Modelling the long term dispersion of radioactive liquid effluent and dose from marine pathways using a grid model

Abstract

Abstract. A grid model was developed to combine small-scale grid resolution and long-term predictions of radionuclide dispersion in shallow seas. A predictor-corrector algorithm ensures an unconditional stability of the model. Four modules calculate the concentration of suspended sediments, the dispersion of radionuclides in the marine environment, and the doses to members of the public and marine biota. The model was applied to the dispersion of liquid effluent in the Irish Sea from the Sellafield nuclear reprocessing plant, Cumbria (UK). The concentration factors and partition coefficients have been calibrated for biota species and local conditions. The validation against environmental samples for twenty-two radionuclides shows a good agreement between predicted and measured values.

Advanced nuclear reactors and tritium impacts. Modeling the aquatic pathway

“…The Specific Activity Ratio (SAR) is defined as the ratio between SA of OBT in the animal and SA of HTO in water. Previous work defined values of SAR and other transfer factors for different aquatic organisms from European rivers (Galeriu et al, 2009;Gontier and Siclet, 2011;Galeriu and Melintescu, 2010;Fontugneet al, 2005;Franco et al, 2006;Gleizon et al, 2009;Heling and Bezhenar, 2009;Howard et al, 2012;IAEA, 2008;Melintescu and Galeriu, 2011;Miyamoto et al, 2002). These values should not be used to tropical organisms without significant increasing in the uncertainty of model results.…”