Comparative analysis of the assessment of material costs on an ARMS system and the elimination of the consequences of a radiation accident at an atomic energy facility

Abstract

The work provides a comparative analysis of the material and financial costs for the development and operation of an Automated Radiation Monitoring System (ARMS) for monitoring of the environmental radiation situation and the damage associated with the elimination of the consequences of a radiation accident at an Atomic Energy Facility. Furthermore, we consider a brief scenario of the sequence of operations of the ARMS system related to the assessment of radioactive pollution of the environment, in the framework of a hypothetical accident of level 7, on the INES scale, and that of the Atomic Energy Facility. The work presents the main methods and means of the ARMS system. The system helps to carry out modern methods of assessing dose loads on the personnel and the population of the region exposed to a radioactive release torch. It also helps in the elimination of the effects of radioactive pollution of the environment and its damage to the population, agricultural land, parks and reserves. The maintenance work and the evacuation of the population from the contaminated area is considered. It shows that the material and financial costs of nuclear power plant equipment, which allows for radiation monitoring, maintenance, as well as work-related to prognostic assessments of radioactive pollution of the environment, are much less than the costs of eliminating the consequences of severe radiation accidents at nuclear power plants.