Every nuclear facility has radiation monitors for safety. These can be linked to the facility safety system and shown to the public over the Internet.
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Nuclear power plants and research sites have air radiation sensors around them as at this example from Tokyo Electric Power at Kashiwazaki-Kariwa station. The readings around the multi-reactor site are displayed in the control room of each reactor and available on the Internet. For more information about Tokyo Electric Power (TEPCO) click here. Click here for link to radiation safety data at Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant. |
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Power companies often report airborne radiation data to the public through publications, governmental regulators, or electronic displays near the reactor sites. Korea Electric Power Company (KEPCO) also posts daily information on their public web-site. As indicated in the screen capture at the left, KEPCO gives the power output for each reactor as well as the radiation data. Click on the screen capture for a full display. |
These stations are solar powered and report automatically through a satellite link to a central computer at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). The data is posted to the Internet server at LANL without editing. Interested parties can obtain the data directly from the satellite if they have their own satellite receiver station.
NEWNET |
NEWNET radiation monitoring stations measure the total number of gamma rays (high energy x rays) in the air. Most of the radiation is for natural sources, but the data will identify unusual or potentially dangerous levels. The station also measures wind speed, temperature and other meteorological factors that would be useful for interpreting the radiation data. Solar panels provide electrical power with a battery for night and bad weather operation. A small antenna sends a burst of data to a geosynchronous satellite every few hours. For more information on the NEWNET system operated in the United States, click here. |
In case of a large-scale accident, three-dimensional atmospheric simulations predict the radiological impact on people. Emergency response agencies would use these simulations to guide evacuation and de-contamination operations.
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The
Japan
Atomic Energy Research Institute (JAERI) has developed a program
named WSPEEDI for real-time dose assessment for radiological emergencies.
WSPEEDI consists
of atmospheric transport models, worldwide geographical database,
meteorological data processor and graphical software. The performance
of the models has been evaluated using a Chernobyl database.
Simulation of atmospheric transport of sulfur dioxide from the Miyaki-jima (Japanese or English) volcanic eruption in August 2000 shows the calculation capability. |
The Environmental Continuos Air Monitor (ECAM) provides radiological assessments of potential environmental hazards in the event of the release of alpha emitting radionuclides (e.g. Plutonium and Amercium).
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ECAM technology allows real-time field monitoring of concentration. The unit is encapsulated in a durable, weatherproof assembly. It houses a powerful vacuum blower capable of pulling 120 L/m through a filter sample for large air volume data analysis. Air is drawn into the inlets at the top of the system where debris and large dust particles are forced out of the air stream before it reaches the CAM head. In addition to data analysis, the ECAM module incorporates a dozen Java™ applets embedded on thirty web pages. This provides a convenient monitoring method via a web browser. Newnet2 |