Evaluation of Radiation Effects on Residents Living Around the NSRR Under External Hazards

Abstract

The nuclear safety research reactor (NSRR) is a research reactor of training research isotopes general atomics—annular core pulse reactor (TRIGA-ACPR) type, located in the Nuclear Science Research Institute (NSRI). The NSRR facility has been utilized for fuel irradiation experiments to study the behaviors of nuclear fuels under reactivity-initiated accident (RIA) conditions. Under the new regulation standards, which was established after the Fukushima Daiichi accident, research reactors are regulated based on the risk of the facilities. The graded approach is introduced in the regulation. To apply the graded approach, the radiation effects on residents living around the NSRR under the external hazards were evaluated, and the level of the risk of the NSRR facility was investigated. This paper summarizes the result of the evaluation in the case where the safety functions are lost due to a tornado, an earthquake followed by a tsunami. There is fuel in the reactor core, fresh fuel storage, and spent fuel storage. As the effects from reactor core, we evaluate the external exposure to radiation and exposure from the release of fission products assuming that loss of function to shut down the reactor, break of cladding tubes, loss of reactor pool water, and collapse of the reactor building. As the effects from fresh fuel storage, we evaluate the internal exposure assuming that the fresh fuel particles released into the air because of breaking into pieces. In addition, we evaluate the critical safety assuming that the critical safety shapes of the fresh fuel storage are lost. As the effects from spent fuel storage, we evaluate the critical safety assuming that the critical safety shapes of the spent fuel storage are lost. All in all, the risk is confirmed to be relatively low, since the effective dose on the residents is found to be below 5 mSv per event due to the loss of the safety functions caused by the tornado, earthquake, and the accompanying tsunami.