Development of a prototype shielding-free radiation-resistant diamond neutron measurement system (Contract research); FY2023 Nuclear Energy Science & Technology and Human Resource Development Project

Collaborative Laboratories for Advanced Decommissioning Science; Hokkaido University*

The Collaborative Laboratories for Advanced Decommissioning Science (CLADS), Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA), had been conducting the Nuclear Energy Science & Technology and Human Resource Development Project (hereafter referred to "the Project") in FY2023. The Project aims to contribute to solving problems in the nuclear energy field represented by the decommissioning of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station (1F), Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, Inc. (TEPCO). For this purpose, intelligence was collected from all over the world, and basic research and human resource development were promoted by closely integrating/collaborating knowledge and experiences in various fields beyond the barrier of conventional organizations and research fields. The sponsor of the Project was moved from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology to JAEA since the newly adopted proposals in FY2018. On this occasion, JAEA constructed a new research system where JAEA-academia collaboration is reinforced and medium-to-long term research/development and human resource development contributing to the decommissioning are stably and consecutively implemented. Among the adopted proposals in FY2023, this report summarizes the research results of the "Development of a prototype shielding-free radiation-resistant diamond neutron measurement system" conducted in FY2023. The present study aims to develop a prototype of a shielding-free neutron measurement system for 1F. The system consists of diamond neutron detectors and radiation-resistant silicon integrated circuits, and has radiation resistance of more than 10 MGy and 4 MGy, respectively, at the component level in terms of integrated dose, and has a track record of stable operation under -ray dose rate environment of 1.5 kGy/h. Future applications are expected to include neutron detectors for debris investigation, criticality proximity monitoring monitors, and neutron detectors for dry tube investigation in pressure vessels. In this development, a prototype consisting of 100 diamond detector elements of 5 mm square will be developed to obtain system construction technology and to evaluate system performance. In addition, a subcriticality evaluation method will be developed. This development will lead to the completion of system development, development of the actual system in collaboration with the manufacturer, and introduction of the system into 1F decommissioning project.