Simplified Wind Transport Model and Its Application

To estimate the consequences of radionuclide spread during nuclear power plant accidents, atmospheric dispersion simulation models such as Gaussian Plume Model, Lagrangian Trajectory Model are widely used. However, they require a complex set of meteorological data. Yet, the historical data is not consistently available because of the lack of observed meteorological indicators in some situations, such as solar radiation or mixing heights. In this research, a simulation model, namely, Simplified Wind Transport Model that overcomes the limitations of meteorological data is proposed to estimate the spread of radioactive materials based on the widely available historical data of the wind speed and direction. To demonstrate the usefulness and applicability of the proposed model, a typical case of nuclear power plant site in Vietnam is chosen as a case where historical meteorological data is not sufficient. The combination of a thousand of simulations model for the entire weather condition set forms the spatial risk map around nuclear power plant site. The results serve as useful information for the local governments to establish long-term preparedness plans and to nuclear power plant site evaluation. © 2014 Universal Research Publications. All rights reserved