A Simulated Accidental Release and Dispersion of Gaseous Fission Products from NIRR-1: Implications for Emergency Response Planning
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.56919/usci.2541.005Keywords:
MNSR,, Decommissioning, Radionuclides, Dispersion, Emergency responseAbstract
For over seven decades, research reactors have contributed significantly to the global economy, with uses in various fields such as food production, health and environment, industries, research and development, and education and training. The Nigerian Research Reactor-1 (NIRR-1) is vital in neutron activation analysis (NAA) and radioisotope production for education and training. The current NIRR-1 core uses Low Enriched Uranium (LEU) fuel, converted from Highly Enriched Uranium (HEU) fuel. The LEU core achieved its first criticality in December 2018 and has been safely operating at full and half power. This study uses the Hot Spot computer code to examine the dispersion of radionuclides accidentally released from the NIRR-1 LEU core during the final stage of its lifetime. Site-specific meteorological conditions were used to analyze the behavior and movement of selected gaseous radionuclides in the atmosphere. The total maximum respirable time-integrated concentrations of the released gaseous radionuclides in air were estimated at varying distances from the exposed reactor core, and the values obtained were 
, 
, 
, and 
at 10 m, 100 m, 300 m, and 1 km, respectively. These results highlight a possible risk within 300 m perimeter downwind for unclassified personnel, which is therefore crucial in developing comprehensive emergency preparedness and response plans.
References
FSAR, (2019). Final safety analysis report of Nigeria Research Reactor-1, Centre for Energy Research and Training (CERT). Technical Report-CERT/NRR-1/FSAR-03.
IAEA, (2016). Research Reactors: Purpose and Future. Division of Physical and Chemical Sciences Department of Nuclear Sciences and Applications. INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY, IAEA, Vienna (2016). Accessed on 16/10/2024 from: https://www.iaea.org/sites/default/files/18/05/research-reactors-purpose-and-future.pdf
IAEA, (2024). Research Reactor Database. INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY, IAEA, Vienna. Accessed on 16/10/2024 from: https://nucleus.iaea.org/rrdb/
IAEA, (2018). Analyses Supporting Conversion of Research Reactors from High Enriched Uranium Fuel to Low Enriched Uranium Fuel: The Case of the Miniature Neutron Source Reactor. INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY, IAEA-TECDOC-1844 (2018) Vienna, Austria.
Muswema, J.L., Darko E.O., Gbadago J.K., Boafo E.K. (2014). Atmospheric dispersion modeling and radiological safety analysis for a hypothetical accident of Ghana Research Reactor-1 (GHARR-1). Annals of Nuclear Energy 68 (2014) 239–246. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anucene.2014.01.029 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anucene.2014.01.029
Simon J., Ibrahim Y.V., Jonah S.A., and Asuku A., (2023). Estimation of Radionuclides Inventory of NIRR-1 LEU Core for the Development of Decommissioning Plan. Presented at the International Conference on Nuclear Decommissioning: Addressing the Past and Ensuring the Future. (15-19 May 2023). Vienna Austria. Retrieved from: https://www.iaea.org/events/decom2023
Simon J., Ibrahim Y.V., Adeyemo D.J., Garba N.N., Asuku A., (2021). Comparative analysis of core life-time for the NIRR-1 HEU and LEU cores. Progress in Nuclear Energy 141 (2021) 103970. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pnucene.2021.103970 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pnucene.2021.103970
Simon J., Ibrahim Y.V., Adeyemo D.J., Garba N.N., Asuku A., Bello S., Ibikunle I.K., (2022). Radiological consequence analysis for hypothetical accidental release from Nigerian Research Reactor-1. Applied Radiation and Isotopes 186 110308. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apradiso.2022.110308 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apradiso.2022.110308
WNA, (2024). Outline History of Nuclear Energy. A publication of the World Nuclear Association. Accessed 16/10/2024 from: https://world-nuclear.org/information-library/current-and-future-generation/outline-history-of-nuclear-energy
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
UMYU Scientifica recognizes the importance of protecting authors’ intellectual property while promoting the free exchange of scientific knowledge. The journal adopts a copyright-retention model that empowers authors to maintain ownership of their work while granting the journal rights necessary for publication and dissemination.
1. Copyright Ownership
Authors publishing with UMYU Scientifica retain full copyright and publishing rights to their work. By submitting a manuscript, authors agree to grant the journal a non-exclusive license to publish, reproduce, distribute, and archive the article in all forms and media for the purpose of scholarly communication.
2. Licensing Terms
All articles are published under the Creative Commons Attribution–NonCommercial (CC BY-NC) license.
This license permits others to:
- Share - copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format.
- Adapt - remix, transform, and build upon the material.
- For non-commercial purposes only, provided that proper credit is given to the original author(s) and UMYU Scientifica as the source, a link to the license is provided, and any modifications are clearly indicated.
Commercial reuse or distribution of the content requires written permission from both the author and the editorial office.
3. Author Rights
Authors are free to:
- Deposit all versions of their manuscript (preprint, accepted version, and published version) in institutional, disciplinary, or public repositories without embargo.
- Use and distribute their published article for non-commercial scholarly purposes, including teaching, conference presentations, and research sharing.
- Include their work in future books, theses, or compilations, provided proper citation to the journal is made.
4. Publisher’s Rights
Upon publication, UMYU Scientifica retains the right to:
- Host, index, and disseminate the article through the journal’s website and partner databases.
- Archive the content in long-term preservation systems such as the PKP Preservation Network (PKP-PN) and the Umaru Musa Yar’adua University Institutional Repository.
5. Attribution and Citation
Users must give appropriate credit to the author(s), include a link to the article’s DOI or the journal webpage, and indicate if changes were made. Proper citation is required whenever the work is reused or referenced.
6. License Reference
For detailed terms of use, please refer to the Creative Commons Attribution–NonCommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC 4.0):
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
