Criticality safety evaluation of high active liquid waste during the evaporation to dryness process at Tokai Reprocessing Plant

東海再処理施設における高放射性廃液の蒸発乾固過程における臨界安全評価

三浦 隆智; 工藤 淳也 ; 小山 大輔; 大部 智行; 佐本 寛孝 

Miura, Takatomo; Kudo, Atsunari; Koyama, Daisuke; Obu, Tomoyuki; Samoto, Hirotaka

東海再処理施設では、1977年から2007年までに、商業用発電炉(BWR,PWR)や新型転換炉ふげん等の使用済燃料を約1,140トン再処理した。廃止措置に移行した2018年から、リスク低減のため施設に保有する高放射性廃液(HALW)のガラス固化処理を最優先に取り組んできている。使用済燃料の再処理に伴い発生したHALWには、核分裂生成物(FP)等に加え、極微量のウランやプルトニウムを含む不溶解性残渣(スラッジ)が存在している。通常時ではHALW中のU, Puの濃度が非常に低いため、HALWが臨界に至ることは考え難い。また、事故時にHALWの冷却機能が喪失し、蒸発乾固に至る過程を考慮した場合においても、中性子吸収効果の高いFPが共存しているため、HALWが臨界に至ることは考え難い。これらを定量的に確認するために、HALWの蒸発によりU, Pu濃度が上昇し、乾固に至るまでの過程における臨界安全評価を実施した。本評価では、HALWを溶液系とスラッジ系、それぞれ無限体系モデルで、U, Pu, FPの存在比を分析データやORIGEN計算結果に基づき保守的に設定し、蒸発乾固に伴う溶液の濃縮による濃度変化に対して、無限増倍率を計算し、臨界未満の状態が維持されることを確認した。また、溶液系,スラッジ系の両系を考慮した2層の無限平板モデルでも、未臨界状態が維持されることを確認した。これにより、東海再処理施設においては、高放射性廃液の蒸発乾固の過程における臨界は想定されないことを確認した。

Tokai Reprocessing Plant (TRP) had reprocessed 1,140 tons of spent fuel discharged from commercial reactors (BWR, PWR) and Advanced Thermal Reactor "Fugen" from 1977 to 2007. TRP had entered decommissioning stage in 2018. In order to reduce the risk of High Active Liquid Waste (HALW) held at the facility, the vitrification of HALW is given top priority. HALW generated from reprocessing of spent fuel contains not only fission products (FPs) but also trace amounts of uranium (U) and plutonium (Pu) within the liquid and insoluble residues (sludge). Under normal conditions, concentrations of U and Pu in HALW are very low so that it can not reach criticality. Since FPs with high neutron absorption effect coexists in HALW, even if the cooling function is lost due to serious accident and HALW evaporates to dryness, it is considered that criticality would not been reached. In order to confirm this estimation quantitatively, criticality safety evaluations were carried out for the increase of U and Pu concentrations by evaporation of HALW to the point of dryness. In this evaluation, infinite multiplication factors were calculated for each of solution system and sludge system of HALW with respect to the concentration change through evaporation to dryness. It is confirmed it could not reach criticality. The abundance ratios of U, Pu and FPs were set conservatively based on analytical data and ORIGEN calculation results. Multiplation factors for two-layer infinite slab model of solution and sludge systems of HALW were also calculated, and it was confirmed it could not reached criticality. In conclusion, the result was gaind that there could be no criticality even in the process through evaporation to dryness of HALW in TRP.