Simulation of a nuclear major accident at the Cattenom NPP

Rank, NPP code, date	mSv
1 CAT_2021-12-22	100.26
2 CAT_2017-01-21	98.86
3 CAT_2021-06-27	90.80
4 CAT_2020-05-09	45.62
5 CAT_2020-11-27	39.94
6 CAT_2021-11-09	38.39
7 CAT_2020-11-28	29.73
8 CAT_2018-11-05	27.40
9 CAT_2020-08-12	27.40
10 CAT_2018-11-23	27.27
11 CAT_2020-03-24	27.09
12 CAT_2018-10-09	25.77
13 CAT_2021-10-23	24.77
14 CAT_2020-10-02	24.13
15 CAT_2018-02-19	22.44
16 CAT_2017-06-27	21.68
17 CAT_2018-09-26	21.59
18 CAT_2021-10-16	21.25
19 CAT_2018-11-16	21.14
20 CAT_2017-03-12	21.11
21 CAT_2018-04-06	20.19
22 CAT_2017-05-22	19.78
23 CAT_2017-04-08	19.05
24 CAT_2020-08-10	18.59
25 CAT_2021-02-14	16.79
26 CAT_2021-07-12	16.43
27 CAT_2020-06-12	16.08
28 CAT_2018-01-14	15.38
29 CAT_2020-07-31	15.22
30 CAT_2018-03-24	13.90
31 CAT_2020-04-04	13.78
32 CAT_2018-03-03	13.67
33 CAT_2017-03-10	13.65
34 CAT_2020-08-06	13.13
35 CAT_2017-08-25	13.12
36 CAT_2020-04-08	12.42
37 CAT_2021-06-02	11.53
38 CAT_2020-09-19	10.56
39 CAT_2017-08-22	10.15
40 CAT_2021-01-31	10.02
41 CAT_2018-01-09	8.87
42 CAT_2020-08-09	8.84
43 CAT_2017-01-26	8.69
44 CAT_2018-12-15	8.65
45 CAT_2017-02-12	8.41
46 CAT_2017-02-14	8.15
47 CAT_2018-02-17	7.87
48 CAT_2021-02-07	7.41
49 CAT_2017-02-07	7.39
50 CAT_2018-04-10	7.23
51 CAT_2017-05-10	7.07
52 CAT_2018-11-02	7.03
53 CAT_2020-01-05	6.33
54 CAT_2017-04-30	5.77
55 CAT_2021-06-25	5.74
56 CAT_2017-04-29	5.66
57 CAT_2018-05-12	5.56
58 CAT_2021-09-19	5.54
59 CAT_2021-09-03	5.53
60 CAT_2017-05-15	5.43
61 CAT_2017-02-04	5.17
62 CAT_2020-09-13	5.12
63 CAT_2020-08-07	4.98
64 CAT_2021-09-08	4.94
65 CAT_2017-08-28	4.82
66 CAT_2021-02-05	4.78
67 CAT_2017-09-23	4.71
68 CAT_2021-11-13	4.43
69 CAT_2018-11-04	4.34
70 CAT_2018-05-27	4.27
71 CAT_2017-08-07	4.21
72 CAT_2017-08-21	4.06
73 CAT_2018-02-18	4.04
74 CAT_2017-03-11	4.02
75 CAT_2021-10-05	4.01
76 CAT_2020-04-17	3.83
77 CAT_2017-05-03	3.58
78 CAT_2017-06-21	3.55
79 CAT_2021-09-12	3.45
80 CAT_2018-05-08	3.24
81 CAT_2020-04-10	3.19
82 CAT_2018-07-03	3.09
83 CAT_2018-04-09	3.05
84 CAT_2020-04-05	3.04
85 CAT_2020-02-07	2.88
86 CAT_2020-08-08	2.87
87 CAT_2020-05-08	2.72
88 CAT_2021-09-17	2.71
89 CAT_2021-09-13	2.64
90 CAT_2017-02-11	2.56
91 CAT_2018-03-01	2.51
92 CAT_2018-07-24	2.48
93 CAT_2018-12-25	2.41
94 CAT_2017-01-06	2.32
95 CAT_2018-04-19	2.26
96 CAT_2018-07-26	2.26
97 CAT_2020-08-11	2.24
98 CAT_2018-11-21	2.23
99 CAT_2020-04-07	2.21
100 CAT_2018-05-23	2.18
101 CAT_2017-08-27	2.16
102 CAT_2021-06-15	2.13
103 CAT_2020-09-14	2.12
104 CAT_2018-04-11	2.06
105 CAT_2017-02-05	2.05
106 CAT_2018-05-25	1.87
107 CAT_2020-05-20	1.85
108 CAT_2017-05-21	1.79
109 CAT_2017-12-11	1.76
110 CAT_2017-07-08	1.74
111 CAT_2018-10-15	1.72
112 CAT_2021-11-26	1.66
113 CAT_2018-10-04	1.65
114 CAT_2017-05-02	1.62
115 CAT_2018-03-30	1.61
116 CAT_2018-08-09	1.61
117 CAT_2018-06-06	1.59
118 CAT_2017-02-06	1.55
119 CAT_2018-11-22	1.55
120 CAT_2018-03-02	1.45
121 CAT_2017-02-10	1.40
122 CAT_2018-11-24	1.40
123 CAT_2021-07-23	1.35
124 CAT_2018-07-25	1.32
125 CAT_2018-04-12	1.30
126 CAT_2021-02-04	1.29
127 CAT_2018-08-06	1.28
128 CAT_2021-06-14	1.28
129 CAT_2020-08-04	1.25
130 CAT_2018-04-20	1.24
131 CAT_2020-03-05	1.22
132 CAT_2017-06-20	1.21
133 CAT_2017-02-08	1.18
134 CAT_2017-06-13	1.18
135 CAT_2018-05-24	1.15
136 CAT_2017-05-20	0.98
137 CAT_2018-11-15	0.96
138 CAT_2018-06-05	0.95
139 CAT_2018-11-03	0.93
140 CAT_2018-08-05	0.90
141 CAT_2018-09-15	0.85
142 CAT_2021-04-27	0.83
143 CAT_2017-06-14	0.76
144 CAT_2017-08-29	0.76
145 CAT_2020-04-03	0.72
146 CAT_2017-07-17	0.67
147 CAT_2018-07-02	0.57
148 CAT_2018-03-14	0.55
149 CAT_2018-03-16	0.53
150 CAT_2018-05-11	0.52
151 CAT_2021-08-21	0.49
152 CAT_2020-10-12	0.43
153 CAT_2020-05-07	0.32
154 CAT_2020-02-05	0.31
155 CAT_2018-02-16	0.30
156 CAT_2020-06-10	0.30
157 CAT_2017-07-18	0.26
158 CAT_2021-07-11	0.21
159 CAT_2021-12-04	0.20
160 CAT_2021-07-24	0.17
161 CAT_2017-04-28	0.15
162 CAT_2021-06-19	0.13
163 CAT_2017-01-01	0.00
164 CAT_2017-01-02	0.00
165 CAT_2017-01-03	0.00
166 CAT_2017-01-04	0.00

Rank, NPP code, date

mSv

1 CAT_2021-12-22

100.26

98.86

90.80

45.62

39.94

38.39

29.73

27.40

27.40

27.27

27.09

25.77

24.77

24.13

22.44

21.68

21.59

21.25

21.14

21.11

20.19

19.78

19.05

18.59

16.79

16.43

16.08

15.38

15.22

13.90

13.78

13.67

13.65

13.13

13.12

12.42

11.53

10.56

10.15

10.02

8.87

8.84

8.69

8.65

8.41

8.15

7.87

7.41

7.39

7.23

7.07

7.03

6.33

5.77

5.74

5.66

5.56

5.54

5.53

5.43

5.17

5.12

4.98

4.94

4.82

4.78

4.71

4.43

4.34

4.27

4.21

4.06

4.04

4.02

4.01

3.83

3.58

3.55

3.45

3.24

3.19

3.09

3.05

3.04

2.88

2.87

2.72

2.71

2.64

2.56

2.51

2.48

2.41

2.32

2.26

2.26

2.24

2.23

2.21

2.18

2.16

2.13

2.12

2.06

2.05

1.87

1.85

1.79

1.76

1.74

1.72

1.66

1.65

1.62

1.61

1.61

1.59

1.55

1.55

1.45

1.40

1.40

1.35

1.32

1.30

1.29

1.28

1.28

1.25

1.24

1.22

1.21

1.18

1.18

1.15

0.98

0.96

0.95

0.93

0.90

0.85

0.83

0.76

0.76

0.72

0.67

0.57

0.55

0.53

0.52

0.49

0.43

0.32

0.31

0.30

0.30

0.26

0.21

0.20

0.17

0.15

0.13

0.00

0.00

0.00

0.00

ADDITIONAL EXPLANATION ON THE TABLE

1° The radioactivity comes from the passage of the cloud in the hours following an accident;
2° The above individual doses do not include soil irradiation or ingestion of contaminated food after the passage of the cloud;
3° These figures are estimates;
4° SEE COMMENTARY ON LOW AND HIGH DOSES.
5° The calculations are not derived using the map in the illustration, but from another map – of the same format as the one for download on our website to study deposition – which explains some discrepancies between the figure and its illustration.
6° The analysis of the 11 situations producing the maximum fallout allows us to establish the highest risk for a given city, i.e., the consequences of weather situations occurring in 1% of the cases.
7° The above data allow for the identification of the meteorological conditions that would have the worst impact on the area in question, as well as those that would keep radioactivity away. In the event of a major accident at the nuclear power plant concerned, a quick comparison of this analysis with the then prevailing meteorological conditions could be very useful to act as decentralized as possible; local authorities could keep these analyses as ready references to better and more rapidly deploy population protection strategies.

Major accident in one of the four reactors of Cattenom NPP (4 × 3817 MWth)

Possible impact on the inhabitants of :

Kortrijk (263 km) BEL

Potential impact of the cloud (inhalation) on the following areas: Europe (51 countries) France Germany & Austria Luxembourg Belgium & Netherlands Italy Switzerland Spain

ADDITIONAL EXPLANATION ON THE TABLE

Wikimedia map with modifications

Towns in the vicinity of Cattenom

Wikimedia map with modifications

The geographical location of Cattenom

Photo cropped from the work of Stefan Kühn, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Cattenom, France, pressurized water reactor (PWR), 4 × 3817 megawatts thermal (MWth)