Dissolution behavior of calcium uranate under oxidizing and reducing conditions

Kato, Yuto*; Sasaki, Takayuki*; Tonna, Ryutaro*; Kobayashi, Taishi*; Okamoto, Yoshihiro

Applied Geochemistry, 175, p.106196_1 - 106196_9, 2024/11

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apgeochem.2024.106196

Cavity ionization chamber responses in the JAEA and the NMIJ high-energy photon reference fields for radiation protection

Ishii, Junya*; Shimizu, Morihito*; Kato, Masahiro*; Kurosawa, Tadahiro*; Tsuji, Tomoya; Yoshitomi, Hiroshi; Tanimura, Yoshihiko; Watabe, Hiroshi*

Journal of Radiological Protection, 44(3), p.031516_1 - 031516_8, 2024/09

https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6498/ad7a07

Estimation of the activity median aerodynamic diameter of plutonium particles using image analysis

Takasaki, Koji; Yasumune, Takashi; Yamaguchi, Yukako; Hashimoto, Makoto; Maeda, Koji; Kato, Masato

Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, 60(11), p.1437 - 1446, 2023/11

https://doi.org/10.1080/00223131.2023.2196969

The aerodynamic radioactive median diameter (AMAD) is necessary information to assess the internal exposure. On June 6, 2017, at a plutonium handling facility in Oarai site of Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA), during the inspection work of a storage container that contains nuclear fuel materials, accidental contamination occurred and five workers inhaled radioactive materials including plutonium. Some smear papers and an air sampling filter were measured with the imaging plate, and we conservatively estimated minimum AMADs for two cases, plutonium nitrate and plutonium dioxide. As a result of AMAD estimation, even excluding a giant particle of a smear sample, the minimum AMADs of plutonium nitrate from smear papers were 4.3 - 11.3 m and those of plutonium dioxide were 5.6 - 14.1 m. Also, the minimum AMAD of plutonium nitrate from an air sampling filter was 3.0 m and that of plutonium dioxide was 3.9 m.

Decommissioning of uranium handling facility for development of nuclear fuel manufacturing equipment

Kageyama, Tomio; Denuma, Akio; Koizumi, Jin*; Odakura, Manabu*; Haginoya, Masahiro*; Isaka, Shinichi*; Kadowaki, Hiroyuki*; Kobayashi, Shingo*; Morimoto, Taisei*; Kato, Yoshiaki*; et al.

JAEA-Technology 2022-033, 130 Pages, 2023/03

JAEA-Technology-2022-033.pdf:9.87MB

Uranium handling facility for development of nuclear fuel manufacturing equipment (Mockup room) was constructed in 1972. The Mockup room has a weak seismic resistance and is deteriorating with age. Also, the original purpose with this facility have been achieved and there are no new development plans using this facility. Therefore, interior equipment installed in this facility had been dismantled and removed since March 2019. After that, the Mockup room was inspected for contamination, and then controlled area in the Mockup room was cancelled on March 29th 2022. A total of 6,549 workers (not including security witnesses) were required for this work. The amount of non-radioactive waste generated by this work was 31,300 kg. The amount of radioactive waste generated by this work was 3,734 kg of combustible waste (103 drums), 4,393 kg of flame resistance waste (61 drums), 37,790 kg of non-combustible waste (124 drums, 19 containers). This report describes about the dismantling and removing the interior equipment in the Mockup room, the amount of waste generated by this work, and procedure for cancellation the controlled area in the facility.

Sodium-cooled Fast Reactors

Ohshima, Hiroyuki; Morishita, Masaki*; Aizawa, Kosuke; Ando, Masanori; Ashida, Takashi; Chikazawa, Yoshitaka; Doda, Norihiro; Enuma, Yasuhiro; Ezure, Toshiki; Fukano, Yoshitaka; et al.

Sodium-cooled Fast Reactors; JSME Series in Thermal and Nuclear Power Generation, Vol.3, 631 Pages, 2022/07

https://shop.elsevier.com/books/sodium-cooled-fast-reactors/morishita/978-0-12-824076-2

This book is a collection of the past experience of design, construction, and operation of two reactors, the latest knowledge and technology for SFR designs, and the future prospects of SFR development in Japan. It is intended to provide the perspective and the relevant knowledge to enable readers to become more familiar with SFR technology.

Present status of the JAEA-AMS-TONO (2019-2020)

Fujita, Natsuko; Matsubara, Akihiro; Miyake, Masayasu*; Watanabe, Takahiro; Kokubu, Yoko; Nishio, Tomohiro*; Ogawa, Yumi*; Kato, Motohisa*; Shimada, Akiomi; Ogata, Nobuhisa

Dai-33-Kai Tandemu Kasokuki Oyobi Sono Shuhen Gijutsu No Kenkyukai Hokokushu, P. 48, 2022/04

no abstracts in English

Development of the multi-cubic -ray spectrometer and its performance under intense Cs and Co radiation fields

Kaburagi, Masaaki; Shimazoe, Kenji*; Kato, Masahiro*; Kurosawa, Tadahiro*; Kamada, Kei*; Kim, K. J.*; Yoshino, Masao*; Shoji, Yasuhiro*; Yoshikawa, Akira*; Takahashi, Hiroyuki*

Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research A, 1010, p.165544_1 - 165544_9, 2021/09

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nima.2021.165544

The number of nuclear facilities being decommissioned has been increasing worldwide, in particular following the accident of the Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings' Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station in 2011. In these nuclear facilities, proper management of radioactive materials is required. Then, A -ray spectrometer with four segmentations using small volume CeBr scintillators with a dimension of was developed. The four scintillators were coupled to a multi-anode photomultiplier tube specific to intense radiation fields. We performed the -ray exposure study under Cs and Co radiation fields. Under the Cs radiation field, the relative energy resolution at 1375 mSv/h was the relative energy resolution at 1375 mSv/h was 9.20.05%, 8.00.08%, 8.00.03%, and 9.00.04% for the four channels, respectively.

Decision making in protection against radiation from nuclear disaster; Risk trade-off and stakeholder involvement

Kanda, Reiko*; Homma, Toshimitsu*; Takahara, Shogo; Tsubokura, Masaharu*; Osako, Masahiro*; Kawaguchi, Isao*; Kato, Takaaki*

Risukugaku Kenkyu, 30(3), p.133 - 139, 2021/04

https://doi.org/10.11447/jjra.SRA-0353

Almost ten years have passed since Fukushima nuclear accident. Our experience should be used to improve current emergency protective measures and preparedness. A review of the protective measures implemented in the aftermath of Fukushima nuclear accident has revealed problems such as paternalistic intervention for inhabitants and increased health risks due to the evacuation of vulnerable groups. The risk trade-offs in environmental recovery actions are more complex and ongoing; the stakeholders are the next generation and residents outside of the prefecture. Since one of the characteristics of nuclear disasters is the distance and time dependency of the risk, countless individual cases need to be addressed. While generalization of protective measures is essential, the appropriate deployment of personnel in a variety of roles may require to really address individual cases. To improve nuclear emergency preparedness in the future, it is necessary to incorporate both a top-down approach and a bottom-up approach in a well-balanced manner.

Gamma-ray spectroscopy with a CeBr scintillator under intense -ray fields for nuclear decommissioning

Kaburagi, Masaaki; Shimazoe, Kenji*; Kato, Masahiro*; Kurosawa, Tadahiro*; Kamada, Kei*; Kim, K. J.*; Yoshino, Masao*; Shoji, Yasuhiro*; Yoshikawa, Akira*; Takahashi, Hiroyuki*; et al.

Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research A, 988, p.164900_1 - 164900_8, 2021/02

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nima.2020.164900

An increasing number of nuclear facilities have been decommissioned worldwide following the 2011 accident of the TEPCO' Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station. During the decommissioning, radioactive materials have to be retrieved under proper management. In this study, a small cubic CeBr spectrometer with dimensions of 5 mm 5 mm 5 mm was manufactured to perform -ray spectroscopy under intense -ray fields. Furthermore, thanks to a fast digital process unit and a customized photomultiplier, the device could perform -ray spectroscopy at dose rates of over 1 Sv/h. The energy resolution (FWHM) at 662 keV ranged from 4.4% at 22 mSv/h to 5.2% at 1407 mSv/h for a Cs radiation field. Correspondingly, at 1333 keV, it ranged from 3.1% at 26 mSv/h to 4.2% at 2221 mSv/h for a Co radiation field, which suggested to realize -ray assessment of Cs, Cs, Co, and Eu at dose rates of over 1 Sv/h.

Density Functional Theory (DFT)-based bonding analysis correlates ligand field strength with Ru Mssbauer parameters of ruthenium-nitrosyl complexes

Kaneko, Masashi; Kato, Akane*; Nakashima, Satoru*; Kitatsuji, Yoshihiro

Inorganic Chemistry, 58(20), p.14024 - 14033, 2019/10

https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.inorgchem.9b02024

We applied density functional theory calculations to ruthenium-nitrosyl complexes, which are known to exist in high-level radioactive waste, to give a theoretical correlation between Ru Mssbauer spectroscopic parameters ( and ) and ligand field strength () for the first time. The structures of the series of complexes, [Ru(NO)L] (L = Br, Cl, NH, CN), were modeled based on the corresponding single-crystal X-ray coordinates. The comparisons of the geometries and total energies between the different spin states suggested that the singlet spin state of [Ru(II)(NO)L] complexes were the most stable. The calculated results of both the and values reproduced the experimental results by reported previously and increased in the order of L = Br, Cl, NH, CN. Finally, we estimated the ligand field strength () based on molecular orbitals, assuming C symmetry and showed the increase of values in that order, being consistent with well-known spectrochemical series of ligands. The increase attributes to the strengthening of the abilities of -donor and -acceptor of the L-ligands to the Ru atom, resulting in the increase of the values.