A series of modelling exercises, based on field tests conducted in the Czech Republic, were carried out by the 'Urban' Working Groups as part of the International Atomic Energy Agency's Environmental Modelling for Radiation Safety II, Modelling and Data for Radiological Impact Assessment (MODARIA) I and MODARIA II international data compilation and model validation programmes. In the first two of these programmes, data from a series of field tests involving dispersion of a radiotracer,99mTc, from small-scale, controlled detonations were used in a comparison of model predictions with field measurements of deposition. In the third programme, data from a similar field test, involving dispersion of140La instead of99mTc, were used. Use of longer-lived140La as a radiotracer allowed a greater number of measurements to be made over a greater distance from the dispersion point and in more directions than was possible for the earlier tests involving shorter-lived99mTc. The modelling exercises included both intercomparison of model predictions from several participants and comparison of model predictions with the measured data. Several models (HotSpot, LASAIR, ADDAM/CSA-ERM, plus some research models) were used in the comparisons, which demonstrated the challenges of modelling dispersion of radionuclides from detonations and the need for appropriate meteorological measurements.
- MeSH
- jaderná energie * MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- monitorování radiace * MeSH
- radionuklidy analýza MeSH
- teoretické modely MeSH
- Check Tag
- lidé MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
Predictions of radionuclide dose rates to freshwater organisms can be used to evaluate the radiological environmental impacts of releases from uranium mining and milling projects. These predictions help inform decisions on the implementation of mitigation measures. The objective of this study was to identify how dose rate modelling could be improved to reduce uncertainty in predictions to non-human biota. For this purpose, we modelled the activity concentrations of 210Pb, 210Po, 226Ra, 230Th, and 238U downstream of uranium mines and mills in northern Saskatchewan, Canada, together with associated weighted absorbed dose rates for a freshwater food chain using measured activity concentrations in water and sediments. Differences in predictions of radionuclide activity concentrations occurred mainly from the different default partition coefficient and concentration ratio values from one model to another and including all or only some 238U decay daughters in the dose rate assessments. Consequently, we recommend a standardized best-practice approach to calculate weighted absorbed dose rates to freshwater biota whether a facility is at the planning, operating or decommissioned stage. At the initial planning stage, the best-practice approach recommend using conservative site-specific baseline activity concentrations in water, sediments and organisms and predict conservative incremental activity concentrations in these media by selecting concentration ratios based on species similarity and similar water quality conditions to reduce the uncertainty in dose rate calculations. At the operating and decommissioned stages, the best-practice approach recommends relying on measured activity concentrations in water, sediment, fish tissue and whole-body of small organisms to further reduce uncertainty in dose rate estimates. This approach would allow for more realistic but still conservative dose assessments when evaluating impacts from uranium mining projects and making decision on adequate controls of releases.
- MeSH
- hornictví MeSH
- monitorování radiace * MeSH
- radionuklidy analýza MeSH
- sladká voda MeSH
- uran * analýza MeSH
- zvířata MeSH
- Check Tag
- zvířata MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- Geografické názvy
- Saskatchewan MeSH
At the time when the importance of the interdisciplinary research increases, the nuclear analytical techniques supported by the small research reactors represent a useful tool for investigation of human society, culture, history etc. The historical, archaeological, and palaeontological samples and objects of cultural heritage can be easily studied using the radioanalytical methods such as the neutron activation analysis. This paper deals with the detailed investigation of fragments of mammoth remains from the Mid-Upper Palaeolithic site Pavlov VI by means of the instrumental neutron activation analysis at the Training Reactor VR-1 of the Czech Technical University in Prague. Six mammoth hard tissue samples (fragments of bones, tusk, and molar) from the Institute of Archaeology of the Czech Academy of Sciences were irradiated in the dry vertical irradiation channel with thermal neutron field (φ=2×109cm-2s-1) at maximum reactor power (80 W). The activated mammoth samples were analysed employing the nuclear γ-spectrometry and semiconductor HPGe detector, and the composition of the remains was determined (qualitative and quantitative analysis). The presence of Na, Cl, K, As, Fe, Sr, Mn, Br, I, Ba, and U was revealed in studied mammoth samples. Based on obtained production rates, the concentrations of Fe, Sr, Na, K, As, and U were determined. The results presented in this paper show clearly that the low-power Training Reactor VR-1 is excellent tool for the neutron activation analysis experiments within the interdisciplinary research and can provide experimental data important for archaeologists and palaeontologists.
- MeSH
- atomové reaktory MeSH
- kovy analýza MeSH
- mamuti anatomie a histologie metabolismus MeSH
- neutronová aktivační analýza metody MeSH
- paleontologie metody MeSH
- prvky MeSH
- radionuklidy analýza MeSH
- spektrometrie gama MeSH
- zkameněliny MeSH
- zvířata MeSH
- Check Tag
- zvířata MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- Geografické názvy
- Česká republika MeSH
Holmium-166 is a high-energy β--emitter radionuclide (~ 1.8 MeV) with a short half-life (~26.8h) that offers great potential as an alternative to 90Y for the treatment of liver cancer based on radioembolization. The possibility of quantitative Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT) imaging of the main γ-ray emission at 80.6 keV, in addition to strong paramagnetic properties suitable for Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), complement this therapeutic potential. The present paper describes the measurements carried out in three European radionuclide metrology laboratories for primary standardization of 166Ho and new determinations of X- and γ-ray photon-emission intensities in the framework of the European EMPIR project MRTDosimetry. New half-life measurements were also performed.
- MeSH
- dávka záření * MeSH
- holmium analýza MeSH
- jednofotonová emisní výpočetní tomografie MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- nádory jater diagnostické zobrazování radioterapie MeSH
- radionuklidy analýza MeSH
- Check Tag
- lidé MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
Water is one of the most important resources for a human being; therefore, its quality should be properly tested. According to Council Directive No. 2013/51/EUROATOM, there shall be established requirements for the general public health protection with regard to radioactive substances in water intended for human consumption. This article summarises measurement results of selected water samples at 444 private drinking water wells, which are not subject to regular inspection in terms of the Czech legislation.
- MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- pitná voda analýza MeSH
- radiační ochrana zákonodárství a právo MeSH
- radioaktivní látky znečišťující vodu analýza MeSH
- radionuklidy analýza MeSH
- studny * MeSH
- zásobování vodou MeSH
- Check Tag
- lidé MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- Geografické názvy
- Česká republika MeSH
During the routine operation, nuclear power plants discharge waste water containing a certain amount of radioactivity, whose main component is the artificial radionuclide tritium. The amounts of tritium released into the environment are kept within the legal requirements, which minimize the noxious effects of radioactivity, but the activity concentration is well measurable in surface water of the recipient. This study compares amount of tritium activity in waste water from nuclear power plants and the tritium activity detected at selected relevant sites of surface water quality monitoring. The situation is assessed in the catchment of the Vltava and Elbe Rivers, affected by the Temelín Nuclear Power Plant as well as in the Jihlava River catchment (the Danube River catchment respectively), where the waste water of the Dukovany Nuclear Power Plant is discharged. The results show a good agreement of the amount of released tritium stated by the power plant operator and the tritium amount detected in the surface water and highlighted the importance of a robust independent monitoring of tritium discharged from a nuclear power plant which could be carried out by water management authorities. The outputs of independent monitoring allow validating the values reported by a polluter and expand opportunities of using tritium as e.g. tracer.
- MeSH
- elektrárny MeSH
- jaderné elektrárny * MeSH
- radioaktivní látky znečišťující vodu analýza chemie MeSH
- radionuklidy analýza MeSH
- řeky MeSH
- tritium chemie MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- Geografické názvy
- Česká republika MeSH
Costs related to the decommissioning of nuclear power plants create a significant financial burden for nuclear power plant operators. This article discusses the various methodologies employed by selected European countries for financing of the liabilities related to the nuclear power plant decommissioning. The article also presents methodology of allocation of future decommissioning costs to the running costs of nuclear power plant in the form of fee imposed on each megawatt hour generated. The application of the methodology is presented in the form of a case study on a new nuclear power plant with installed capacity 1000 MW.
- MeSH
- alokace nákladů MeSH
- časové faktory MeSH
- ekonomické modely * MeSH
- financování organizované MeSH
- jaderná energie ekonomika MeSH
- jaderné elektrárny ekonomika MeSH
- monitorování radiace ekonomika MeSH
- náklady a analýza nákladů MeSH
- odpadky - odstraňování ekonomika MeSH
- radiační expozice MeSH
- radiační ochrana ekonomika MeSH
- radioaktivní odpad ekonomika MeSH
- radionuklidy analýza MeSH
- regenerace a remediace životního prostředí ekonomika MeSH
- skládková zařízení ekonomika MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- Geografické názvy
- Evropa MeSH
For experiments with dispersed radioactive aerosols in a radon-aerosol chamber (RAC), it is desirable to know the activity of the radioactive aerosols applied in the RAC. A COLIBRI TTC survey metre with an SABG-15+ probe (Canberra, USA) was purchased for this purpose. The probe is designed for surface contamination measurements, and it is intended to measure the activity of aerosols deposited on the filters during experiments in the RAC. Since the probe is calibrated in a different geometry, its response in the authors' experimental geometry was simulated by a Monte Carlo method. The authors present a Monte Carlo model using MCNPX and an experimental verification of this probe model.
- MeSH
- aerosoly analýza MeSH
- alfa částice MeSH
- design vybavení MeSH
- kalibrace MeSH
- metoda Monte Carlo MeSH
- monitorování radiace přístrojové vybavení MeSH
- počítačová simulace MeSH
- radioaktivní látky znečišťující vzduch analýza MeSH
- radiometrie přístrojové vybavení metody MeSH
- radionuklidy analýza MeSH
- teoretické modely MeSH
- záření gama MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- práce podpořená grantem MeSH
This paper provides an overview of analytical methods frequently used to identify terrestrial radionuclides in samples. While radioactivity is normally measured through the ionising radiation produced during the spontaneous decay of unstable atoms, selected radionuclides or their chemical elements can be quantified with instrumental techniques based on stimulated emission or counting of atoms. The advantages and disadvantages of these analytical methods are discussed. Particular attention is paid to X-ray fluorescence analysis of materials containing uranium and thorium. It is also possible to determine the area distributions of these chemical elements in samples with the use of scanning X-ray fluorescence systems.
- MeSH
- hmotnostní spektrometrie MeSH
- mikroanalýza elektronovou sondou MeSH
- neutronová aktivační analýza MeSH
- poločas MeSH
- radiační pozadí * MeSH
- radioizotopy draslíku analýza MeSH
- radiometrie metody MeSH
- radionuklidy analýza MeSH
- spektrometrie rentgenová emisní * přístrojové vybavení MeSH
- thorium analýza MeSH
- uran analýza MeSH
- Země (planeta) * MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- práce podpořená grantem MeSH
This paper presents the results of atmospheric radioactivity monitoring over the Czech Republic, as obtained by the Radiation Monitoring Network, following the Fukushima Dai-Ichi Nuclear Power Plant accident. Maximum values for (131)I were 5.6 mBq m(-3) in aerosol form and 13 mBq m(-3) in gaseous form. The maximum values for (134)Cs and (137)Cs were 0.64 and 0.72 mBq m(-3), respectively. The estimated effective half-time for removing the activity from the atmosphere was 6-7 d and 3.5 d for caesium and iodine, respectively. The gaseous-to-total activity ratios of (131)I ranged between 0.3 and 0.9, with an arithmetic mean value of 0.77. The mean value for the (134)Cs/(137)Cs ratios was close to 1.0. The effective inhalation dose due to the accident for an adult living in the Czech Republic was estimated at <4 × 10(-5) mSv, out of which the proportion of (131)I was 88%.
- MeSH
- atmosféra chemie MeSH
- havárie elektrárny Fukušima * MeSH
- hodnocení rizik MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- monitorování radiace metody statistika a číselné údaje MeSH
- obsah radioaktivních látek v organizmu MeSH
- poločas MeSH
- radioaktivní znečištění ovzduší analýza statistika a číselné údaje MeSH
- radionuklidy analýza MeSH
- vystavení vlivu životního prostředí analýza statistika a číselné údaje MeSH
- Check Tag
- lidé MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- práce podpořená grantem MeSH
- Geografické názvy
- Česká republika MeSH
