Introduction to dismantling and decommissioning chemistry

Sato, Nobuaki*; Kameo, Yutaka; Sato, Soichi; Kumagai, Yuta; Sato, Tomonori; Yamamoto, Masahiro*; Watanabe, Yutaka*; Nagai, Takayuki; Niibori, Yuichi*; Watanabe, Masayuki; et al.

Introduction to Dismantling and Decommissioning Chemistry, 251 Pages, 2024/09

This book focuses on the dismantling and decommissioning of nuclear facilities and reactors that have suffered severe accidents. In Part 1, we introduce basic aspects ranging from fuel chemistry, analytical chemistry, radiation chemistry, corrosion, and decontamination chemistry to waste treatment and disposal. Then, Part 2 covers the chemistry involved in the decommissioning of various nuclear facilities, and discusses what chemical approaches are necessary and possible for the decommissioning of TEPCO's Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plants, how decommissioning should be carried out, and what kind of research and development and also human resource development are required for this.

Single-shot laser-driven neutron resonance spectroscopy for temperature profiling

Lan, Z.*; Arikawa, Yasunobu*; Mirfayzi, S. R.*; Morace, A.*; Hayakawa, Takehito*; Sato, Hirotaka*; Kamiyama, Takashi*; Wei, T.*; Tatsumi, Yuta*; Koizumi, Mitsuo; et al.

Nature Communications (Internet), 15, p.5365_1 - 5365_7, 2024/07

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-49142-y

Recent status of the cryogenic sample environment at the MLF, J-PARC

Ishikado, Motoyuki*; Takahashi, Ryuta*; Yamauchi, Yasuhiro*; Nakamura, Masatoshi*; Ishimaru, Sora*; Yamauchi, Sara*; Kawamura, Seiko; Kira, Hiroshi*; Sakaguchi, Yoshifumi*; Watanabe, Masao; et al.

JPS Conference Proceedings (Internet), 41, p.011010_1 - 011010_7, 2024/05

https://doi.org/10.7566/JPSCP.41.011010

Spin dependence in the -wave resonance of +

Okudaira, Takuya*; Nakabe, Rintaro*; Auton, C. J.*; Endo, Shunsuke; Fujioka, Hiroyuki*; Gudkov, V.*; Ide, Ikuo*; Ino, Takashi*; Ishikado, Motoyuki*; Kambara, Wataru*; et al.

Physical Review C, 109(4), p.044606_1 - 044606_9, 2024/04

https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevC.109.044606

Utilization of gamma ray irradiation at the WASTEF Facility

Sano, Naruto; Yamashita, Naoki; Watanabe, Masaya; Tsukada, Manabu*; Hoshino, Kazutoyo*; Hirai, Koki; Ikegami, Yuta*; Tashiro, Shinsuke; Yoshida, Ryoichiro; Hatakeyama, Yuichi; et al.

JAEA-Technology 2023-029, 36 Pages, 2024/03

JAEA-Technology-2023-029.pdf:2.47MB

At the Waste Safety Testing Facility (WASTEF), the gamma ray irradiation device "Gamma Cell 220" was relocated from the 4th Research Building of the Nuclear Science Research Institute in FY2019, and the use of gamma ray irradiation has begun. Initially, Fuel Cycle Safety Research Group, Fuel Cycle Safety Research Division, Nuclear Safety Research Center, Sector of Nuclear Safety Research and Emergency Preparedness, the owner of this device, conducted the tests as the main user, but since 2022, other users, including those outside the organization, have started using it. The gamma ray irradiation device "Gamma Cell 220" is manufactured by Nordion International Inc. in Canada. Since it was purchased in 1989, the built-in Co radiation source has been updated once, and safety research related to nuclear fuel cycles, etc. It is still used for this purpose to this day. This report summarizes the equipment overview of the gamma ray irradiation device "Gamma Cell 220", its permits and licenses at WASTEF, usage status, maintenance and inspection, and future prospects.

A Raman spectroscopy study of bicarbonate effects on UO

McGrady, J.; Kumagai, Yuta; Watanabe, Masayuki; Kirishima, Akira*; Akiyama, Daisuke*; Kimuro, Shingo; Ishidera, Takamitsu

Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, 60(12), p.1586 - 1594, 2023/12

https://doi.org/10.1080/00223131.2023.2236104

Development of an areal density imaging for boron and other elements

Tsuchikawa, Yusuke; Kai, Tetsuya; Abe, Yuta; Oikawa, Kenichi; Parker, J. D.*; Shinohara, Takenao; Sato, Ikken

Journal of Physics; Conference Series, 2605, p.012022_1 - 012022_6, 2023/10

https://doi.org/10.1088/1742-6596/2605/1/012022

We developed a method to obtain the areal density distribution of boron, which has a large neutron cross section, by means of an energy resolved neutron imaging. Commonly in a measurement of elements with very high neutron sensitivity, the quantitative measurement becomes more difficult with the amount of element due to the neutron self-shielding effect. To avoid this effect, an energy-resolved method using known cross section data was attempted, and a quantitative imaging of such elements was demonstrated at the MLF of J-PARC. This presentation introduces a measurement of melted simulated-fuel assemblies obtained in the research of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant after the severe accident. Energy-dependent neutron transmission rates of the samples were measured by a neutron imaging detector, and were analyzed to obtained the areal density of boron at each position.

UO dissolution in bicarbonate solution with HO; The Effect of temperature

McGrady, J.; Kumagai, Yuta; Kitatsuji, Yoshihiro; Kirishima, Akira*; Akiyama, Daisuke*; Watanabe, Masayuki

RSC Advances (Internet), 13(40), p.28021 - 28029, 2023/09

https://doi.org/10.1039/D2RA08131H

Upon nuclear waste canister failure and contact of spent nuclear fuel with groundwater, the UO matrix of spent fuel will interact with oxidants in the groundwater generated by water radiolysis. Bicarbonate (HCO) is often found in groundwater, and the HO induced oxidative dissolution of UO in bicarbonate solution has previously been studied under various conditions. Temperatures in the repository at the time of canister failure will differ depending on the location, yet the effect of temperature on oxidative dissolution is unknown. To investigate, the decomposition rate of HO at the UO surface and dissolution of U in bicarbonate solution (0.1, 1, 10 and 50 mM) was analysed at various temperatures (10, 25, 45 and 60 C). At [HCO] 1 mM, the apparent equilibrium concentration of U decreased with increasing temperature. This was attributed to the formation of U-bicarbonate species at the surface and a change in the mechanism of HO decomposition from oxidative to catalytic. At 0.1 mM, no obvious correlation between temperature and U dissolution was observed, and thermodynamic calculations indicated this was due to a change in the surface species. A pathway to explain the observed dissolution behaviour of UO in bicarbonate solution as a function of temperature was proposed.

Removal of spent fuel sheared powder for decommissioning of Main Plant

Nishino, Saki; Okada, Jumpei; Watanabe, Kazuki; Furuuchi, Yuta; Yokota, Satoru; Yada, Yuji; Kusaka, Shota; Morokado, Shiori; Nakamura, Yoshinobu

JAEA-Technology 2023-011, 39 Pages, 2023/06

JAEA-Technology-2023-011.pdf:2.51MB

Tokai Reprocessing Plant (TRP) which shifted to decommissioning phase in 2014 had nuclear fuel materials such as the spent fuel sheared powder, the diluted plutonium solution and the uranium solution in a part of the reprocessing main equipment because TRP intended to resume reprocessing operations when it suspended the operations in 2007. Therefore, we have planned to remove these nuclear materials in sequence as Flush-out before beginning the decommissioning, and conducted removal of the spent fuel sheared powder as the first stage. The spent fuel sheared powder that had accumulated in the cell of the Main Plant (MP) as a result of the spent fuel shearing process was recovered from the cell floor, the shearing machine and the distributor between April 2016 and April 2017 as part of maintenance. Removing the recovered spent fuel sheared powder was conducted between June 2022 and September 2022. In this work, the recovered powder was dissolved in nitric acid at the dissolver in a small amount in order to remove it safely and early, and the dissolved solution was sent to the highly radioactive waste storage tanks without separating uranium and plutonium. Then, the dissolved solution transfer route was rinsed with nitric acid and water. Although about 15 years had passed since previous process operations, the removing work was successfully completed without any equipment failure because of the organization of a system that combines veterans experienced the operation with young workers, careful equipment inspections, and worker education and training. Removing this powder was conducted after revising the decommissioning project and obtaining approval from the Nuclear Regulation Authority owing to operating a part of process equipment.

Raman identification and characterization of chemical components included in simulated nuclear fuel debris synthesized from uranium, stainless steel, and zirconium

Kusaka, Ryoji; Kumagai, Yuta; Watanabe, Masayuki; Sasaki, Takayuki*; Akiyama, Daisuke*; Sato, Nobuaki*; Kirishima, Akira*

Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, 60(5), p.603 - 613, 2023/05

https://doi.org/10.1080/00223131.2022.2128460