Identification of release mechanisms and events for which there is deeper scientific interest in theoretical possibilities for a rapid and comprehensive situation assessment

The Radiological Situation Centre of the Federal Government (RLZ) exists in Germany for the assessment of radiological and nuclear emergencies. The RLZ is a network of the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV), the Federal Office for Radiation Protection (BfS), the Gesellschaft für Anlagen- und Reaktorsicherheit (GRS) gGmbH and supporting federal authorities. The possible emergency situations to be assessed are covered by reference scenarios which serve as a basis for emergency response planning. The aim of the research project was to bring together the available knowledge on release mechanisms and events from the spectrum of reference scenarios with regard to the concerns of emergency response planning, to process it, to supplement it with further considerations and to evaluate it with regard to its relevance for emergency response planning. In this way, the knowledge base for the work of the GRS emergency centre is expanded and completed. This strengthens the ability of GRS to support the preparation of the radiological situation picture in a timely and well-founded manner even in case of unforeseen developments or developments that have not been considered in detail in the planning so far.