Neutron imaging for automotive polymer electrolyte fuel cells during rapid cold starts

Yoshimune, Wataru*; Higuchi, Yuki*; Song, F.; Hibi, Shogo*; Matsumoto, Yoshihiro*; Hayashida, Hirotoshi*; Nozaki, Hiroshi*; Shinohara, Takenao; Kato, Satoru*

Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics, 26(47), p.29466 - 29474, 2024/11

https://doi.org/10.1039/D4CP03646H

Development of a large-area alpha imaging detector for hand and foot monitors

Morishita, Yuki; Higuchi, Mikio*; Kaneko, Junichi*; Kitagawa, Yuichi*; Akedo, Jun*; Soma, Mitsugu*; Matsui, Hiroaki*

Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research A, 1057, p.168702_1 - 168702_8, 2023/12

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nima.2023.168702

This paper describes the development of a large-area imaging detector capable of measuring the detailed distribution of alpha particles on hands and feet for use in entry/exit control monitors in decommissioning sites such as the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. The detector was developed using a commercially available ZnS(Ag) scintillator and an electron multiplying CCD camera. The effectiveness of the detector was evaluated by measuring several types of radiation sources, and the results showed that it was possible to detect the position of alpha particles in a very short time, and contamination levels of up to 11 Bq/cm could be visualized. As a result of the minimal detectable surface activity concentration evaluations, 2.0 minutes or more is required to achieve 4 Bq/cm, and 25.0 minutes or more is required to achieve 0.4 Bq/cm. The field of view of the detector was also checked, and it was confirmed that the setup had a field of view that could cover most of the hand and the sole of the shoe. This detector is expected to be useful for preventing internal uptake and decontamination.

PANDORA Project for the study of photonuclear reactions below

Tamii, Atsushi*; Pellegri, L.*; Sderstrm, P.-A.*; Allard, D.*; Goriely, S.*; Inakura, Tsunenori*; Khan, E.*; Kido, Eiji*; Kimura, Masaaki*; Litvinova, E.*; et al.

European Physical Journal A, 59(9), p.208_1 - 208_21, 2023/09

https://doi.org/10.1140/epja/s10050-023-01081-w

no abstracts in English

A Phoswich alpha/beta detector for monitoring in the site of Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station

Morishita, Yuki; Takasaki, Koji; Kitayama, Yoshiharu; Tagawa, Akihiro; Shibata, Takuya; Hoshi, Katsuya; Kaneko, Junichi*; Higuchi, Mikio*; Oura, Masatoshi*

Radiation Measurements, 160, p.106896_1 - 106896_10, 2023/01

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.radmeas.2022.106896

This study proposes a newly developed phoswich alpha/beta detector that can discriminate alpha and beta particles emitted from the alpha and beta contaminations in the FDNPS site. The phoswich alpha/beta detector is made up of two layers of scintillators that detect alpha and beta particles. The pulse shape discrimination (PSD) method was used to detect alpha particles in high beta particle and high gamma-ray (comparable to gamma-ray dose rate near the FDNPS reactor building) environments. Due to a 23.3% full width at half maximum (FWHM) energy resolution for alpha particles, the detector can be used to distinguish between nuclear fuel materials such as plutonium and its radon progeny (Po-214). Moreover, the detector could distinguish alpha particles from Cs gamma rays with a dose rate background up to 9.0 mSv/h. It is the first to demonstrate that the developed phoswich detector can be used to discriminate and measure alpha and beta particles of the actual contaminated FDNPS samples.

Evolution of dislocation structure determined by neutron diffraction line profile analysis during tensile deformation in quenched and tempered martensitic steels

Dannoshita, Hiroyuki*; Hasegawa, Hiroshi*; Higuchi, Sho*; Matsuda, Hiroshi*; Gong, W.; Kawasaki, Takuro; Harjo, S.; Umezawa, Osamu*

Materials Science & Engineering A, 854, p.143795_1 - 143795_12, 2022/09

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.msea.2022.143795

Pulsed neutron imaging for differentiation of ice and liquid water towards fuel cell vehicle applications

Higuchi, Yuki*; Setoyama, Daigo*; Isegawa, Kazuhisa; Tsuchikawa, Yusuke; Matsumoto, Yoshihiro*; Parker, J. D.*; Shinohara, Takenao; Nagai, Yasutaka*

Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics, 23(2), p.1062 - 1071, 2021/01

https://doi.org/10.1039/D0CP03887C

This study is the first report on liquid water and ice imaging conducted at a pulsed spallation neutron source facility. Neutron imaging can be utilised to visualise the water distribution inside polymer electrolyte fuel cells (PEFCs). Particularly, energy-resolved neutron imaging is a methodology capable of distinguishing between liquid water and ice, and is effective for investigating ice formation in PEFCs operating in a subfreezing environment. The distinction principle is based on the fact that the cross sections of liquid water and ice differ from each other at low neutron energies. In order to quantitatively observe transient freezing and thawing phenomena in a multiphase mixture (gas/liquid/solid) within real PEFCs with high spatial resolution, a pulsed neutron beam with both high intensity and wide energy range is most appropriate. In the validation study of the present work, we used water sealed in narrow capillary tubes to simulate the flow channels of a PEFC, and a pulsed neutron beam was applied to distinguish ice, liquid water and super-cooled water, and to clarify freezing and thawing phenomena of the water within the capillary tubes. Moreover, we have enabled the observation of liquid water/ice distributions in a large field of view (300 mm 300 mm) by manufacturing a sub-zero environment chamber that can be cooled down to -30C, as a step towards visualisation of full-size fuel cells.

Development of an alpha dust monitor using a GPS scintillator plate

Morishita, Yuki; Kaneko, Junichi*; Higuchi, Mikio*; Izaki, Kenji; Yajima, Tatsuo*; Matsuura, Mitsugu*; Tamura, Ken; Torii, Tatsuo

Radiation Measurements, 122, p.115 - 120, 2019/03

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.radmeas.2019.01.011

New precise measurement of muonium hyperfine structure interval at J-PARC

Ueno, Yasuhiro*; Aoki, Masaharu*; Fukao, Yoshinori*; Higashi, Yoshitaka*; Higuchi, Takashi*; Iinuma, Hiromi*; Ikedo, Yutaka*; Ishida, Katsuhiko*; Ito, Takashi; Iwasaki, Masahiko*; et al.

Hyperfine Interactions, 238(1), p.14_1 - 14_6, 2017/11

https://doi.org/10.1007/s10751-016-1381-7

Progress report of Japanese simulation research projects using the high-performance computer system Helios in the International Fusion Energy Research Centre

Ishizawa, Akihiro*; Idomura, Yasuhiro; Imadera, Kenji*; Kasuya, Naohiro*; Kanno, Ryutaro*; Satake, Shinsuke*; Tatsuno, Tomoya*; Nakata, Motoki*; Nunami, Masanori*; Maeyama, Shinya*; et al.

Purazuma, Kaku Yugo Gakkai-Shi, 92(3), p.157 - 210, 2016/03

http://www.jspf.or.jp/Journal/PDF_JSPF/jspf2016_03/jspf2016_03-157.pdf

The high-performance computer system Helios which is located at The Computational Simulation Centre (CSC) in The International Fusion Energy Research Centre (IFERC) started its operation in January 2012 under the Broader Approach (BA) agreement between Japan and the EU. The Helios system has been used for magnetised fusion related simulation studies in the EU and Japan and has kept high average usage rate. As a result, the Helios system has contributed to many research products in a wide range of research areas from core plasma physics to reactor material and reactor engineering. This project review gives a short catalogue of domestic simulation research projects. First, we outline the IFERC-CSC project. After that, shown are objectives of the research projects, numerical schemes used in simulation codes, obtained results and necessary computations in future.

Performance comparison of scintillators for alpha particle detectors

Morishita, Yuki; Yamamoto, Seiichi*; Izaki, Kenji; Kaneko, Junichi*; Toi, Kohei*; Tsubota, Yoichi*; Higuchi, Mikio*

Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research A, 764, p.383 - 386, 2014/11

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nima.2014.07.046