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Implications of Local Scale Meteorological Data on Radioactive Plume Dispersion and Dose Delivery for a Hypothetical Severe Accident at PARR-1

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Abstract

An assessment of radiological risk for the Pakistan Research Reactor (PARR-1) has been conducted using International Radiological Assessment System (InterRAS) code. The radiological risk assessment has been estimated by considering a hypothetical accident at PARR-1. The available nuclide for the hottest fuel rods has been determined by the depletion calculation of fuel using the ORIGEN 2.2 code. This work is focused on the implications of local metrological data and its use in decision-making to take urgent protective actions during the early phase of a nuclear emergency. The hourly meteorological ground-based data covering 3 years for Islamabad, Pakistan, has been analyzed and used to estimate the radiation doses for a hypothetical accident at PARR-1. A segmented Gaussian approach has been used to consider the variation in meteorological data. The direction, trajectory, maximum ground deposition, and the total effective dose equivalent (TEDE) corresponding to variable atmospheric stability classification, wind speed, and metrological conditions have been estimated. Results indicate that the differences in radiation doses at the same location for the same source term is due to the difference in the meteorological conditions. The maximum TEDE has been calculated as 6.90 × 103 mSv and 6.70 × 103 mSv at the distance of 0.1 km, with the maximum seasonal wind speed of 11.3 m s−1 and average seasonal wind speed of 3.3 m s−1 respectively. The maximum TEDE of 6.90 Sv has been evaluated for atmospheric stability class D. The radiological doses are less than ten mSv for all the classes and wind speed. The maximum dose has been found to be limited to less than 1.0 km from the point of release. Thus, at a distance of 0.75 km, the TEDE falls below the IAEA generic criteria of 100 mSv, established to take early protective and response measures in case of a nuclear or radiological emergency.

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Acknowledgements

This research work was funded by the Deanship of Scientific Research (DSR), King Abdul Aziz University, Jeddah, under grant number (D-114-135-1443). Therefore, the authors acknowledge the DSR for technical and financial support. The authors also acknowledge the support provided by King Abdullah City for Atomic and Renewable Energy (K.A. CARE) under K.A. CARE-King Abdulaziz University Collaboration Program.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physics, Allama Iqbal Open University, Islamabad, Pakistan

    Mazzammal Hussain, Syed Zafar Ilyas & Saima Shaheen

  2. Department of Nuclear Engineering, College of Engineering, King Abdulaziz University, P. O. Box 80204, Jeddah, 21589, Saudi Arabia

    Khurram Mehboob

  3. KA CARE Energy Research and Innovation Center, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, 21589, Saudi Arabia

    Khurram Mehboob

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  1. Mazzammal Hussain
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Hussain, M., Mehboob, K., Ilyas, S.Z. et al. Implications of Local Scale Meteorological Data on Radioactive Plume Dispersion and Dose Delivery for a Hypothetical Severe Accident at PARR-1. Arab J Sci Eng 48, 739–755 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13369-022-06998-w

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