Article

Overview and main achievements of the EURANOS project: European approach to nuclear and radiological emergency management and rehabilitation strategies

¹ Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institut für Kern- und Energietechnik, Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Germany
² Bundesamt für Strahlenschutz, München-Neuherberg, Germany
³ CEPN, Fontenay-aux-Roses, France
⁴ Health Protection Agency- Radiation Protection Division, Chilton, Didcot, UK
⁵ SUJB, Prague, Czech Republic
⁶ ENCONET Consulting, Vienna, Austria

Abstract

In June 2009, the 5-year multi-national project EURANOS, funded by the European Commission in its 6th Framework Programme, reached its end, achieving most of the objectives addressed in the work programme. Partners from 23 European countries integrating 17 national emergency management organisations with 33 research institutes, aimed to enhance the preparedness for Europe’s response to any radiation emergency and long term contamination. Three handbooks to assist national and local authorities in the management of contaminated food production systems, inhabited areas and contaminated drinking water resources in Europe were developed in conjunction with a wide range of European stakeholders. Further guidance was prepared to support the decision making team in the lifting of early phase countermeasures. A governance framework for the sustainable rehabilitation of long term contaminated territories was developed and tested in France and in Norway. Considerable progress was made in developing a consistent set of models for calculating the best estimate of the current radiological situation in both contaminated agricultural and inhabited areas. These models were integrated in both the ARGOS and the RODOS decision support systems. Decision aiding components were improved to support the selection of management options with the help of multi criteria decision analysis procedures. A mass consistent wind field model was implemented together with a particle model for complex terrain. The migration of RODOS (Real-time On-line Decision Support System) to the operating system LINUX was completed. RODOS was completely re-engineered, taking into account the users’ recommendations from the demonstration projects and feedback from its operational use. This new version will build the kernel for the operational RODOS release in 2010 and new research activities related to the future improvement of RODOS.