Preliminary measurement of prompt gamma-ray from nuclear material for the classification of fuel debris and waste

芝 知宙; 冠城 雅晃; 能見 貴佳; 鈴木 梨沙; 小菅 義広*; 名内 泰志*; 高田 映*; 長谷 竹晃; 奥村 啓介

Proceedings of International Topical Workshop on Fukushima Decommissioning Research (FDR2022) (Internet), 3 Pages, 2022/10

A technique that can easily determine the presence of nuclear material in removed object from Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant site is important from the viewpoint of sorting fuel debris from radioactive waste. In the case of fresh uranium, the amount of nuclear material in the waste generated from nuclear facilities can be determined by measuring 1001 keV gamma-rays emitted by Pa, which is a daughter nuclide of U. However, it has been pointed out that such gamma-ray measurement cannot be used for fuel debris that contains a large portion of fission products (FPs) emitting various energies of gamma-rays. In this study, we focus on prompt fission gamma-rays that are directly emitted from nuclear materials and those energy exists in a higher energy region than those of FPs, and aim to measure them in simple manners.

Identification and quantification of a Co radiation source under an intense Cs radiation field using an application-specific CeBr spectrometer suited for use in intense radiation fields

冠城 雅晃; 島添 健次*; 加藤 昌弘*; 黒澤 忠弘*; 高橋 浩之*

Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, 59(8), p.983 - 992, 2022/08

https://doi.org/10.1080/00223131.2022.2026833

Passive -ray spectroscopy is a useful technique for surveying the radioactive wastes and spent nuclear fuels under nuclear decommissioning. However, this method depends on material properties such as the activity, density, element, scale, and (especially) low-energy rays from U and Pu. The -decay lines of Cs, Cs, Co, and Eu occur at greater energies (than those of U and Pu), and these nuclides provide significant information on spent nuclear fuel and radioactive wastes. A CeBr spectrometer with a small-volume crystal has been previously developed for use in intense radiation measurements. We exposed the spectrometer to radiation dose rates of 0.025, 0.151, 0.342, 0.700, and 0.954 Sv/h under a standard Cs radiation field. A 6.38 MBq Co calibration source was placed in front of the detector surface. Identification of the full energy peak at 1173 keV was impossible at dose rates higher than 0.700 Sv/h. However, subtraction of the Cs radiation spectra from the -ray spectra enabled the identification of the full energy peaks at 1173 and 1333 keV at dose rates of up to 0.954 Sv/h; the relative energy resolution at 1173 and 1333 keV was only slightly degraded at this dose rate.

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

冠城 雅晃; 島添 健次*; 加藤 昌弘*; 黒澤 忠弘*; 鎌田 圭*; Kim, K. J.*; 吉野 将生*; 庄司 育宏*; 吉川 彰*; 高橋 浩之*; 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

近年、2011年の東京電力ホールディングス福島第一原子力発電所事故より、世界各地で、廃止措置になる原子力施設が増加している。一方、原子力施設の廃止措置工程においては、放射性廃棄物や使用済み核燃料を適切な管理下で回収しなければならないため。そこで、本研究は、高線量率下でのガンマ線スペクトロメトリを実現するため、5mm5mm5mmの微小CeBrスペクトロメーターを構築した。さらに、(1)毎秒ギガサンプリング率のデジタル信号処理、(2)後段3段ダイノード電圧印加機能付光電子増倍管により、1Sv/hを超える線量率でのガンマ線スペクトル測定に成功した。Cs放射線場で、662keVのエネルギー分解能(半値幅)が、22mSv/hで4.4%であり、それが1407mSv/hでは5.2%である。対して、Co放射線場では、1333keVのエネルギー分解能(半値幅)が、26mSv/hで3.1%であり、それが2221mSv/hでは4.2%である。これらは、Cs, Cs, Co, Euのガンマ線を分解できる要求を満たており、同時に1Sv/h以上で上記核種のガンマ線分析が可能なことを示唆するものである。

RADREMOTE 2018; Proceedings of The 5th Fukushima Research Conference (FRC) 2018; Radiation hardness, smartness and measurement in remote technology for the decommissioning of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station

冠城 雅晃; 鳥居 建男; 小川 徹

JAEA-Review 2019-031, 251 Pages, 2020/01

JAEA-Review-2019-031.pdf:57.36MB

福島第一原子力発電所の廃炉をはじめとした過酷な放射線環境下で、現場作業者の被ばく線量を低減するため、遠隔技術やロボティクスの高度化に大きな期待が集まっている。しかし、ロボットの遠隔制御のための最先端の要素技術やセンサー, 電子機器の耐放射線性にも厳しい限界がある。原子力へのロボット技術の応用拡大に向けて、機器の耐放射線性の向上(Radiation hardness)や運用における放射線環境への適応力(Radiation smartness)が求められる。さらに、将来の核燃料デブリの探査と取り出しに向けては、福島第一原子力発電所内の高線量率現場での放射線イメージングや核燃料デブリの検出といった、放射線計測(Radiation measurement)および位置認識・周辺環境の把握のための技術の開発が必要である。今回の福島リサーチカンファレンスでは、遠隔技術のさらなる進展のため、さまざまな分野の専門化を交えて将来のビジョンを共有することを目指している。

Gamma-ray imaging system for Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant using silicon strip detector

冠城 雅晃; 佐藤 優樹; 吉原 有里*; 島添 健次*; 高橋 浩之*; 鳥居 建男

Reactor Dosimetry; 16th International Symposium on Reactor Dosimetry (ISRD-16) (ASTM STP 1608), p.405 - 414, 2018/11

https://doi.org/10.1520/STP160820170070

On March 11, 2011, a massive earthquake occurred in the Tohoku region of Japan, and a large tsunami hit the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (1F), resulting in a nuclear accident. Despite the years that have passed since the accident, decommissioning remains a concern. Radiation measurement techniques are very important for accelerating the decommissioning and ensuring low radiation exposure to workers. Our gamma-ray imaging system is the detection device for determining the three dimensional radioactive distributions of nuclear fuel debris, measuring high-energy gamma rays (greater than 1 MeV). Silicon semiconductor detectors are among the candidate detectors for radiation measurements in our system because of their radiation-hardness and high counting rate capability. We have been developing a stacked amorphous-silicon (Si)/crystal-Si heterojunction Si strip detector, which has 1-mm-pitch striped electrodes (0.5 mm wide) and 1.2-mm-pitch stacked technology. The detector consists of an Si strip mounted on a thin printed circuit board, front-end readout electronics with a complementary metal oxide semiconductor application specific integrated circuit, and a field programmable gate array. The threshold level of energy deposition of each pulse signal in each channel can be set from the application-specific integrated circuit, and gamma-ray images with energy discrimination can be obtained. The energy threshold level for discrimination of Co gamma rays from Cs gamma rays was investigated experimentally and by means of simulation, and it was found to be about 500 keV. Therefore, our Si strip detector has the required position sensitivity and energy discrimination ability for identifying high-energy gamma-ray source distributions.

Remote radiation imaging system using a compact -ray imager mounted on a multicopter drone

佐藤 優樹; 小澤 慎吾*; 寺阪 祐太; 冠城 雅晃; 谷藤 祐太; 川端 邦明; 宮村 浩子; 和泉 良*; 鈴木 敏和*; 鳥居 建男

Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, 55(1), p.90 - 96, 2018/01

https://doi.org/10.1080/00223131.2017.1383211

A remote radiation imaging system comprising a lightweight Compton camera and a multicopter drone was developed to remotely and quickly measure radioactive contamination inside the buildings of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station (FDNPS). The drone system is used for measuring detailed radiation distributions in narrow areas, which have been difficult to gauge with conventional aircraft monitoring using helicopters. A measurement of radiation distributions in outdoor environments in the coastal areas of Fukushima, Japan, was performed. The drone system with the Compton camera succeeded in remote observations of dense hotspots from the sky over a contaminated area near the FDNPS. The time required for image reconstruction is approximately 550 s in the case of a 9-m flight altitude for the hotspots with a surface dose rate of several tens of Sv/h. This drone system will be used inside the buildings of the FDNPS for remote measurement of radioactive contamination.

Radiation imaging system using a compact -ray imager mounted on a remotely operated machine

佐藤 優樹; 川端 邦明; 小澤 慎吾*; 和泉 良*; 冠城 雅晃; 谷藤 祐太; 寺阪 祐太; 宮村 浩子; 河村 拓馬; 鈴木 敏和*; et al.

IFAC-PapersOnLine, 50(1), p.1062 - 1066, 2017/07

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ifacol.2017.08.218

The development of remote and quick radiation imaging methods in the high dose-rate environment is requested to accelerate implementation of decommissioning of the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP). We developed the remote radiation imaging system consisting of a Compton camera and a multicopter drone to remotely measure the radioactive contamination on the several radioactive fields in the environment and inside the building of nuclear facilities such as the FDNPP. The drone system succeeded in the observation of several hotspots from the sky at the outdoor environments in coastal areas of Fukushima, Japan. In addition, we are now developing the SLAM technology for remotely operated machines such as the drone to complete the remote radiation imaging system, which can autonomous flight.

放射線分析方法、放射線検出器

冠城 雅晃

島添 健次*

特願 18/031002  公開特許公報

The present invention carries out highly accurate assay of a sample, even under high-dose radiation, by analyzing an energy spectrum obtained by a radiation detector. In this radiation analysis method, first, the spectrum (actual spectrum) of a sample is measured by a radiation detector (sample measurement step: S1). In this step, two or more types of scintillators having different sizes are used and two or more types of shielding substances having different thicknesses are used to obtain an actual spectrum for each condition (setting condition). Next, measurement similar to that described above is carried out with respect to a reference radiation source (reference radiation source measurement step: S2). Next, a background nuclide-derived component, which is a component derived from a background nuclide (137Cs) in the actual spectrum, is inferred from the reference spectrum obtained in the reference radiation source measurement step (S2) (background nuclide-derived component inference step: S3). ・・・

放射線分析方法、放射線検出器

冠城 雅晃

島添 健次*

特願 21877754.8  公開特許公報

The present invention carries out highly accurate assay of a sample, even under high-dose radiation, by analyzing an energy spectrum obtained by a radiation detector. In this radiation analysis method, first, the spectrum (actual spectrum) of a sample is measured by a radiation detector (sample measurement step: S1). In this step, two or more types of scintillators having different sizes are used and two or more types of shielding substances having different thicknesses are used to obtain an actual spectrum for each condition (setting condition). Next, measurement similar to that described above is carried out with respect to a reference radiation source (reference radiation source measurement step: S2). Next, a background nuclide-derived component, which is a component derived from a background nuclide (137Cs) in the actual spectrum, is inferred from the reference spectrum obtained in the reference radiation source measurement step (S2) (background nuclide-derived component inference step: S3). ・・・

放射線計測と光3次元計測を統合した放射性物質分布可視化システムの開発

佐藤 優樹; 谷藤 祐太; 寺阪 祐太; 宇佐美 博士; 冠城 雅晃; 宮村 浩子; 川端 邦明; 鳥居 建男

no journal, , 

福島第一原子力発電所(以下、1F)の事故により1F建屋内外に放出された放射性物質について、詳細な除染計画の立案や作業員の被ばく線量の低減のために、飛散した放射性物質を可視化するための技術開発が求められている。原子力機構廃炉国際共同研究センターは放射性物質を可視化するための装置として、小型・軽量なコンプトンカメラを開発し、放射性物質の分布を3次元的に可視化するための技術開発を進めている。加えて、レーザー等による光測量技術を用いて建屋構造物の3次元モデルを構築し、これを放射線イメージと重ね合わせることによって、より視認しやすい放射性物質分布図の構築を目指している。これまでに福島第一原子力発電所建屋内部において、開発したコンプトンカメラを用いて放射性物質のイメージング試験を実施し、建屋内部に存在するホットスポットの3次元的な可視化に成功した。加えて、測域センサーを用いて建屋内部の3次元モデルを構築し、放射線イメージと重ね合わせることによる放射線分布マップの構築を試みた。発表では試験結果の詳細と今後の予定を紹介する。