Use of principal components analysis for reactor accident consequence evaluation and a comparison with other techniques
The consequences of a potential reactor accident are normally characterized in terms of frequency distributions for exceeding specified surface air concentrations and deposition levels since these may be directly related to individual or population radiation exposures. Since an accidental release of radioactivity could occur at any time, the frequency distributions are determined by performing a large number of calculations that include a variety of possible release characteristics and meteorological situations. Performing such a large number of calculations is generally only feasible with relatively simple analytical models that utilize only the meteorological observations from the reactor site to describe the transport and dispersion of the radioactive material out to distances of about 100 km from the reactor. The purpose of this work was to investigate the possibility of utilizing three-dimensional models for consequence analysis, since these are capable of including meteorological data from multiple sites and the effects of topography on the transport and dispersion of airborne radioactivity over the region of concern. The approach to this problem was to investigate the feasibility of using the principal components analysis (PCA) technique for identifying wind patterns and their frequencies and temporal variations.
- Research Organization:
- Lawrence Livermore National Lab., CA (USA); Sandia National Labs., Albuquerque, NM (USA)
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-7405-ENG-48
- OSTI ID:
- 6532844
- Report Number(s):
- UCRL-86050; CONF-810662-1; TRN: 81-011273
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: OECD nuclear energy agency workshop on reactor accident consequence analysis, Paris, France, 3 Jun 1981
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS
REACTOR ACCIDENTS
RADIOACTIVE EFFLUENTS
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
RADIATION DOSES
RADIATION HAZARDS
REACTOR SAFETY
TOPOGRAPHY
ACCIDENTS
DOSES
HAZARDS
HEALTH HAZARDS
MATERIALS
NUCLEAR FACILITIES
POWER PLANTS
RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS
RADIOACTIVE WASTES
SAFETY
THERMAL POWER PLANTS
WASTES
220900* - Nuclear Reactor Technology- Reactor Safety
220502 - Nuclear Reactor Technology- Environmental Aspects- Radioactive Effluents