Design and development of a comprehensive program for the assessment and analysis of environmental effects due to the release of radioactive materials from the stack of nuclear installations: A case study in Bushehr nuclear power plant

Abstract

The current investigation presents a comprehensive program called KIANA to assess and analyze the environmental effects due to the release of radioactive materials from the stack of nuclear installations. Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant Unit One (BNPP-1) is modeled using the KIANA software and the release of radioactive materials from the BNPP-1 stack on the members of the public through the airborne pathway is evaluated during normal operation as well as in the accident conditions including Design Basis Accidents (DBA) and Beyond Design Basis Accidents (BDBA). To verify and validate the KIANA software, the results of the KIANA are compared with the results of DOZA_M, ESTE, PC-CREAM 98, RECASS Express, and the values of the total effective dose monitored by the local detectors of BNPP-1. The KIANA is developed based on the Gaussian diffusion model written using C# programming language. In the current research, the total effective dose received by a member of the public due to the radioactive plume passage through the airborne pathway is calculated in the normal condition of BNPP-1. Moreover, the total effective dose in the case of the primary-to-secondary leakage inside the steam generators, the total effective dose in the case of Large Break Loss of Coolant Accident (LBLOCA) and Small Break Loss of Coolant Accident (SBLOCA), and the equivalent dose of the thyroid gland tissue for an infant group (1–8 years old) in the case of LBLOCA in DBA conditions are evaluated. Finally, the absorbed dose of the whole body of adults at the initial stage after a BDBA, absorbed dose of the thyroid gland tissue for an infant group (1–8 years old) at the initial stage after a BDBA, and the total effective dose in the first year after the accident in the case of a BDBA are assessed. The results of the KIANA software indicate a good agreement with the results of the DOZA_M, ESTE, PC-CREAM 98, RECASS Express computer programs, and the values of the total effective dose monitored by the local detectors of BNPP-1. The developed software has the potential of calculations of concentration and radionuclide dose received through all the exposure pathways such as airborne, foodstuff, marine, soil, animals, and vegetation without any restriction in normal and accident conditions, simultaneously.