DETERMINATION OF RADIO-LOGICAL CONSEQUENCES DATA BY MEANS OF COMPUTER CODES

Gheorghe Vieru, PhD

Senior Scientific Nuclear Research Worker

AREN / c.o. Institute for Nuclear Research, Romania

Paper to be presented at

The 3rd Int’l Conf on Molecular, Atomic, Nuclear and Particle Physics (MANPP 2015)

To be held in Shanghai, China

August 25-27, 2015

DETERMINATION OF RADIO-LOGICAL CONSEQUENCES DATA BY MEANS OF COMPUTER CODES

Gheorghe Vieru, PhD

Senior Scientific Nuclear Research Worker

AREN / c.o. Institute for Nuclear Research, Romania

ABSTRACT

The transport of Dangerous Goods-Class # 7 Radioactive Material (RAM)–according to the UN classification is an important part of the Waste Management.

The work will presents a safety case due to the transport, by road, of Radwastes (Radioactive wastes) using type A packages, from nuclear facilities to the National Repository in Romania.

The work will emphasize the importance of management for safety and security, as well as the prevention of accidents or malicious acts during the transport of RAM.

To apply the concept to the domestic regulations regarding physical protection measures, it is required to discuss potential radiological consequences data raised by possible sabotage with realistic assumptions and a level of unacceptable radiological consequences data.

The potential risks to human being and to the environment, will be presented and the assessment will include the followings:

  • The assessment scenarios will be represented in the conceptual models such as computer codes: INTERTRAN 2, RADTRAN 6 and RISKIND.
  • estimation of the expected potential radio-nuclides release and its consequences data as well as the possible impact for human beings and the environment;
  • evaluation of risk expectation values-the expectation values or average of risk, measured in terms of expected number of fatalities/y, the possible expected radio-ogical consequences such as: annual collective dose-person Sv/y, expected fatalities/y, individual dose and associated cancer fatalities/y, due to a potential threat (sabotage during transportation, dispersion or exposure to radioactive materials RAM, capture of type package) during transport.

The work is based on the IAEA Scientific Research contract entitled: “Romanian contribution to the Development of Methodology for Risk assessment and State Management of Nuclear Security Regime (Framework) due to RAM transportation” where the author serving as Chief Scientific Investigator (CSI), under the IAEA’s CRP (Coordinated Research Project)-Development of Methodology for Risk assessment and state Management of Nuclear Security Regime.

Innovation: Use of computer codes to evaluate risk expectation values and radio-logical consequences data for different threat scenarios during transportation of RAM

Results:

• The calculated expectation values of risk are directly proportional to the amount of radioactive materials released, except the case of direct exposure to a damaged shipping package (loss of shielding);

• The estimated transport risks are highly dependent on population density (peoples/sq.km).

What will attendees could learn from this presentation:

• Potential components (architecture) of a Nuclear Security Regime (Framework), based on Romanian experience’;

• The evaluation of the radiological consequences data due to RAM transportation by means of the computer codes;

• The evaluation of the risk expectation values;

• Approach of a threat model for RAM transportation with one “threat profile” highlighted;

• Certain aspects related to the vulnerability of transport infrastructure:

A SHORT DESCRIPTION OF THE COMPUTER CODES TO BE USED

The assessment scenarios will be represented in the conceptual models such as

INTETRAN 2, RADTRAN 6, RISKIND, TRAGIS (a short presented below).

Calculations are to be performed in terms of doses (individual doses, annual collective doses,

long term collective doses, etc) to be analyzed and compared against the criteria for an effective nuclear security regime;

INTERTRAN 2–is a personal computer-based analysis tool for the assessment of the radiological consequences and risks associated with the transport of radio-active materials for shipment conditions typically encountered in land, air, inland-waters and sea transport. It allow to calculate the radiological consequences and risks by combining user-supplied data with radiological information provided by the code system. The last issue of July 2008 will be used.

RADTRAN – estimates radiological risks associated with incident-free transportation

of RAM and with accidents that might occur during transportation. Incident-free (Routine) transportation is defined as transportation during which no incident, accident, packaging or handling abnormality or other abnormal event occurs.Will be used the RADTRAN 6 computer code issue;

RISKIND-a computer program aids in the analysis of radiological consequences and health risks to individuals and the collective population from exposures associated with the transportation of SNF or other RAM. It provides scenario-specific analyses when evaluating alternatives for major actions involving RAM transport; RISKIND provides an analysis for scenarios of concern to the public that is the calculation of incident-free and accident impacts for a particular radioactive material shipment at specific locations along a truck or rail transport route;

TRAGIS – is a web-based application and is designed for routes using rail, truck and

Water-way transportation modes

REFERENCES:

• IAEA CRP- Development of Methodology for Risk Assessment and State Management of Nuclear Security Regime, 2010;

• IAEA Scientific Research Contract- Development of Methodology for Risk Assessment and State Management of Nuclear Security Regime (Risk and Radiological Consequences)- CSI (Chief Scientific Investigator)-Gheorghe VIERU, PhD;

• Naoteru Odano, Mitsufumi Asami, Hideyuki Oka, National Maritime Research Institute, Mitaka, Tokyo, Japan, ”Evaluation of Radiological Consequences Due to Sabotage During Nuclear Material Transportation”, 2013
• DOE Transportation Risk Assessment)- A Resource Handbook, 2003, USA

ACRONYMS:

  • IAEA – International Atomic Energy Agency – Vienna;
  • CSI – Chief Scientific Investigator;
  • DOE- Department of Energy, United States of America