Atmospheric dispersion modeling and radiological safety assessment for expected operation of Baiji nuclear power plant potential site

Highlights: • Seasonal weather parameters drive the dispersion profile of radioactive emissions and exposure dose rate. • The air concentration plume of radionuclides in the summer time was symmetrical and moved towards the east and southeast. • The dispersion of the radionuclides plume spreads out along larger areas in winter. • Normal operation of nuclear power plant at Baiji potential site poses no significant health risk. • The windward areas of Baiji potential site receive higher exposure doses compared to areas on other directions. - Abstract: Installing new nuclear facilities require a serious consideration of safety measures throughout all stages. This work evaluates the radiological impact of the expected operations of potential Baiji nuclear power plant (NPP) in accord with the safety requirement's achievement. GENII Environmental Dosimetry System is used to assess annual effective dose equivalent (AEDE) and cancer risks. GENII model configured according to ICRP 60 and 103 recommended dose conversion coefficients. Hybrid Single Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory (HYSPLIT) model configured to study spatial distribution of the exposure dose around the NPP according to distance and direction. Results showed that maximum AEDE was 0.5 $\mu$Sv at the Baiji potential site, which was lower than the allowed dose limit by International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) 60 and 103 recommendations. The cancer incidence and fatality risks were in the range of 1 in 10⁷ people. The areas most influenced by the atmospheric emissions of radioactive discharges were Baiji and Tikrit cities at distances of 30–40 km south and south-east of Baiji site.