Innovative Developments to Solve Major Aspects of Environmental and Radiation Safety of Ukraine

Abstract

AbstractIn countries with developed nuclear energy industries there are various problems of environmental and radiation safety that require constant attention and to find optimal ways to solve them. For Ukraine, nuclear energy is a strategically important element of energy supply: today its contribution is about 60%, and according to the Energy Strategy till 2035 there is a plan to increase production. Such prospects for the development of the energy sector are closely related with solving the urgent issues of safe and efficient operation of nuclear fuel cycle facilities. Employees of the State Institution “The Institute of Environmental Geochemistry of National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine” make significant scientific and practical contribution to solve the issues of environmental and radiation safety in Ukraine. This study presents innovative developments that were created by the scientific team of the Department of Nuclear, Radiation and Technogenic-Ecological Safety of the State Institution “The Institute of Environmental Geochemistry of National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine”. The results of scientific research and development in the following areas are presented: nuclear physics technologies and technogenic-ecological safety. During 2017–2020, a number of research developments were created and implemented, namely: a plasma-chemical unit to clean nuclear power plants wastewaters; system of operative radiation control (high speed) on the basis of the aircraft; system of radiation control and identification of ionizing radiation on the basis of a solid-state detector with high metrological and operational characteristics; identifier-spectrometer based on a solid-state detector for nuclear fuel cycle facilities; portable workstation for comprehensive radiation monitoring of environmental objects «Food light»; information and technical methods of emergencies prevention related to air pollution on the territories of NPPs in Ukraine; new mathematical models of air pollution by emissions from stationary point sources, which allow to determine the zones of technogenic loading at different emission modes, meteorological characteristics and modes of operation of technogenic objects; new technology for the production of effective sorbent based on thermally expanded graphite and many others. Prospects and directions of further innovative activity of the State Institution “The Institute of Environmental Geochemistry of National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine” are determined.KeywordsNuclear energyNuclear fuel cycleEnvironmental safetyNuclear physics technologiesComprehensive ecological monitoringEmergency preventionSoftware and modeling complexes