Source term derivation and radiological safety analysis for the TRICO II research reactor in Kinshasa

•Atmospheric dispersion modeling for two credible accidents of the TRIGA Mark II research reactor in Kinshasa (TRICO II) was performed.•Radiological safety analysis after the postulated initiating events (PIE) was also carried out.•The Karlsruhe KORIGEN and the HotSpot Health Physics codes were used to achieve the objectives of this study.•All the values of effective dose obtained following the accident scenarios were below the regulatory limits for reactor staff members and the public, respectively. The source term from the 1MW TRIGA Mark II research reactor core of the Democratic Republic of the Congo was derived in this study. An atmospheric dispersion modeling followed by radiation dose calculation were performed based on two possible postulated accident scenarios. This derivation was made from an inventory of peak radioisotope activities released in the core by using the Karlsruhe version of isotope generation code KORIGEN. The atmospheric dispersion modeling was performed with HotSpot code, and its application yielded to radiation dose profile around the site using meteorological parameters specific to the area under study. The two accident scenarios were picked from possible accident analyses for TRIGA and TRIGA-fueled reactors, involving the case of destruction of the fuel element with highest activity release and a plane crash on the reactor building as the worst case scenario. Deterministic effects of these scenarios are used to update the Safety Analysis Report (SAR) of the reactor, and for its current version, these scenarios are not yet incorporated. Site-specific meteorological conditions were collected from two meteorological stations: one installed within the Atomic Energy Commission and another at the National Meteorological Agency (METTELSAT), which is not far from the site. Results show that in both accident scenarios, radiation doses remain within the limits, far below the recommended maximum effective (whole body) dose of 20mSv/year for workers and 1mSv/year for the general public in the IAEA Basic Safety Standards 115 and demonstrate the radiation safety of this reactor. This guarantees the safety of workers and the population around the plant site.