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Nagasumi, Satoru; Hasegawa, Toshinari; Iigaki, Kazuhiko; Nakagawa, Shigeaki; Kubo, Shinji; Shimazaki, Yosuke; Nakajima, Kunihiro; Sakurai, Yosuke; Shinohara, Masanori; Saito, Kenji; et al.
Nuclear Engineering and Design, 446(Part A), p.114542_1 - 114542_14, 2026/01
Times Cited Count：0 Percentile：0.00(Nuclear Science & Technology)To demonstrate HTGR's safety features, a loss-of-forced-cooling (LOFC) test was conducted using the HTTR. In this test, the forced cooling in the reactor core was intentionally lost by shutting down all helium gas circulators (HGCs) without reactor scram. During steady-state operation at 100% reactor power (30 MW), after the LOFC, the reactor power spontaneously decreased. This power reduction occurred due to the negative reactivity feedback effect triggered by an increase in core temperature. The power stabilized at a lower value of 1.2% after re-criticality. Additionally, the measured radioactivity concentration in the primary coolant remained nearly unchanged during this LOFC operation and during an immediately subsequent HTTR operation. This indicates no failure of the coated particle fuel, even after the increase in core temperature associated with the LOFC event. These results provide experimental evidence of the safety features of HTGRs.
Hasegawa, Toshinari; Nagasumi, Satoru; Kubo, Shinji; Iigaki, Kazuhiko; Shinohara, Masanori; Nakagawa, Shigeaki; Shimazaki, Yosuke; Nakajima, Kunihiro; Sakurai, Yosuke
Proceedings of 2025 International Congress on Advances in Nuclear Power Plants (ICAPP 2025) (Internet), 6 Pages, 2025/09
JAEA has planned a hydrogen production test using the High-Temperature Engineering Test Reactor (HTTR) to demonstrate hydrogen production utilizing the heat from a high-temperature gas-cooled reactor (HTGR). To realize the coupling of a hydrogen production facility with an HTGR, one of the key issues is to confirm the effect of thermal load fluctuations in the facility on the reactor. In this study, a thermal load fluctuation test was conducted during HTTR operation to investigate the reactor's response. The test was performed at 90% reactor power, during which the reactor inlet coolant temperature was increased by 11
C to simulate a thermal load fluctuation. As a result, the reactor outlet coolant temperature remained almost unchanged, and the heat corresponding to the inlet temperature increase was absorbed by the core graphite blocks. Furthermore, due to the negative reactivity feedback effect associated with the rise in graphite block temperature, the reactor power decreased to 88% and stabilized without any control rod operation. These findings indicate that disturbances in the reactor inlet coolant temperature are mitigated by the heat storage capacity of the core graphite blocks.
Nagasumi, Satoru; Hasegawa, Toshinari; Nakagawa, Shigeaki; Kubo, Shinji; Iigaki, Kazuhiko; Shinohara, Masanori; Saikusa, Akio; Nojiri, Naoki; Saito, Kenji; Furusawa, Takayuki; et al.
JAEA-Research 2025-005, 23 Pages, 2025/07
JAEA-Research-2025-005.pdf:2.68MB
A safety demonstration test under abnormal operating conditions using the HTTR (High Temperature Engineering Test Reactor) was conducted to demonstrate safety features of the HTGRs (High Temperature Gas-cooled Reactors). Under a simulation of a control rod shutdown failure, all primary helium gas circulators were intentionally stopped during a steady-state operation at 100% reactor thermal power (30 MW), temporal changes of the reactor power and temperatures around the reactor pressure vessel (RPV) were obtained after the complete loss of forced heat removal from the reactor core. After the event (primary coolant flow stopped), the reactor power quickly decreased due to the negative reactivity feedback associated with the core temperature rise, and then the reactor power spontaneously shifted to a stable state of low power (about 1.2%) even after a recriticality. Heat dissipation from RPV surface to a surrounding vessel cooling system (water-cooled panels) ensured the amount of heat removal required to maintain the reactor temperature constant in the low power state. In this way, the transition from the event occurrence to the stable and safety state, i.e., inherent safety features of HTGRs, were demonstrated in the case of core forced cooling loss without active shutdown operations.
Shinohara, Masanori; Sumita, Junya; Shibata, Taiju; Hirata, Masaru
JAEA-Evaluation 2022-006, 198 Pages, 2022/11
JAEA-Evaluation-2022-006.pdf:23.34MB
Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) received a post-evaluation of the third medium-/long-term plan (from FY2015 to FY2021) and pre-evaluation of the fourth medium-/long-term plan (from FY2022 to FY2028) from the "Evaluation Committee of Research Activities for High Temperature Gas-cooled Reactor (hereinafter referred to as "HTGR") and Related Hydrogen Production Technology" (hereinafter referred to as "Evaluation Committee") which consists of specialists in the fields of evaluation subjects of HTGR and related heat application technologies. As a result, for the post-evaluation of the third medium-/ long-term plan, two of the ten technical committee members concluded a score of "S", seven members concluded "A" and one member concluded "B". The comprehensive evaluation concluded a score of "A". On the other hand, one of the two humanities and social sciences members concluded a score of "B", one members concluded "C". The comprehensive evaluation concluded a score of "B". For the pre-evaluation of the fourth medium-/long-term plan, although there were some items that several evaluation committee members rated as "needs improvement," the majority of the committee members judged the plan to be appropriate. This report describes the members of the Evaluation Committee, assessment items, assessment results and JAEA's measures following the assessment.
Shinohara, Masanori; Sumita, Junya; Inaba, Yoshitomo; Shibata, Taiju
Dai-59-Kai X Sen Zairyo Kyodo Ni Kansuru Toronkai Koen Rombunshu, p.22 - 28, 2022/11
no abstracts in English
Mitsuguchi, Takehiro; Minakata, Keiji*; Sugihara, Kaoru*; Hiraoka, Masanori*; Yoshida, Masaaki*; Kokubu, Yoko
bioRxiv (Internet), 55 Pages, 2022/11
Matsuba, Kenichi; Shinohara, Masanori; Toyooka, Junichi; Inaba, Yoshitomo; Sumita, Junya
Enerugi, Shigen, 43(4), p.218 - 223, 2022/07
In the global trend toward decarbonization, Japan has a policy to pursue all options, including nuclear power, to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. In order to meet the public requirements for nuclear power, it is important to promote the development of advanced reactors, including the Small Modular Reactor (SMR), as one of the promising options. This article describes the domestic and international trends of SMR development, introduces the activities of Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) for the development of advanced reactors including SMRs, and concludes with the future prospect for the introduction of advanced reactor including SMRs in Japan.
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
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.
Shinohara, Masanori; Sumita, Junya; Shibata, Taiju; Hirata, Masaru
JAEA-Evaluation 2022-001, 104 Pages, 2022/06
JAEA-Evaluation-2022-001.pdf:28.15MB
Japan Atomic Energy Agency received the annual evaluation of FY2020, the research plan of FY2021 and the prospective evaluation of the third mid- to long-term plan (from FY2015 to FY2021) from the "Evaluation Committee of Research Activities for High Temperature Gas-cooled Reactor (hereinafter referred to as "HTGR") and Related Hydrogen Production Technology" (hereinafter referred to as "Evaluation Committee") which consists of specialists in the fields of evaluation subjects of HTGR and related heat application technology. As a result, for the annual evaluation of FY2020, one of the ten technical committee members concluded a score of "S", eight members concluded "A" and one member concluded "B". The comprehensive evaluation was concluded a score of "A". On the other hand, two humanities and social sciences committee members concluded "B". For the prospective evaluation of the third mid- to long-term plan, one of the ten technical committee members concluded a score of "S", eight members concluded "A" and one member concluded "B". The comprehensive evaluation was concluded a score of "A". On the other hand, two humanities and social sciences committee members concluded "B". This report describes the members of the Evaluation Committee, assessment items, assessment results and JAEA's measures following the assessment.
Shiihara, Yoshinori*; Kanazawa, Ryosuke*; Matsunaka, Daisuke*; Lobzenko, I.; Tsuru, Tomohito; Koyama, Masanori*; Mori, Hideki*
Scripta Materialia, 207, p.114268_1 - 114268_4, 2022/01
Times Cited Count：28 Percentile：76.55(Nanoscience & Nanotechnology)This study reports grain boundary (GB) energy calculations for 46 symmetric-tilt GBs in 
-iron using molecular mechanics based on an artificial neural network (ANN) potential and compares the results with calculations based on the density functional theory (DFT), the embedded atom method (EAM), and the modified EAM (MEAM). The results by the ANN potential are in excellent agreement with those of the DFT (5% on average), while the EAM and MEAM significantly differ from the DFT results (about 27% on average). In a uniaxial tensile calculation of GB, the ANN potential reproduced the brittle fracture tendency of the GB observed in the DFT while the EAM and MEAM mistakenly showed ductile behaviors. These results demonstrate the effectiveness of the ANN potential in calculating grain boundaries of iron, which is in high demand in modern industry.
Kinase, Sakae; Kimura, Masanori; Takahara, Shogo; Homma, Toshimitsu
Insights Concerning the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Accident, Vol.4; Endeavors by Scientists, p.6 - 10, 2021/10
no abstracts in English
Yonomoto, Taisuke; Nakashima, Hiroshi*; Sono, Hiroki; Kishimoto, Katsumi; Izawa, Kazuhiko; Kinase, Masami; Osa, Akihiko; Ogawa, Kazuhiko; Horiguchi, Hironori; Inoi, Hiroyuki; et al.
JAEA-Review 2020-056, 51 Pages, 2021/03
JAEA-Review-2020-056.pdf:3.26MB
A group named as "The group for investigation of reasonable safety assurance based on graded approach", which consists of about 10 staffs from Sector of Nuclear Science Research, Safety and Nuclear Security Administration Department, departments for management of nuclear facility, Sector of Nuclear Safety Research and Emergency Preparedness, aims to realize effective graded approach (GA) about management of facilities and regulatory compliance of JAEA. The group started its activities in September, 2019 and has had discussions through 10 meetings and email communications. In the meetings, basic ideas of GA, status of compliance with new regulatory standards at each facility, new inspection system, etc were discussed, while individual investigation at each facility were shared among the members. This report is compiled with expectation that it will help promote rational and effective safety management based on GA by sharing contents of the activity widely inside and outside JAEA.
F from 
O
?Tang, T. L.*; Uesaka, Tomohiro*; Kawase, Shoichiro; Beaumel, D.*; Dozono, Masanori*; Fujii, Toshihiko*; Fukuda, Naoki*; Fukunaga, Taku*; Galindo-Uribarri, A.*; Hwang, S. H.*; et al.
Physical Review Letters, 124(21), p.212502_1 - 212502_6, 2020/05
Times Cited Count：19 Percentile：70.25(Physics, Multidisciplinary)The structure of a neutron-rich F nucleus is investigated by a quasifree (
) knockout reaction. The sum of spectroscopic factors of 
orbital is found to be 1.0 
0.3. The result shows that the O core of F nucleus significantly differs from a free O nucleus, and the core consists of 
35% O
, and 65% excited O. The result shows that the O core of F nucleus significantly differs from a free O nucleus. The result may infer that the addition of the 
proton considerably changes the neutron structure in F from that in O, which could be a possible mechanism responsible for the oxygen dripline anomaly.
Sato, Yuji*; Tsukamoto, Masahiro*; Shobu, Takahisa; Funada, Yoshinori*; Yamashita, Yorihiro*; Hara, Takahiro*; Sengoku, Masanori*; Sakon, Yu*; Okubo, Tomomasa*; Yoshida, Minoru*; et al.
Applied Surface Science, 480, p.861 - 867, 2019/06
Times Cited Count：47 Percentile：84.18(Chemistry, Physical)Uchida, Shunsuke; Chimi, Yasuhiro; Kasahara, Shigeki; Hanawa, Satoshi; Okada, Hidetoshi*; Naito, Masanori*; Kojima, Masayoshi*; Kikura, Hiroshige*; Lister, D. H.*
Nuclear Engineering and Design, 341, p.112 - 123, 2019/01
Times Cited Count：7 Percentile：47.90(Nuclear Science & Technology)Improvement of plant reliability based on reliability-centered-maintenance (RCM) is going to be undertaken in NPPs. RCM is supported by risk-based maintenance (RBM). The combination of prediction and inspection is one of the key issues to promote RBM. Early prediction of IGSCC occurrence and its propagation should be confirmed throughout the entire plant systems which should be accomplished by inspections at the target locations followed by timely application of suitable countermeasures. From the inspections, accumulated data will be applied to confirm the accuracy of the code, to tune some uncertainties of the key data for prediction, and then, to increase their accuracy. The synergetic effects of prediction and inspection on application of effective and suitable countermeasures are expected. In the paper, the procedures for the combination of prediction and inspection are introduced.
Fujiwara, Yusuke; Nemoto, Takahiro; Tochio, Daisuke; Shinohara, Masanori; Ono, Masato; Takada, Shoji
Journal of Nuclear Engineering and Radiation Science, 3(4), p.041013_1 - 041013_8, 2017/10
In HTTR, the test was carried out at the reactor thermal power of 9 MW under the condition that one cooling line of VCS was stopped to simulate the partial loss of cooling function from the surface of RPV in addition to the loss of forced cooling flow in the core simulation. The test results showed that temperature change of the core internal structures and the biological shielding concrete was slow during the test. Temperature of RPV decreased several degrees during the test. The temperature decrease of biological shielding made of concrete was within 1C. The numerical result simulating the detail configuration of the cooling tubes of VCS showed that the temperature rise of cooling tubes of VCS was about 15C, which is sufficiently small, which did not significantly affect the temperature of biological shielding concrete. As the results, it was confirmed that the cooling ability of VCS can be kept in case that one cooling line of VCS is lost.
Shimazaki, Yosuke; Sawahata, Hiroaki; Yanagida, Yoshinori; Shinohara, Masanori; Kawamoto, Taiki; Takada, Shoji
JAEA-Technology 2016-038, 36 Pages, 2017/02
JAEA-Technology-2016-038.pdf:8.75MB
The High Temperature Engineering Test Reactor (HTTR) has three neutron startup sources (NSs) in the reactor core, each of which consists of 
Cf with 3.7GBq The NSs are exchanged at the interval of approximately 7 years. The NS holders including NSs are transported from the dealer's hot cell to the reactor facility of HTTR using a transportation container. The loading work of NS holders to the Control Rod guide blocks is subsequently carried out in the fuel handling machine maintenance pit of HTTR. Following technical issues were extracted from the experiences in the past two exchange works of NSs to develop a safety handling procedure; (1) The reduction and prevention of radiation exposure of workers. (2) The exclusion of falling of NS holder. Then, a new transportation container special to the NSs of HTTR was developed to solve the technical issues while keeping the cost as low as that for overhaul of conventional container and satisfying the regulation of A type transportation package.
Takahara, Shogo; Watanabe, Masatoshi; Oguri, Tomomi; Kimura, Masanori; Hirouchi, Jun; Munakata, Masahiro; Homma, Toshimitsu
JAEA-Data/Code 2016-016, 65 Pages, 2017/02
JAEA-Data-Code-2016-016.pdf:2.32MB
We surveyed on structural and material data on 22 facilities which are listed in local disaster management plan in Matsue city. These facilities can be divided into educational facilities, communal facilities and gymnastic hall. Height and floor-area of rooms, as well as window-area were collected as the structural data. We also collected information on constructional materials, and density of those. In addition, mass-thicknesses of the constructional materials were evaluated based on our surveys, and compared to the previous studies which were made in Japan, U.S., and European countries. Consequently, it was found that there is no significant difference of mass-thickness of constructional materials between the results of our surveys and the previous studies. However, for gymnastic hall, since thin metal plates are used for roofs, we can point out that the mass-thickness of roofs are much lower than those for other concrete facilities and clay tile roofing wooden houses.
Shimazaki, Yosuke; Sawahata, Hiroaki; Shinohara, Masanori; Yanagida, Yoshinori; Kawamoto, Taiki; Takada, Shoji
Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, 54(2), p.260 - 266, 2017/02
Times Cited Count：5 Percentile：36.36(Nuclear Science & Technology)The High-Temperature engineering Test Reactor (HTTR) has three neutron startup sources (NSs) in the reactor core, each of which consists of Cf with 3.7 GBq and is contained in a small capsule, installed in NS holder and subsequently in a control guide block (CR block). The NSs are exchanged at the interval of approximately 7 years. The NS holders are transported from the dealer's hot cell to the reactor facility of HTTR using a transportation container. The loading work of NS holders to the CR blocks is subsequently carried out in the fuel handling machine maintenance pit of HTTR. Technical issues, which are the reduction and prevention of radiation exposure of workers and the exclusion of falling of NS holder, were extracted from the experiences in past two exchange works of NSs to develop a safety handling procedure. Then, a new transportation container special to the NSs of HTTR was developed to solve the technical issues while keeping the cost as low as that for overhaul of conventional container. As the results, the NS handling work using the new transportation container was safely accomplished by developing the new transportation container which can reduce the risks of radiation exposure dose of workers and exclude the falling of NS holder.
Shinohara, Masanori; Ishitsuka, Etsuo; Shimazaki, Yosuke; Sawahata, Hiroaki
JAEA-Technology 2016-033, 65 Pages, 2017/01
JAEA-Technology-2016-033.pdf:11.14MB
To reduce the neutron exposure dose for workers during the replacement works of the startup neutron sources of the High Temperature Engineering Test Reactor, calculations of the exposure dose in case of temporary neutron shielding at the bottom of fuels handling machine were carried out by the PHITS code. As a result, it is clear that the dose equivalent rate due to neutron radiation can be reduced to about an order of magnitude by setting a temporary neutron shielding at the bottom of shielding cask for the fuel handling machine. In the actual replacement works, by setting temporary neutron shielding, it was achieved that the cumulative equivalent dose of the workers was reduced to 0.3 man mSv which is less than half of cumulative equivalent dose for the previous replacement works; 0.7 man mSv.
