Simulation of the atmospheric dispersion of radioactivity from the Chernobyl accident

Conference · Sun Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1989 · Transactions of the American Nuclear Society; (USA)

OSTI ID:6922755

Lange, R; Sullivan, T J; Gudiksen, P H ^[1]

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1. Lawrence Livermore National Lab., CA (USA)

Measurements of airborne radioactivity over Europe, Japan, and the United States indicated that the release from the Chernobyl reactor accident in the Soviet Union on April 26, 1986, contained a wide spectrum of fission products up to heights of 7 km or more within a few days after the initial explosion. This high-altitude presence of radioactivity would in part be attributable to atmospheric dynamics factors other than the thermal energy released in the initial explosion. Indications were that two types of releases had taken place - an initial powerful explosion followed by days of a less energetic reactor fire. The Atmospheric Release Advisory Capability (ARAC) at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory utilized three-dimensional atmospheric dispersion models to determine the characteristics of the source term (release) and the evolution of the spatial distributions of the airborne radioactivity as it was transported over Europe and subsequently over the northern hemisphere. This paper describes the ARAC involvement and the results of the hemispheric model calculations, which graphically depict the extensive dispersal of radioactivity.

• OSTI ID: 6922755
• Report Number(s): CONF-891103-; CODEN: TANSA; TRN: 90-023484
• Journal Information: Transactions of the American Nuclear Society; (USA), Vol. 60; Conference: Winter meeting of the American Nuclear Society (ANS) and nuclear power and technology exhibit, San Francisco, CA (USA), 26-30 Nov 1989; ISSN 0003-018X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS
21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
CHERNOBYLSK-4 REACTOR
RADIATION ACCIDENTS
HUMAN POPULATIONS
RADIATION DOSES
ACTIVITY LEVELS
AEROSOLS
ATMOSPHERIC PRECIPITATIONS
DEPOSITION
EUROPE
EXPLOSIONS
FIRES
FISSION PRODUCTS
INHALATION
JAPAN
LAWRENCE LIVERMORE LABORATORY
SCANDINAVIA
SOURCE TERMS
THREE-DIMENSIONAL CALCULATIONS
TROPOSPHERE
USA
ACCIDENTS
ASIA
COLLOIDS
DISPERSIONS
DOSES
EARTH ATMOSPHERE
ENRICHED URANIUM REACTORS
GRAPHITE MODERATED REACTORS
INTAKE
ISOTOPES
LWGR TYPE REACTORS
MATERIALS
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
NORTH AMERICA
POPULATIONS
POWER REACTORS
RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS
REACTORS
SOLS
THERMAL REACTORS
US AEC
US DOE
US ERDA
US ORGANIZATIONS
WATER COOLED REACTORS
WESTERN EUROPE
220900* - Nuclear Reactor Technology- Reactor Safety
210400 - Power Reactors
Nonbreeding
Otherwise Moderated or Unmoderated
540130 - Environment
Atmospheric- Radioactive Materials Monitoring & Transport- (1990-)