Remote monitoring of nuclear power plants in Baden-Wuerttemberg

• Published in: Radiation protection dosimetry 2014-08, Vol.160 (4), p.259-263
• Main Authors: Neff, U, Müller, U, Mandel, C, Coutinho, P, Aures, R, Grimm, C, Hagmann, M, Wilbois, T, Ren, Y
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: France; Humans; Nuclear Power Plants; Radiation Monitoring; Radiation Protection; Radioactive Pollutants - analysis; Telemetry
• ISSN: 0144-8420; 1742-3406
• DOI: 10.1093/rpd/ncu010

As part of its responsibilities as nuclear supervisory authority, the Ministry of the Environment, Climate Protection and the Energy Sector Baden-Wuerttemberg (UM) operates a computer-based system for remote monitoring of nuclear power plants (NPPs) (KFUe, Kernreaktor-Fernüberwachung). In addition to the Baden-Wuerttemberg NPPs located at Philippsburg, Neckarwestheim and the disused Obrigheim, those in foreign locations close to the border area, i.e. Fessenheim in France, and Leibstadt and Beznau in Switzerland, are monitored. The KFUe system provides several methods to evaluate and present the measured data as well as to ensure compliance of threshold limits and safety objectives. For the UM, it serves as an instrument of the nuclear supervision. In case of a radioactive release, the authorities responsible for civil protection can use dispersion calculations in order to identify potentially affected areas and to initiate protective measures for the population. Beyond the data collected at the plant sites, various international radiation and meteorological measuring networks are integrated in the KFUe. The State Institute for Environment, Measurements and Nature Protection (LUBW), the technical operator of the KFUe, runs its own special monitoring network for ambient gamma dose rate and nuclide specific activity concentration measurements in the vicinity of each NPP. This article gives an overview of the solution to combine data of different sources on a single screen: dose rate networks, dose rate traces measured by car, airborne gamma spectra of helicopters, mobile dose rate probes, grid data of weather forecasts, dispersion calculations, etc.