RINO: a new tool for assessing radiological impacts of normal operation

The normal operation of nuclear facilities such as nuclear generating stations, nuclear waste management facilities, uranium mills and mines, will result in the release of radionuclides to the environment. These releases could potentially affect the health and safety of the general public and the environment. RINO (Radiological Impacts of Normal Operation) is a new computer code designed to calculate the radiological doses to members of the public following exposure to radionuclides released during normal operation of nuclear facilities. RINO also calculates the Derived Release Limits (DRLs) for nuclear facilities, which are subject to the approval of the Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ) such as the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) or the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and then become part of operating license of the nuclear facility. RINO models the radiological characteristics of contaminants and the physical (i.e., size, topography and meteorology) and biological (i.e., plant, animal and human) characteristics of the nuclear facility and the surrounding environment. The model is compliant with the requirements of CSA N288.1:20 and CSA N286.7-16. RINO has a user-friendly graphical interface that is very easy to use with minimal training. This paper will summarize the software development process and the key features of the new computer code RINO. (author)