Assessment of radiological consequences to a hypothetical accident of the 3-MW TRIGA Mark-II nuclear research reactor of Bangladesh

Abstract

The radiological consequences to a hypothetical accident are assessed for the 3-MW TRIGA Mark-II Nuclear Research Reactor of Bangladesh for both wet and dry seasons. Accident simulations are crucial for assessing the potentialrisks in the event of a nuclear accident. ORIGEN code was used to carry out the facility's radionuclide inventory. In the event of a hypothetical accident, the Total Effective Dose Equivalent (TEDE) is assessed using HotSpots. The findings indicate that for stability class A during the rainy season, the selected radionuclides arrived at a downwind distance of 0.03 km with an arrival time of less than one minute, and the highest TEDE, respiratory time-integrated air concentration, and ground deposition activity, respectively, were marked at 2.8E-12 Sv, 9.4E-01 Bq-sec/m3, and 2.4E-05 kBq/m2. In the case of I-131 at 0.03 km from the source, the thyroid gland is the most sensitive human organ, followed by the lung, esophagus, thymus, surface bone, skin, and breast. The estimated Committed Effective Dose Equivalent (CEDE) from I-131 is 9.1E-11 Sv. In contrast, the adrenal was the most sensitive organ with a maximum CEDE of 1.3E-13 Sv in the case of Cs-137 at a downwind distance of 0.03 km. The highest TEDE values for the general public and the vicinity around the TRIGA Mark II reactor facility are lower than the annual dose limits.