A graded approach for evaluating radiation doses to aquatic and terrestrial biota

Integrated environmental modeling (IEM) includes interdependent science-based components that comprise an appropriate software modeling system and are responsible for consuming and producing information as part of the system, but moving information from one component to another (i.e., interoperability) is the responsibility of the IEM software system. We describe and discuss the Framework for Risk Analysis in Multimedia Environmental Systems (FRAMES), a component-based IEM system, from the standpoint of software design requirements which define system functionalities. Design requirements were identified in a series of workshops, attended by IEM practitioners, and reported in the development of a number of IEM software systems. The requirements cover issues associated with standards, component connectivity, linkage protocols, system architecture and functionality, and web-based access, all of which facilitate the creation of plug & play components from stand-alone models through a series of software support tools and standards.

Design of a component-based integrated environmental modeling framework

https://usir.salford.ac.uk/34466/1/Beresford%20et%20al.%202015on-line%20Making%20the%20most%20JER.pdf

Making the most of what we have: application of extrapolation approaches in radioecological wildlife transfer models

Natural gas extraction from Marcellus Shale generates large quantities of flowback water that contain high levels of salinity, heavy metals, and naturally occurring radioactive material (NORM). This water is typically stored in centralized storage impoundments or tanks prior to reuse, treatment or disposal. The fate of Ra-226, which is the dominant NORM component in flowback water, in three centralized storage impoundments in southwestern Pennsylvania was investigated during a 2.5-year period. Field sampling revealed that Ra-226 concentration in these storage facilities depends on the management strategy but is generally increasing during the reuse of flowback water for hydraulic fracturing. In addition, Ra-226 is enriched in the bottom solids (e.g., impoundment sludge), where it increased from less than 10 pCi/g for fresh sludge to several hundred pCi/g for aged sludge. A combination of sequential extraction procedure (SEP) and chemical composition analysis of impoundment sludge revealed that Barite is t...

Fate of Radium in Marcellus Shale Flowback Water Impoundments and Assessment of Associated Health Risks.

Naturally occurring radionuclides in materials derived from urban water treatment plants in southeast Queensland, Australia.

This manual provides information on the design and application of the RESidual RADioactivity (RESRAD) code. It describes the basic models and parameters used in the RESRAD code to calculate doses and risks from residual radioactive materials and the procedures for applying these models to calculate operational guidelines for soil contamination. RESRAD has undergone many improvements to make it more realistic in terms of the models used in the code and the parameters used as defaults. Version 6 contains a total of 145 radionuclides (92 principal and 53 associated radionuclides), and the cutoff half-life for associated radionuclides has been reduced to 1 month. Other major improvements to the RESRAD code include its ability to run uncertainty analyses, additional options for graphical and text output, a better dose conversion factor editor, updated databases, a better groundwater transport model for long decay chains, an external ground radiation pathway model, an inhalation area factor model, time-integration of dose and risk, and a better graphical user interface. In addition, RESRAD has been benchmarked against other codes in the environmental assessment and site cleanup arena, and RESRAD models have been verified and validated.

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User's manual for RESRAD version 6.

The RESRAD and RESRAD-BUILD codes are part of the RESRAD family of codes developed by the U.S. Department of Energy. For many years, these deterministic codes have been used as dose assessment tools for cleanup of sites contaminated with radioactive materials. The RESRAD code applies to the cleanup of soils, and the RESRAD-BUILD code applies to the cleanup of buildings and structures. This report is the third in a series documenting the procedures used to enhance the deterministic RESRAD and RESRAD-BUILD codes for probabilistic dose analysis. A six-step procedure was used in developing default parameter distributions and the probabilistic analysis modules. These six steps include (1) listing and categorizing parameters, (2) ranking parameters, (3) developing parameter distributions, (4) testing parameter distributions for probabilistic analysis, (5) developing probabilistic modules, and (6) testing probabilistic modules and integrated codes. These six steps are discussed and summarized in this report. Steps 4 and 5 are documented in separate NUREG/CR reports (NUREG/CR-6676 [Kamboj et al., 2000] and NUREG/CR-6692 [LePoire et al., 2000]). The reports for steps 1, 2, 3, and 6 are included in this report as attachments. The probabilistic versions of RESRAD and RESRAD-BUILD codes provide tools for studying the uncertainty in dose assessment caused by uncertain input parameters. The codes are designed to be user-friendly, but they can be misused. Therefore, it is important that potential users be trained in the proper use of the codes consistent with the guidance in NRC's Standard Review Plan (SRP) for Decommissioning (NRC, 2000) for dose modeling and analysis. Furthermore, it is important that the code users follow the guidance in the Multi-Agency Radiation Survey and Site Investigation Manual (NRC, 1997) on collecting site-specific data for developing probabilistic distributions of parameter values to be used in the RESRAD and RESRAD-BUILD codes. They need to collect enough data to develop values that are as close to real-world distributions of these values as possible to produce meaningful and technically defensible results.

Development of probabilistic resrad 6.0 and resrad-build 3.0 computer codes

The RESRAD-BUILD computer code is a pathway analysis model designed to evaluate the potential radiological dose incurred by an individual who works or lives in a building contaminated with radioactive material. The transport of radioactive material within the building from one compartment to another is calculated with an indoor air quality model. The air quality model considers the transport of radioactive dust particulates and radon progeny due to air exchange, deposition and resuspension, and radioactive decay and ingrowth. A single run of the RESRAD-BUILD code can model a building with up to three compartments, four source geometries (point, line, area, and volume), 10 distinct source locations, and 10 receptor locations. The volume source can be composed of up to five layers of different materials, with each layer being homogeneous and isotropic. A shielding material can be specified between each source-receptor pair for external gamma dose calculations. The user can select shielding material from eight different material types. Seven exposure pathways are considered in the RESRAD-BUILD code: (1) external exposure directly from the source, (2) external exposure to materials deposited on the floor, (3) external exposure due to air submersion, (4) inhalation of airborne radioactive particulates, (5) inhalation of aerosol indoormore » radon progeny and tritiated water vapor, (6) inadvertent ingestion of radioactive material directly from the source, and (7) ingestion of materials deposited on the surfaces of the building compartments. Various exposure scenarios may be modeled with the RESRAD-BUILD code. These include, but are not limited to, office worker, renovation worker, decontamination worker, building visitor, and residency scenarios. Both deterministic and probabilistic dose analyses can be performed with RESRAD-BUILD, and the results can be shown in both text and graphic reports.« less

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User's manual for RESRAD-BUILD version 3.

The RESRAD-OFFSITE code is an extension of the RESRAD (onsite) code, which has been widely used for calculating doses and risks from exposure to radioactively contaminated soils. The development of RESRAD-OFFSITE started more than 10 years ago, but new models and methodologies have been developed, tested, and incorporated since then. Some of the new models have been benchmarked against other independently developed (international) models. The databases used have also expanded to include all the radionuclides (more than 830) contained in the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) 38 database. This manual provides detailed information on the design and application of the RESRAD-OFFSITE code. It describes in detail the new models used in the code, such as the three-dimensional dispersion groundwater flow and radionuclide transport model, the Gaussian plume model for atmospheric dispersion, and the deposition model used to estimate the accumulation of radionuclides in offsite locations and in foods. Potential exposure pathways and exposure scenarios that can be modeled by the RESRAD-OFFSITE code are also discussed. A user's guide is included in Appendix A of this manual. The default parameter values and parameter distributions are presented in Appendix B, along with a discussion on the statistical distributions for probabilistic analysis. A detailed discussion on how to reduce run time, especially when conducting probabilistic (uncertainty) analysis, is presented in Appendix C of this manual.

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User's Manual for RESRAD-OFFSITE Version 2.

Three methods were used to perform a sensitivity analysis of RESRAD code input parameters -- enhancement of RESRAD by the Gradient Enhanced Software System (GRESS) package, direct parameter perturbation, and graphic comparison. Evaluation of these methods indicated that (1) the enhancement of RESRAD by GRESS has limitations and should be used cautiously, (2) direct parameter perturbation is tedious to implement, and (3) the graphics capability of RESRAD 4.0 is the most direct and convenient method for performing sensitivity analyses. This report describes procedures for implementing these methods and presents a comparison of results. 3 refs., 9 figs., 8 tabs.

/pdf/resrad-parameter-sensitivity-analysis-2o3qhu3w3q.pdf

A. J. Zielen

Papers

User's manual for RESRAD version 6.

Development of probabilistic resrad 6.0 and resrad-build 3.0 computer codes

User's manual for RESRAD-BUILD version 3.

User's Manual for RESRAD-OFFSITE Version 2.

RESRAD parameter sensitivity analysis