The effect of sensitive and non-sensitive parameters on DCGL in probability analysis for decommissioning of nuclear facilities

Abstract

In the decommissioning of nuclear facilities, Derived Concentration Guideline Level (DCGL) derivation is necessary for the release of the facility after the site remediation, which also needs to be implemented in the stage of establishing a decommissioning planning. In order to derive DCGL, the dose assessment for the receptors can be conducted from residual radioactivity by using RESRAD code. When performing sensitivity analysis on probabilistic parameters, secondary evaluation is performed by assigning a single value for parameters classified as sensitive. However, several options may arise in the handling of non-sensitive parameters. Therefore, we compared the results of the first execution of RESRAD applying probabilistic parameters for each scenario with the results of the second execution applying a single value to sensitive parameters among the probabilistic parameters. In addition, we analyzed the effect of setting options for non-sensitive parameters. As a result, the effect on DCGL were different depending on the application scenario, the target radionuclides, and the input parameter selections. In terms of the overall evaluation period, the DCGL graph of the default option was generally shown as the most conservative except for some radionuclides. However, it will not necessarily be given priority in the aspect of the need to reflect site characteristics. The reason for selecting a probabilistic parameter is the availability of the parameter and the uncertainty of applying a single value. Therefore, as an alternative, it can be consistently applied to distribution as an option for non-sensitive parameters after sensitivity analysis.