Simulation Exercise of Environmental Dynamics of Radioactive Nucledes

Place: Nuclear Human Resource Development Center, JAEA
Date: Aug. 26－30, 2013

A total of eight people from the initial DOJO class joined the ‘Environmental fate of radioactive materials’ exercise, one of the subjects in the Academy’s ‘Nuclear Power Safety & Security Courses’. The exercise lasted for 7 days, from August 26 to 30, 2013 at the JAEA (Japan Atomic Energy Agency) Nuclear Human Resource Development Center, and the JAEA environmental fate research group joined the exercise. To acquire skills to use simulation and to quickly predict the results of environmental diffusion of radioactive materials and public exposure upon nuclear accident, students used the WSPEEDI-II, an environmental emergency dose prediction system to calculate the environmental diffusion of radioactive materials and evaluate public exposure following a hypothetical nuclear accident. After attending lectures on nuclear accident and radioactive material release, biological effects by radioactive materials, environmental fate model from atmospheric dispersion, water environmental fate in general, use and input preparation method of the WSPEEDI-II, the students grouped into four teams and each took a hypothetical approach of four weather scenarios (rain , typhoon, southerly/southwestward wind, snow ) using actual Fukushima 3/11 accident source term, and simulated the environmental diffusion of radioactive materials. On the last day, each team presented the results and compared them with the actual 3/11 accident simulation, then conducted a thorough discussion. The class also visited the JAEA Nuclear Emergency Support and Training Center and the Ibaragi prefecture Off-Site Center to understand and experience the use of WSPEEDI-II during nuclear emergency and disaster-prevention measures.