Climatographic analysis of the Zion nuclear power station site

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

OSTI ID:6768365

Lyons, W A; Venne, M G; Keen, C S; Miller, C W; Whitcomb, R C

The computerized emergency response dose assessment codes (ERDACs) used in the nuclear industry commonly rely on Gaussian plume dispersion techniques. In coastal zones, particularly within 15 km of the shoreline, complex four-dimensional mesoscale meteorological regimes often violate some of the basic assumptions of Gaussian dispersion. For example, a land breeze will initially advect materials offshore into unpopulated areas. Such effluents may pool over water only to return to land in the next morning's onshore flow, but in locations and concentrations unknown and undeterminable from on-site data and standard Gaussian modeling techniques. Improving the performance of ERDACs for a given coastal site requires a climatographic inventory of that site and its surroundings. This involves identifying the coastal mesoscale regimes (CMRs) that affect the site, including their annual frequencies of occurrence and the meteorological conditions that characterize them. Such a climatographic analysis has been performed for the Zion nuclear power station (NPS), which is located just north of Chicago, Illinois, on the western shore of southern Lake Michigan. The purpose of this paper is to summarize the results of this study and its implications for radiological emergency response activities.

• OSTI ID: 6768365
• Report Number(s): CONF-891103-; CODEN: TANSA; TRN: 90-023454
• 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
PLUMES
COMPUTERIZED SIMULATION
ZION-1 REACTOR
EMERGENCY PLANS
ZION-2 REACTOR
DATA BASE MANAGEMENT
GAUSSIAN PROCESSES
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
METEOROLOGY
PERFORMANCE
RADIATION DOSES
SNOW
STORMS
WIND
ATMOSPHERIC PRECIPITATIONS
DISASTERS
DOSES
ENRICHED URANIUM REACTORS
MANAGEMENT
POWER REACTORS
PWR TYPE REACTORS
REACTORS
SIMULATION
THERMAL REACTORS
WATER COOLED REACTORS
WATER MODERATED REACTORS
220900* - Nuclear Reactor Technology- Reactor Safety
210200 - Power Reactors
Nonbreeding
Light-Water Moderated
Nonboiling Water Cooled
540130 - Environment
Atmospheric- Radioactive Materials Monitoring & Transport- (1990-)