September 2017
The latest version of AMBER was released to existing customers with software maintenance agreements. This version includes the following new features:
If you have a valid software maintenance agreement, please Download AMBER 6.2. If not, feel free to Download AMBER 6.2 Demo.
If you would like to renew your maintenance agreement, please contact us.
Many countries have disused sealed radioactive sources (DSRSs) that need to be managed and disposed of carefully and in a safe and secure manner. Increasing attention is being given to the disposal of such sources in borehole facilities with a view to providing a safe and cost-effective disposal option.
AMBER has been used to carry out a generic post-closure radiological safety assessment (GSA) for the borehole disposal concept in support of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), with the purpose of identifying the concept's key safety features, under varying disposal system conditions, in order to support the concept design and licensing processes, and facilitate its site-specific implementation. The GSA has been undertaken using an approach that is consistent with best international practice. Specifically, the ISAM safety assessment approach has been used, with the aim of ensuring that the assessment is undertaken and documented in a consistent, logical and transparent manner.
In January 2017, Quintessa delivered AMBER training to the Nuclear Regulatory Authority, Ghana (GNRA) and the Atomic Energy Licencing Board of Malaysia (AELB) in Vienna, Austria, through an International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) technical cooperation programme. GNRA and AELB will be using AMBER to help their evaluation of the safety cases of potential borehole disposal of DSRSs that will be submitted by the implementers in their home countries. The training covered the context of modelling within a safety assessment methodology, the theory behind compartment modelling and exercises in using AMBER.
We have published a tutorial for AMBER 6.2 showing how to set up a model for Radionuclide Transport through a Water Tank. Feedback on this video or other topics you would like covered would be welcome.
An industrial summer placement student, Mathilde Santucci, has implemented a mathematical model in AMBER developed to consider the impact of different climatic conditions upon potential doses to humans arising from a deep geological radioactive waste disposal facility. The mathematical model was developed as part of the IAEA programme entitled Environmental Modelling for Radiation Safety (EMRAS II).
The model makes use of AMBER’s NameSet option functionality to be able to run calculations for different reference climate locations (Marrakesh, Magdeburg, Rostov and Sokankylä), soil types and also the nature of release to the biosphere. A drop-down menu is used to select the options to be considered for a particular calculation. The split Main Panel functionality can then be used to show outputs from different calculations.
Quintessa is fully committed to the long-term development and support of AMBER, with on-going development and annual software updates. For AMBER 6.3, we plan to enhance AMBER’s spatial awareness and 3D visualisation capabilities further with the rendering of outputs and results onto the 3D view. This would allow users to develop videos of evolving spatial concentrations. Other developments planned for the future include allowing spatial models to evolve with time due to long-term processes such as erosion.
We very much welcome feedback about AMBER, including ideas and suggestions for further developments that would help to maintain its utility and applicability to a wide range of contaminant transport and risk assessment situations.
Quintessa continues to support AMBER, both through directed support to licence holders and by applying the software to safety and performance assessment studies of contaminants in the environment. Feel free to contact us if you have any questions about AMBER, its application and/or about our support and training programme.
