How Cs-137 dispersions due to atmospheric deposition to East Vietnam Sea: a hypothetical level 7 incident from the Fangchenggang Nuclear Power Plant (China)

Abstract

Only about 50 km from the Quang Ninh coastal area in Vietnam, the Fangchenggang Nuclear Power Plant (China) operation causes excellent concerns for the environment, especially the marine environment, if an incident occurs. Based on topographic and hydrometeorological data and assumptions about radiation release conditions when an incident occurs, the Delft3D-Part modeling system was set up to assess/forecast the effect of Cs-137 radioactive activity on the source of air deposition in the water environment of Vietnam. The results showed that the sources of the drop from the air significantly affected and caused a faster impact than direct radioactive sources after the incident. Under the influence of marine circulation, wind radioactive material after falling into the sea will quickly disperse and may affect the entire East Vietnam Sea after 3–6 months. The area with high radioactivity is concentrated mainly in the Tonkin Gulf and along the coast of Vietnam. Especially in the Gulf of Tonkin, the radioactivity can reach 300–1,200 Bq/m3 after the 5-day incident. The amount of radiation then gradually decreases to almost less than 100 Bq/m3 after one year and below 20 Bq/m3 after two years. According to depth, the amount of radioactive Cs-137 tends to shift between layers from the surface to the bottom: higher at first in the upper layers, then gradually decreasing and increasing in the lower layers. Radioactivity significantly reduced after two years of the incident but still exceeded QCVN 10: 2008/BTNMT.