• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.19-26
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• 2001

In order to assess the atmospheric dispersion for the accidental releases of nuclear power plants, in calculating X/Q values in the XOQAR and PAVAN codes which are based on Reg. Guide 1.145, the X/Q and frequency values are plotted on log-normal paper. Starting with the highest X/Q value of this plot, the codes compare the slope of the line drawn from this point to every other point within an increment containing ten X/Q values. If there are fewer than ten values, only the number available are used. The coefficients that produce the line with the least negative slope are saved. The end point of this line is used as the next starting point, from which slopes to the points within the next increment, containing ten X/Q values, are compared. The X/Q values corresponding to the cumulative frequency values 0.5%, 5% or 50% are calculated to search for the $0{\sim}2$ hour X/Q value that tends to be a very conservative value. In this work, a fuzzy logic inference method is used for nonlinear interpolation of the X/Q values versus the cumulative frequency. The fuzzy logic inference method is known to be a food technique for nonlinear interpolation. The proposed method was applied to a potential accidential radioactive release of the Yonggwang nuclear power plant, which gives more realistic X/Q values.

• Quantitative Bio-Science
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.91-101
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• 2018

This study has analyzed applicable characteristics on big data of the meteorology and climate depending on press releases in the media. As a result, more than half of them were conducted by governmental departments and institutions (26.9%) and meteorological administration (25.0%). Most articles were written by journalists, especially the highest portion stems from straight articles focusing on delivering simple information. For each field, the number of cases had listed in order of rank to be exposed to the media; information service, business management, farming, livestock, and fishing industries, and disaster management, but others did rank far behind; insurance, construction, hydrology and energy. Application of big data about meteorology and climate differed depending on the seasonal change, it was directly related to temperature information during spring, to weather phenomenon such as monsoon and heat wave during summer, to meteorology and climate information during fall, and to weather phenomenon such as cold wave and heavy snow during winter.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.55 no.2
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• pp.696-706
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• 2023

Consequences of an anticipated Beyond Design Basis Accident (BDBA) Long-Term Station Blackout (LTSBO) event with complete loss of grid power in the VVER-1200 reactor of Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) of Unit-1 are assessed using the RASCAL 4.3 code. This study estimated the released radionuclides, received public radiological dose, and ground surface concentration considering 3 accident scenarios of International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale (INES) level 7 and two meteorological conditions. Atmospheric transport, dispersion, and deposition processes of released radionuclides are simulated using a straight-line trajectory Gaussian plume model for short distances and a Gaussian puff model for long distances. Total Effective Dose Equivalent (TEDE) to the public within 40 km and radionuclides contribution for three-dose pathways of inhalation, cloudshine, and groundshine owing to airborne releases are evaluated considering with and without passive safety Emergency Core Cooling System (ECCS) in dry (winter) and wet (monsoon) seasons. Source term and their release rates are varied with the functional duration of passive safety ECCS. In three accident scenarios, the TEDE of 10 mSv and above are confined to 8 km and 2 km for the wet and dry seasons, respectively in the downwind direction. The groundshine dose is the most dominating in the wet season while the inhalation dose is in the dry season. Total received doses and surface concentration in the wet season near the plant are higher than those in the dry season due to the deposition effect of rain on the radioactive substances.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.18 no.2_spc
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• pp.261-273
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• 2020

North Korea conducted the sixth underground nuclear test on September 3, 2017 at the Punggye-ri Nuclear Test Site (NTS). In contrast to the previous five nuclear tests, several induced earthquakes occurred around the NTS after the sixth nuclear test and this may have caused radioxenon leakages at the site. Considering these reported earthquakes, we performed atmospheric dispersion simulations on some radioxenon emission scenarios for this event using our Lagrangian Atmospheric Dose Assessment System (LADAS) model by employing the Unified Model (UM) based numerical weather prediction data produced by the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA). To find out possible detection locations and times, we combined not only daily and weekly based delayed releases but also leakages after the reported earthquakes around the NTS to create emission scenarios. Our simulation results were generally in good agreement with the measured data of the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission and International Monitoring System (IMS) stations operated by the Comprehensive nuclear Test-Ban-Treaty Organization (CTBTO).

• Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment
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• v.19 no.5
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• pp.595-610
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• 2003

The statistical indexes such as RMSE (Root Mean Square Error), Mean Bias error, and IOA (Index of agreement) are used to evaluate 3 Dimensional wind and temperature fields predicted by operational meteorological model RAMS (Regional Atmospheric Meteorological System) implemented in CARIS (Chemical Accident Response Information System) for the dispersion forecast of hazardous chemicals in case of the chemical accidents in Korea. The operational atmospheric model, RAMS in CARIS are designed to use GDAPS, GTS, and AWS meteorological data obtained from KMA (Korean Meteorological Administration) for the generation of 3-dimensional initial meteorological fields. The predicted meteorological variables such as wind speed, wind direction, temperature, and precipitation amount, during 19 ∼ 23, August 2002, are extracted at the nearest grid point to the meteorological monitoring sites, and validated against the observations located over the Korean peninsula. The results show that Mean bias and Root Mean Square Error are 0.9 (m/s), 1.85 (m/s) for wind speed at 10 m above the ground, respectively, and 1.45 ($^{\circ}C$), 2.82 ($^{\circ}C$) for surface temperature. Of particular interest is the distribution of forecasting error predicted by RAMS with respect to the altitude; relatively smaller error is found in the near-surface atmosphere for wind and temperature fields, while it grows larger as the altitude increases. Overall, some of the overpredictions in comparisons with the observations are detected for wind and temperature fields, whereas relatively small errors are found in the near-surface atmosphere. This discrepancies are partly attributed to the oversimplified spacing of soil, soil contents and initial temperature fields, suggesting some improvement could probably be gained if the sub-grid scale nature of moisture and temperature fields was taken into account. However, IOA values for the wind field (0.62) as well as temperature field (0.78) is greater than the 'good' value criteria (> 0.5) implied by other studies. The good value of IOA along with relatively small wind field error in the near surface atmosphere implies that, on the basis of current meteorological data for initial fields, RAMS has good potentials to be used as a operational meteorological model in predicting the urban or local scale 3-dimensional wind fields for the dispersion forecast in association with hazardous chemical releases in Korea.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.116-122
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• 2012

A short-term atmospheric dispersion factor (${\chi}/Q$) is an essential element for radiological dose assessment following a hypothetical accidental releases of light-water nuclear power plants. The U. S. NRC developed PAVAN program to comply with the U. S. NRC's Regulatory Guide 1.145. Meteorological data is an essential element for atmospheric dispersion, and PAVAN uses a joint frequency distribution data, which represents the occurrence probability of wind speed and wind direction for atmospheric stability. Using the meteorological data measured at Kori and Wolsung sites for the last 5 years (from 2006 to 2010), a variety of joint frequency distribution data were prepared to evaluate ${\chi}/Q$ values with different wind speed classifications (U. S. NRC's recommendation and even distribution of occurrence probability) and periods of meteorological data to be analyzed (1 year, 2 year, 3 year, 4 year, 5 year). As a result, it was found that the influence of the wind speed classification on ${\chi}/Q$ values is little, while the influence of the periods of meteorological data to be analyzed is relatively significant, representing more than 1.5 times in the ratio of maximum to minimum values.

• Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.33-42
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• 1989

Nowadays, nuclear power production plays a principal role in the electrical energy supply. However, a nuclear power plants emit small amounts of radio-activity due to mostly fission product gases to the local environment during their normal operation. They may release considerably more radioactivity when accidents occur. It is quite necessary to be able to calculate the radiation doses to the general public from such radioactivity releases in order to evaluate the environmental impact of the normally operating nuclear power plant, to assure that this is within acceptable radiation standards, and to ascertain the radiological consequences of nuclear reactor accidents. Such computations also play an important role in determining the acceptability of a proposed nuclear reactor site. Before radiation dose calculations can be carried out, therefore, it is necessary to determine how the concentration of the radioactive effluents is distributed in the environment following their emissions into the atmosphere. This matter is considered and radiation dose calculations are mentioned in conclusions.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.41-46
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• 1983

Annual collective dose within 50 miles radius of Ko-ri I reactor site due to normal airborne effluent discharges in 1979 has been estimated by AIRDOS-EPA computer code. Gaussian plume equation is used for estimation of both horizontal and vertical dispersion of radionuclide release into the atmosphere. Also, radionuclide concentrations in meat, milk, and fresh produce consumed by near-by population are estimated by coupling the output of the atmospheric transport models with the USNRC terrestrial food chain models. Annual collective doses are found to be $3.348{\times}10^{-1}$ whole body manrem and 84.95 thyroid manrem. Whole body manrem calculated by AIRDOS-EPA computer code do not differ greatly from that calculated by GASPAR computer code, but value for thyroid manrem have been estimated lower than that calculated by GASPAR computer code.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.136-140
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• 1984

A new medal is presented in order to evaluate the risk from a nuclear facility following accidents directly combining the on-site meteorological data using the Monte Carlo Method. To estimate the radiological detriment to the surrounding population-at-large (collective dose equivalent), in this study the probability distribution of each meteorological element based upon on-site data is analyzed to generate atmospheric dispersion conditions. The random sampling is used to select the dispersion conditions at any given time of effluent releases. In this study it is considered that the meteorological conditions such as wind direction, speed and stability are mutually independent and each condition satisfies the Markov condition. As a sample study, the risk of KNU-1 following the large LOCA was calculated, The calculated collective dose equivalent in the 50 mile region population from the large LOCA with 50 percent confidence level is 2.0$\times$10$^2$ man-sievert.

• Atmosphere
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.393-402
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• 2018

This study investigated future changes in the Arctic permafrost features and related biogeochemical alterations under global warming. The Community Land Model (CLM) with biogeochemistry (BGC) was run for the period 2005 to 2099 with projected future climate based on the Special Report on Emissions Scenarios (SRES) A2 scenario. Under global warming, over the Arctic land except for the permafrost region, the rise in soil temperature led to an increase in soil liquid and decrease in soil ice. Also, the Arctic ground obtained carbon dioxide from the atmosphere due to the increase in photosynthesis of vegetation. On the other hand, over the permafrost region, the microbial respiration was increased due to thawing permafrost, resulting in increased carbon dioxide emissions. Methane emissions associated with total water storage have increased over most of Arctic land, especially in the permafrost region. Methane releases were predicted to be greatly increased especially near the rivers and lakes associated with an increased chance of flooding. In conclusion, at the end of $21^{st}$ century, except for permafrost region, the Arctic ground is projected to be the sink of carbon dioxide, and only permafrost region the source of carbon dioxide. This study suggests that thawing permafrost can further to accelerate global warming significantly.