Comparison of Predicted Offsite Doses with Measured Doses at the Savannah River Plant

An automated emergency response system for real-time predictions of offsite dose from unplanned atmospheric releases of radioactivity is maintained at the Savannah River Plant. The system consists of a minicomputer and associated peripherals necessary for acquisition and handling of large amounts of meteorological data from a local tower network and the National Weather Service. The minicomputer uses these data and predictive models to assess the impact of accidental releases. The dose estimates from this system were compared to measured doses from bioassay samples on several occasions when unplanned releases of tritium have occurred. On all occasions the calculated doses showed good agreement with the measured doses