Computer code system DSOCEAN for assessing the collective dose of Japanese due to radionuclides released to the ocean from a reprocessing plant

A computer code system DSOCEAN has been developed for assessing the collective dose of Japanese due to radionuclides released to the ocean from a spent nuclear fuel reprocessing plant. This computer code system uses a box model which represents the transfer of radionuclides between boxes of seawater into which the ocean around Japan is divided. The code system consists of a series of three interlinked main computer codes, which estimates the exchange rates of radionuclides between the boxes, the radionuclide concentrations in each box, and the collective dose from various exposure pathways, respectively. By using DSOCEAN, two calculations were carried out to estimate the collective dose from a liquid effluent. One is associated with a routine release of radionuclides from a hypothetical reprocessing plant. The other is an application of the code system to disposal of liquid radioactive waste to the surface water of the ocean. The calculated results identified important radionuclides and exposure pathways. (author)