Land Forces Academy Review Vol. XXII, No 2(86), 2017

STRUCTURE AND MANAGEMENT OF THE NATIONAL AUTOMATED SYSTEM FOR PERMANENT CONTROL OF THE RADIATION GAMMA BACKGROUND IN

Nicolai Todorov DOLCHINKOV “” National Military University, , Bulgaria [email protected] Nicolai Bonev NICHEV “Vasil Levski” National Military University, Veliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria [email protected]

ABSTRACT In the up-to-date complicated political situation it’s imperative to monitor the status of the radiation background not only in Bulgaria, but also in Europe and worldwide. Since 1992 in Bulgaria operates an automated system for permanent control of the radiation gamma background (NASPCRGB). The system has been modernized by means of a European program during its last operation period and is connected with EURDEP – the European System for Exchange of Radiological Data of the European Commission. The operation of the System and its management are assigned to the Executive Environment Agency of the Ministry of Environment and Water Resources. In the present article we have shown the structure of the National Automated System for permanent control of the radiation gamma background (NASPCRGB) and its functions.

KEYWORDS: radiation background, control, management, probe, data

1. Introduction Nichev, 2016). Later it was found out, that After the radioactivity was discovered the space radiation comprises two in the beginning of the century the scientists components: primary radiation – of galactic had considered, that only the soil and the origin, penetrating into the atmosphere, and rocks were a source of radiation into the secondary space radiation – originating atmosphere. Yet very soon it had been from the reaction of the cosmic rays with discovered that when the altitude increased the nuclei of the air elements, with the (in experiments with balloons), also the space dust, precipitating on the planet and radioactive radiations increased, resulting others. This activity results mainly from from the space radiation (Dolchinkov and light radionuclides, such as: berrylium,

DOI: 10.1515/raft-2017-0016 © 2017. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

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sodium, aluminium, vanadium and others. 2. System Structure The space rays, which are reaching the The structure of the System is surface of the Earth, are able to create radio hierarchical and it’s controlled by a isotopes, but their radioactivity, compared computer and consists of: to the other radionuclides of natural origin,  A central monitoring Station to the is exceptionally low and is not of special Executive Environment Agency of the significance (Pivovarova and Mikhalev, Ministry of Environment and Water 2004). Resources, called “central station” (CS); The establishing of a National  A mobile monitoring station to the Automated System for permanent control of National Centre for Environment and the radiation gamma background in Sustainable Development of the Ministry Bulgaria (BULRaMo) dates back to1992 for Environment and Water Resources, and was made by the German company called “mobile station” (MS); “Hormann” – GmbH. It was put into  Nine regional monitoring stations operation in 1997. The authority, of the Regional Inspectorates for responsible for the establishing and Environment and Water Resources in the maintenance of the System, is the Ministry cities: , Montana, , , of Environment and Water Resources. The Rousse, , St. Zagora, and Ministry for Environment and Water Varna, called “regional stations” (RS) (The Resources submits the data, collected by the Council of Ministers, 2013); System, to the EURDEP – European  A reaction centre at the National Platform for Exchange of Radiation Data. Situation Centre of the Ministry of the This makes it possible to study the results Interior, situated at the Chief Directorate of the radiation monitoring from most “National Protection of Population European countries, among them also from Service”, called “reaction centre” (RC); Bulgaria (Executive Environment Agency, 2017).

Figure no. 1: Location of the LMS on the map of Bulgaria (Executive Environment Agency, 2017)

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 An emergency station of the gamma probes have been installed in 16 out Agency for nuclear regulation, situated at of all 26 LMS. The company-manufacturer the Emergency Centre of the Agency, of the gamma-probes and of the rain called “emergency station” (ES); detectors is ENVINET GmbH. The new  Twenty six local monitoring installed components are: stations, called “local stations” (LS). 1. A gamma probe: IGS421B-H, National Automated System for permanent measuring capacity of the ambient control of the radiation gamma background equivalent dose in µiSv/ri (Figure no. 2) commands 26 Local monitoring stations, (Bulgarian Nuclear Regulatory Agency, 2016); located in the towns of and , in the village of , in the town of Montana, in Selanovtsi village, in the towns Kneja, Vratsa, Veliko Tarnovo, at Petrokhan Peak, in the towns Pleven, , Rousse, , in Samuil village, at cape Kaliakra, at cape Emine, in Oresh village, in the towns , Varna, Elchovo, at Rojen Peak, in the town of Plovdiv, at Viden Peak, Oreliak Peak, Peak and in Sofia (Figure no. 1) (Executive Environment Agency, 2017). The general management, direction, coordination, control of the operating conditions of the local stations and of the mobile station, the processing and visualization of the information from the automated system in normal situation are performed by the Central station, and in emergency conditions – by the reaction centre (Dolchinkov, 2016).

The order of establishment, maintenance, exploitation and development Figure no. 2: Appearance of the gamma of the automated system is specified in probe IGS421B-H RCM No 434/19.11.1997, published in (Bulgarian Nuclear Regulatory Agency, 2016) State Gazette Nr. 112/28.11.1999. 2. Rain detector: RD203; 2.1. Composition and Scheme of the 3. The data logger – DLM1440 has a System selected ARM based processor module with In 1997 the National Automated an embedded Linux and Lan interface; System for permanent control of the 4. Spectrometric gamma probe – radiation gamma background began SARA IGS 710/910 (NaI/LaBr3); operating (BULRAMO). 5. Communication equipment – In 1999 all Local monitoring stations GPRS/3G and the communication equipment (LMS) on the territory of Bulgaria had been for the radio channels is preserved; completely put into operation and had been 6. Meteorological stations – EEA has added to the System. no obligation to measure the meteorological All measuring sensors have been parameters, also due to the fact, that the refurbished, and in addition spectrometric main manufacturers of equipments for

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radiological monitoring systems in preserved, but their refurbishing is not environment don’t offer such equipment, stipulated (Figure no. 3.) (Ministry of the available meteorological stations are Environment and Water of Bulgaria, 2016).

Figure no. 3: Block diagram of the LMS (Ministry of environment and water of Bulgaria, 2016)

3. Management of NASPCRGB The Executive Environment Agency The management of the National comprises general and specialized Automated System for permanent control of administration. The general administration the radiation gamma background supports technically the activity of the BULRAMO is performed by experts of the Executive Director and of the specialized Executive Environment Agency (EEA). administration. It is organized into two EEA is subordinated to the Ministry of Directorates: Environment and Water Resources and is Directorate “Finance, legal services, directly responsible for the monitoring of a administration and human resources”; great number of environmental parameters, Directorate “Information service and among them also the radiation situation technologies, international cooperation and (Council of Ministers, 2011). public relations”;

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The specialized administration  Administrates the network for implements information, regulative, radiologic monitoring of the environment – coordination and control functions according atmospheric air, surface waters, soils, waste to the authorities of the executive director. waters and products; It’s differentiated into three directorates:  Administrates the National Chief directorate “Laboratory and Automated System for permanent control of analytical activity”; the radiation gamma background; Directorate “Monitoring and  Administrates the Automated evaluation of the environment”; system for radiation monitoring of the Directorate “Permission regimes”; river in the area around the Nuclear The directorate “Monitoring and Power Plant “”; evaluation of the environment” carries out  Administrates the additional the administrative management of the monitoring Centre of the “RODOS” System National Automated System for permanent (Real-time On-line Decision Support) for control of the radiation gamma background support by taking of decisions in real time and of the Automated system for radiation in case of nuclear accidents, situated in the monitoring of the Danube river in the area Agency for nuclear regulation; around the Nuclear Power Plant  Participates in the elaboration and “Kozloduy” (Vasilev, 2015). It works out implementation of the Information Sub- and publishes national representative system “radiological monitoring”, part of information about the condition of the the National System for Environmental environment and of the natural resources by Monitoring; means of:  Collects, processes and evaluates ‒ Daily Report about the quality of the information, received from the National the atmosphere air across the country Network for radiological monitoring; ‒ Daily Report about the situation of  Fulfills the obligations of the the radiation gamma background in the Republic of Bulgaria according to the country; Contract for establishing the European ‒ Three-month report about the situation of the environment in Bulgaria; Atomic Energy Community (ЕURATOM) ‒ A national annual report about the to report to the European Commission condition of the environment in Bulgaria about the data from the radiological (Ministry of environment and water of monitoring of the environment; Bulgaria, 2016).  Annually reports the data to the The Directorate consists of 6 pan-European database – REM (Radiological departments and the Department for monitoring of the environment); “Monitoring of the air, noise level and  Daily sends the data from the radiological monitoring” controls directly National Automated System for permanent all the processes, connected with the control of the radiation gamma background radiation situation in Bulgaria, the to the European System for Radiological measuring and the analysis of these Data Exchange (EURDEP); indicators. The management tasks, facing  Works out the section: “Radiation the Department, can be generalized, as situation of the Environment” for the follows: purposes of the National Annual Report  Works out reports according to the about the condition of the environment and Law for access to public information (LAPI); for the three-months reports;

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 Elaborates a daily Report about the report is adopted by the Council of condition of the radiation gamma Ministers of Bulgaria and is also published background in the country; on the web-page of the Executive  Prepares the specialized Environment Agency; information, reports and evaluations of the • In case of a nuclear accident, radiological state of the environment; elaboration of expert opinions about the  Implements the contacts and radiation condition of the environment coordination with other departments and aiming to support the corresponding state administrations of the Executive authorities in taking management decisions; Environment Agency and of the Ministry of • Periodical update of the system; Environment and Water Resources; • Organizing the maintenance of the  Implements the contacts with other BULRaMo equipment using the help of an state authorities, connected with the activity external service company; of the Department. • Solving all the rest technical and Some of the functions, as for example administrative problems, which occurred the reporting to the European System for during the exploitation of BULRaMo Radiological Data Exchange – EURDEP, (Executive Environment Agency, 2017). must be managed in coordination with the Agency for Nuclear Regulation. 4. Conclusions The management of BULRaMo The National Automated System for comprises: permanent control of the radiation gamma • Observation of the technical status background has been established and is of all the components of the automated operating effectively. The System reads in system; real time the change of the natural radiation • Observation and analysis of the background and submits information to all radiation status of the database of the concerned parties, which are consumers of obtained from the local monitoring stations the system. data; The lack of a duplicating optical • Operation with the specialized independent connection with chief software for management of BULRaMo; authorities is the weakness of the system in • Maintenance of the database the exchange of information, which in case servers of BULRaMo; of interruption of the internet connection • Observation of the communication can lead to missing information and channels and replication of data to the missing collaboration between the consumers of operational information from authorities, which are responsible for the BULRaMo. Support to these consumers actions in case of radiation accident. during their work at the Additional A very well organized control and monitoring centers with the data from the action in case of a possible accident in the system. Nuclear Power Plant „Kozloduy“ in all • Publishing of reports and inquiries areas around the Power Plant. The quality with the obtained from BULRaMo data. of the conducted trainings is on a very high Daily and three-month reports are being level. issued, which can be seen in real time on The operating National Automated the web-page of the Executive Environment System for permanent control of the Agency. The Agency elaborates also annual radiation gamma background to the AEE reports about the condition of the and the System for observation and environment, which contain a specialized forecasting of the air masses in case of section about the radiation status. The nuclear accident at the National Institute for

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Meteorology and Hydrology are well The management of the National operating in real time systems for Automated System for permanent control of observation of the radiation background. the radiation gamma background is They are built and updated in accordance performed professionally, according to the with the requirements of Euratom, requirements of the international International Atomic Energy Agency and organizations and under the terms of our the EC. national and the international legislation.

REFERENCES

Bulgarian Nuclear Regulatory Agency. (2016). Annual report of 2015, Sofia: Bulgarian nuclear regulatory agency, available at: http://www.bnra.bg/en/documents-en/annrep/anrep- eng-2015. The Council of Ministers. (2011). National programme on disaster the 2014 -2018, Sofia: the Council of Ministers. The Council of Ministers. (2013). National report on the status and protection of the environment in Bulgaria in 2012 of the EEA, Sofia: The Council of Ministers. The Council of Ministers. (2014), National report on the status and protection of the environment in Bulgaria in 2013 of the EEA, Sofia: The Council of Ministers. Dolchinkov, N.T. & Nichev, N.B. (2016). Characteristics of radiation, Revista Academiei Forţelor Terestre, No. 2 (82). Dolchinkov, N.T. (2016). Historical overview and analysis of national automated system for continuous mon itoring of gamma radiation, VIII научно-практического семинара Eкономічна безпека держави і науково-технологічні aспекти її забезпечення, Кiiв. Executive Environment Agency. (2017). National report on the status and protection of the environment 2013 in the Republic of Bulgaria, available at: http://translate.google.com/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Feea.government.bg%2Fbg%2Fsoer %2F2014&langpair=auto|en&hl=en. Ministry of Environment and Water of Bulgaria. (2016). National report on the Status and protection of the environment 2014 in the Republic of Bulgaria, available at: http://www5.moew.government.bg/?page_id=44647. Pivovarova, Yu. & Mikhalev, V. (2004). Radiation ecology, Moscow. Academy. Vasilev, D. (2015). Radioecology, Sofia. Titus Consult.

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