nuclear power plant, radionuclides could be released to the environment as a plume. Prediction of the atmospheric dispersion and transport of these radionuclides is important for assessment of the risk to the public from such accidents. A simplified PC-based model was developed that predicts time-integrated air concentration of each radionuclide at any location from release as a function of time integrated source strength using the Gaussian plume model. The solution procedure involves direct analytic integration of air concentration equations over time and position, using simplified meteorology. The formulation allows for dry and wet deposition, radioactive decay and daughter buildup, reactor building wake effects, the inversion lid effect, plume rise due to buoyancy or momentum, release duration, and grass height. Based on air and ground concentrations of the radionuclides, the early dose to an individual is calculated via cloudshine, groundshine, and inhalation. The model also calculates early health effects based on the doses. This paper presents aspects of the model that would be of interest to the prediction of environmental flows and their public consequences.

Authors:
 [1]; ;  [2]
  1. Brookhaven National Lab., Upton, NY (United States)
  2. Energy Research, Inc., Rockville, MD (United States)
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Brookhaven National Lab. (BNL), Upton, NY (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
OSTI Identifier:
116571
Report Number(s):
BNL-62232; CONF-9511131-2
ON: DE96002009; TRN: 95:023372
DOE Contract Number:  
AC02-76CH00016
Resource Type:
Conference
Resource Relation:
Conference: 7. international symposium on measurement and modeling of environmental flows, San Francisco, CA (United States), 12-17 Nov 1995; Other Information: PBD: [1995]
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
22 NUCLEAR REACTOR TECHNOLOGY; 54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES; NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS; REACTOR ACCIDENTS; FISSION PRODUCT RELEASE; RADIOISOTOPES; ATMOSPHERIC CIRCULATION; PLUMES; DEPOSITION; METEOROLOGY; RADIATION DOSES; ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS; RADIONUCLIDE MIGRATION; REACTOR SAFETY; S CODES

Citation Formats

Madni, I K, Cazzoli, E G, and Khatib-Rahbar, M. A simplified model for calculating atmospheric radionuclide transport and early health effects from nuclear reactor accidents. United States: N. p., 1995. Web.
Madni, I K, Cazzoli, E G, & Khatib-Rahbar, M. A simplified model for calculating atmospheric radionuclide transport and early health effects from nuclear reactor accidents. United States.
Madni, I K, Cazzoli, E G, and Khatib-Rahbar, M. 1995. "A simplified model for calculating atmospheric radionuclide transport and early health effects from nuclear reactor accidents". United States. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/116571.
@article{osti_116571,
title = {A simplified model for calculating atmospheric radionuclide transport and early health effects from nuclear reactor accidents},
author = {Madni, I K and Cazzoli, E G and Khatib-Rahbar, M},
abstractNote = {During certain hypothetical severe accidents in a nuclear power plant, radionuclides could be released to the environment as a plume. Prediction of the atmospheric dispersion and transport of these radionuclides is important for assessment of the risk to the public from such accidents. A simplified PC-based model was developed that predicts time-integrated air concentration of each radionuclide at any location from release as a function of time integrated source strength using the Gaussian plume model. The solution procedure involves direct analytic integration of air concentration equations over time and position, using simplified meteorology. The formulation allows for dry and wet deposition, radioactive decay and daughter buildup, reactor building wake effects, the inversion lid effect, plume rise due to buoyancy or momentum, release duration, and grass height. Based on air and ground concentrations of the radionuclides, the early dose to an individual is calculated via cloudshine, groundshine, and inhalation. The model also calculates early health effects based on the doses. This paper presents aspects of the model that would be of interest to the prediction of environmental flows and their public consequences.},
doi = {},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/116571}, journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {Wed Nov 01 00:00:00 EST 1995},
month = {Wed Nov 01 00:00:00 EST 1995}
}

Conference:
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