The Importance of Atmospheric Dispersion Modeling

Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) are poised to be the next big thing in clean electricity generation and district heating applications. Unlike conventional nuclear plants that are usually deployed in remote areas for safety reasons, SMRs can be potentially located close to end users in urban environments, which is crucial to minimize energy losses. One of the key steps to achieve this goal is to come up with realistic sizing of emergency planning zones (EPZs) around SMRs as large, excessively conservative EPZs may make SMR siting in urban environments a non-starter. Determining smaller and realistic EPZs around SMRs require collaboration between multiple fields of nuclear research such as nuclear physics, atmospheric dispersion of radionuclides etc. This talk focuses on how advanced atmospheric dispersion research can help in EPZ determination, which will ultimately influence large scale deployment of SMRs.

The session will feature Dr. Sreeyuth Lal, P.Eng, and Mr. Aneesh John, P.Eng, two distinguished researchers in the field of atmospheric dispersion at Canadian Nuclear Laboratories (CNL). Dr. Sreeyuth Lal, Ph.D., P.Eng, earned his B.Eng. from BITS Pilani, India, and M.Sc. and Ph.D. from ETH Zurich, Switzerland. He has contributed extensively to advanced research in fluid dynamics through his work with RWDI, Axpo Group, ISRO, and CNL. Mr. Aneesh John, P.Eng, completed his B.Sc. and M.A.Sc. at Carleton University. At CNL, he has applied his expertise in fluid engineering and thermal-hydraulic analysis to support innovative projects.

Key topics of the talk will include:

• Integration of aerial drones for mapping terrain and building topology
•  Use of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) for near-field radionuclide dispersion modeling
•  A multifaceted approach combining CFD, Gaussian plume codes, wind tunnels, and field measurements.