Impact assessment for internal flooding in HTTR (High temperature engineering test reactor)

Tochio, Daisuke; Nagasumi, Satoru; Inoi, Hiroyuki; Hamamoto, Shimpei; Ono, Masato; Kobayashi, Shoichi; Uesaka, Takahiro; Watanabe, Shuji; Saito, Kenji

JAEA-Technology 2021-014, 80 Pages, 2021/09

JAEA-Technology-2021-014.pdf:5.87MB

In response to the new regulatory standards established in response to the accident at TEPCO's Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station in March 2011, measures and impact assessments related to internal flooding at HTTR were carried out. In assessing the impact, considering the characteristics of the high-temperature gas-cooled reactor, flooding due to assumed damage to piping and equipment, flooding due to water discharge from the system installed to prevent the spread of fire, and flooding due to damage to piping and equipment due to an earthquake. The effects of submersion, flooding, and flooding due to steam were evaluated for each of them. The impact of the overflow of liquids containing radioactive materials outside the radiation-controlled area was also evaluated. As a result, it was confirmed that flooding generated at HTTR does not affect the safety function of the reactor facility by taking measures.

First isolation and analysis of caesium-bearing microparticles from marine samples in the Pacific coastal area near Fukushima Prefecture

Miura, Hikaru*; Ishimaru, Takashi*; Ito, Yukari*; Kuribara, Yuichi; Otosaka, Shigeyoshi*; Sakaguchi, Aya*; Misumi, Kazuhiro*; Tsumune, Daisuke*; Kubo, Atsushi*; Higaki, Shogo*; et al.

Scientific Reports (Internet), 11, p.5664_1 - 5664_11, 2021/03

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-85085-w

For the first time, we isolated and investigated seven CsMPs (radioactive caesium-bearing microparticles) from marine particulate matter and sediment. From the elemental composition, the Cs/Cs activity ratio, and the Cs activity per unit volume results, we inferred that the five CsMPs collected from particulate matter were emitted from Unit 2 of the FDNPP, whereas the two CsMPs collected from marine sediment were possibly emitted from Unit 3. The presence of CsMPs can cause overestimation of the solid-water distribution coefficient of Cs in marine sediments and particulate matter and a high apparent radiocaesium concentration factor for marine biota. CsMPs emitted from Unit 2, which were collected from the estuary of a river that flowed through a highly contaminated area, may have been deposited on land and then transported by the river. By contrast, CsMPs emitted from Unit 3 were possibly transported eastward by the wind and deposited directly onto the ocean surface.

Image-based view selection for shape comparison of mode water regions in virtual reality spaces

Yano, Midori; Ito, Takayuki*; Tanaka, Yusuke*; Matsuoka, Daisuke*; Araki, Fumiaki*; Czauderna, T.*; Stephens, K.*

Proceedings of Joint International Conference on Supercomputing in Nuclear Applications + Monte Carlo 2020 (SNA + MC 2020), p.201 - 208, 2020/10

Visual analysis plays an important role in understanding and evaluating the climate models, their variables, and their outputs because complex processes are required for the tuning of the climate models. Virtual Reality (VR) technologies are effective for 3D visualization and have been recently employed for visual analysis of more various scientific data. However, researchers may have some problematic situations while using VR space depending on user operations and target geometries. Here, we propose an image-based view selection method to solve these situations and understand differences in ocean states between simulations and observations based on shapes of mode water regions. This view selection takes evaluation criteria for shape comparison of mode water regions generated from simulations and observations into account. This paper introduces two example cases applying this view selection and discusses on a degree of shape matching of mode water regions of each case.

Guidance for gamma spectrometry intercomparison based on the information obtained through five intercomparisons during the Fukushima mapping project

Mikami, Satoshi; Ishikawa, Daisuke*; Matsuda, Hideo*; Hoshide, Yoshifumi*; Okuda, Naotoshi*; Sakamoto, Ryuichi*; Saito, Kimiaki

Journal of Environmental Radioactivity, 210, p.105938_1 - 105938_7, 2019/12

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvrad.2019.03.014

Five intercomparisons of in situ spectrometry by 6-7 participating teams have been conducted between December 2011 and August 2015 at sites in Fukushima prefecture which affected by the fallout of FDNPS accident occurred in March 2011. The evaluated deposition densities agreed within 5-6% in terms of coefficient of variation (CV) for radiocesium (Cs and Cs), by our best achievement, and the ratio of Cs/Cs in deposition density agreed within 1-2% in CV, through five intercomparisons. These results guarantee the accuracy of the measurements of the mapping project. Two different methods for intercomparison were conducted: (1) sequential measurements at an identical point; and (2) simultaneous measurements in a narrow area within 3 m radius. In a comparison between the two methods at a site, no significant difference was observed between the results. The standard protocols for the two different intercomparison methods were proposed based on our experience.

Study on evaluation method for entrained gas flow rate by free surface vortex

Ito, Kei*; Ito, Daisuke*; Saito, Yasushi*; Ezure, Toshiki; Matsushita, Kentaro; Tanaka, Masaaki; Imai, Yasutomo*

Proceedings of 18th International Topical Meeting on Nuclear Reactor Thermal Hydraulics (NURETH-18) (USB Flash Drive), p.6632 - 6642, 2019/08

In this paper, a mechanistic model is proposed to calculate the entrained gas flow rate by a free surface vortex. The model contains the theoretical equation of transient gas core elongation and the empirical equation of critical gas core length for gas bubble detachment. Based on those two equations, the entrained gas flow rate is calculated as the portion of the gas core elongated beyond the critical gas core length per unit time. Then, the mechanistic model was applied to the calculation of the entrained gas flow rate in a simple water experiment. As a result, it is confirmed that the entrained gas flow rate grows rapidly when the liquid (water) flow rate, which determine the strength of a free surface vortex, exceeds a certain threshold value.

Enhancement of element production by incomplete fusion reaction with weakly bound deuteron

Wang, H.*; Otsu, Hideaki*; Chiga, Nobuyuki*; Kawase, Shoichiro*; Takeuchi, Satoshi*; Sumikama, Toshiyuki*; Koyama, Shumpei*; Sakurai, Hiroyoshi*; Watanabe, Yukinobu*; Nakayama, Shinsuke; et al.

Communications Physics (Internet), 2(1), p.78_1 - 78_6, 2019/07

https://doi.org/10.1038/s42005-019-0165-1

Searching for effective pathways for the production of proton- and neutron-rich isotopes through an optimal combination of reaction mechanism and energy is one of the main driving forces behind experimental and theoretical nuclear reaction studies as well as for practical applications in nuclear transmutation of radioactive waste. We report on a study on incomplete fusion induced by deuteron, which contains one proton and one neutron with a weak binding energy and is easily broken up. This reaction study was achieved by measuring directly the cross sections for both proton and deuteron for Pd at 50 MeV/u via inverse kinematics technique. The results provide direct experimental evidence for the onset of a cross-section enhancement at high energy, indicating the potential of incomplete fusion induced by loosely-bound nuclei for creating proton-rich isotopes and nuclear transmutation of radioactive waste.

Estimation of porosity and void fraction profiles in a packed bed of spheres using X-ray radiography

Ito, Daisuke*; Ito, Kei*; Saito, Yasushi*; Aoyagi, Mitsuhiro; Matsuba, Kenichi; Kamiyama, Kenji

Nuclear Engineering and Design, 334, p.90 - 95, 2018/08

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nucengdes.2018.05.003

Two-phase flow through porous media must be well understood to develop a severe accident analysis code not only for light water reactor but also sodium-cooled fast reactor. When a core disruptive accident occurs in sodium-cooled fast reactor, the fuel inside the core become melted and interacts with the coolant. As a result, gas-liquid two-phase flow will be formed in the debris bed, which may have porous nature depending on the cooling process. In such condition, the local porosity and its distribution are very important to characterize two-phase flow field in the porous media. In this study, X-ray radiography was applied to measure the local porosity in the packed bed of spheres. The radial profiles were estimated from the chordal profiles measured by the X-ray method and compared with the previous porosity model. In addition, the void fraction radial profiles were also obtained in air-water two-phase flow.

Characterization and thermodynamic study of humic acid in deep groundwater at Horonobe, Hokkaido, Japan

Kimuro, Shingo*; Kirishima, Akira*; Nagao, Seiya*; Saito, Takumi*; Amano, Yuki; Miyakawa, Kazuya; Akiyama, Daisuke*; Sato, Nobuaki*

Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, 55(5), p.503 - 515, 2018/05

https://doi.org/10.1080/00223131.2017.1416690

no abstracts in English

Ecological and genomic profiling of anaerobic methane-oxidizing archaea in a deep granitic environment

Ino, Kohei*; Hernsdorf, A. W.*; Konno, Yuta*; Kozuka, Mariko*; Yanagawa, Katsunori*; Kato, Shingo*; Sunamura, Michinari*; Hirota, Akinari*; Togo, Yoko*; Ito, Kazumasa*; et al.

ISME Journal, 12(1), p.31 - 47, 2018/01

https://doi.org/10.1038/ismej.2017.140

In this study, we found the dominance ofanaerobic methane-oxidizing archaea in groundwater enriched in sulfate and methane from a 300-m deep underground borehole in granitic rock.

Two-phase flow measurements in a simulated debris bed

Ito, Daisuke*; Rivera, M. N.*; Saito, Yasushi*; Aoyagi, Mitsuhiro; Kamiyama, Kenji; Suzuki, Toru*

Proceedings of 17th International Topical Meeting on Nuclear Reactor Thermal Hydraulics (NURETH-17) (USB Flash Drive), 10 Pages, 2017/09