EXPOSURE OF THE BIOGAS STATION OPERATORS WORKING WITH CONTAMINATED BIOMASS

The article deals with evaluation of irradiation of an operator of a 1 MW biogas station (BGS), processing silage plant biomass contaminated by 137Cs and 134Cs. External irradiation and internal irradiation by the means of aerosol particles inhalation were considered. For calculation of the external irradiation, a BGS model was created in the MCNP. The calculated total committed effective doses received by the operator during annual handling of biomass contaminated by 1 kBq per kg of 137Cs or 134Cs were 34 or 69 μSv, respectively. Three scenarios of contamination were evaluated: freshly contaminated silage after model accident, silage right after the Chernobyl accident and at the current radiation situation in the Czech Republic.