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Playing the “bad guy” to enhance next-generation safety
Sometimes, cops and robbers is more than just a kid’s game. At the Department of Energy’s national laboratories, researchers are channeling their inner saboteurs to discover vulnerabilities in next-generation nuclear reactors, making sure that they’re as safe as possible before they’re even constructed.
K. Yamamoto, T. Sakashita, K. Miyamoto
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 48 | Number 1 | July-August 2005 | Pages 500-503
Technical Paper | Tritium Science and Technology - Containment, Safety, and Environment | doi.org/10.13182/FST05-A975
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
In order to predict tritium concentration at ground level near a nuclear site, a conceivable process for tritium transfer in the natural ecosystem must be traced. We developed an Easy Evaluation System for Atmospheric Dispersion (EESAD) code based on the random walk method (RWM) for calculation of the atmospheric dispersion of tritium. The code can deal with the hourly change of weather conditions and tritium release rates as are mainly observed in an accidental release. In order to validate its prediction accuracy, and to verify its effectiveness, we calculated using scenario 3 (constant release) and scenario 4.2 (intermittent release)supplied by BIOMASS (Biosphere Modeling and Assessment) program by IAEA. Tritium concentrations predicted by EESAD calculation agreed well with those observed. Tritium deposition from the plume (dry and wet), re-emission from the soil surface, and infiltration to the lower soil layers were all considered in the EESAD system, and found to be effective to get better agreement. The EESAD is useful for calculating not only a controlled constant release with meteorological changes but also an instantaneous release with hourly changes of the release conditions.