Demonstration of the ASTRAL post accidental code

Institute of Protection and Nuclear Safety (IPSN), Division of Environmental Protection (DPRE), Laboratory of Environmental Modelling (LMODE), CE Cadarache, 13108 Saint-Paul-lez-Durance cedex, France

Abstract

Whether for studying impacts of a hypothetical nuclear accident or for handling a crisis situation, experts and decision-makers, after a large scale atmospheric radioactive release, want to assess the contamination of the environment and food products, derive from it the potential exposure of populations to ionized radiations, predict the evolution of the situation and propose different scenarios for the management of contaminated zones. Starting from estimations or measurements of a radionuclide deposit on the ground, the ASTRAL computer code meets these demands : it calculates the evolution of concentrations in the food chain components and the doses to man due to external exposition and internal intake through inhalation of resuspended radionuclides and ingestion of contaminated foodstuff. Furthermore, various counter-measures can be simulated and therefore the efficiency of different managements of contaminated zones and products can be evaluated. A first version of ASTRAL has been released in 1997, and is installed in IPSN's Crisis Technical Center and in EDF (Electricité De France). A demonstration of its second version, which is to be released at the end of year 2001, is proposed. For this version, the choice of an internet architecture was made : it enables quick viewing of results, intuitive ergonomics - thus requiring a minimized training - and facilitates the spreading and the maintenance of the software, since only a web browser is necessary for the customer.