The latest version of AMBER has been released to existing customers with software maintenance agreements. This version includes the capacity to render parameters indexed over compartments onto the 3D spatial view, accompanied by the following new features:

• flexibility to choose colour scheme;
• choice of parameter value range displayed, including linear or log scale;
• inclusion or exclusion of non-spatial compartments in determining the range;
• the ability to scroll through time to see the evolution of a parameter through the spatial representation of the system.

In addition to the features listed above, AMBER 6.3 includes other minor feature updates and various bug fixes. For further details, see the AMBER 6.3 Release Note.

If you have a valid software maintenance agreement, please Download AMBER 6.3. If not, feel free to Download AMBER 6.3 Demo.

If you would like to renew your maintenance agreement, please contact us.

In November 2017, the Swedish Radiation Safety Authority (SSM) published a series of reports associated with the main phase of the review of SKB's assessment (SR-PSU) of the long-term safety for the expansion of the final repository for low and intermediate level waste at Forsmark (SFR).

SSM has contracted a number of external experts to support its review of SR-PSU. Quintessa is supporting SSM in a number of areas, including radionuclide transport modelling and biosphere modelling. As part of the review, Quintessa has re-implemented key aspects of SKB's radionuclide transport and biosphere models using AMBER. That work is documented in the following chapters in the main phase review reports:

• SR-PSU Main Review Phase: Radionuclide Transport Modelling by George Towler and James Penfold;
• Consequence analysis review: importance of caissons in 2BMA by George Towler and James Penfold;
• In-depth review of key issue regarding biosphere models for specific radionuclides in SR-PSU by Russell Walke, Laura Limer and George Shaw;
• Review of specific topics relating to the biosphere dose assessment for key radionuclides by Russell Walke, Laura Limer and George Shaw;

The initial review phase findings were published in SSM report 2016:09.

The following publications from 2017 and 2018 cite the use of AMBER.

• Cota S, Hiromoto G, Gharbieh H and Silva A (2018). Preliminary post-closure safety assessment for a borehole-type repository for disused sealed radioactive sources in Brazil. Progress in Nuclear Energy, 103, 74-80.
• IAEA (2017). Book of papers of the Conference on the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management (IAEA, CN-242). 21-25 November 2016, Vienna, Austria.
  • Grigaliūnienė D, Poškas P and Kilda R (2017). Waste zone conceptual model effect on predicted radionuclide flux from near surface repository. Session 3b VLLW. P. 38-41.
  • Hasanlou S, Bagheri A, Taherian A, Boroumandi M, Moemenzadeh S and Mohajerani H (2017). Preliminary Post Closure Safety Assessment and Pre-Disposal Radiomonitoring of Anarak Near Surface Repository. Session 3b VLLW. P. 26-29.
  • Phillip E, Little R, Zakaria N and Yusof MAW (2017). Application of IAEA BDC Scoping Toll and AMBER Modelling in Safety Assessment of Malaysian Borehole Disposal Facility. Session 3a Disposal of Disused Sealed Radioactive Sources. P. 16-19.
• IAEA (2017). Generic Post-closure Safety Assessment for Disposal of Disused Sealed Radioactive Sources in Narrow Diameter Boreholes. IAEA-TECDOC-1824. International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna, Austria
• SSM (2017). SSM's external experts' review of SKB's safety assessment SR-PSU - consequence analysis. SSM Technical Report 2017:30.
• SSM (2017). SSM's external experts' review of SKB's safety assessment SR-PSU - dose assessment, Kd-values, and safety analysis methodology. SSM Technical Report 2017:33.

Quintessa is fully committed to the long-term development and support of AMBER, with on-going development and annual software updates. 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 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 associated support and training programme.