Preparation of feedstock for uranium and plutonium mixed oxide fuels containing minor actinides by microwave heating

Nakahara, Masaumi; Senzaki, Tatsuya; Sano, Yuichi; Kato, Masato

Progress in Nuclear Science and Technology (Internet), 8, p.64 - 69, 2025/09

https://doi.org/10.15669/pnst.8.64

It has been proposed that minor actinides are recovered and reused as nuclear fuel in a fast reactor fuel cycle system. In this study, minor actinides which were recovered from high-level liquid waste derived from irradiated fast reactor fuel in an extraction chromatography process and U and Pu nitrate solution were mixed, and mixed oxide fuel powders were prepared by microwave heating. The characterization of the mixed oxide fuel powders containing minor actinides was evaluated by X-ray diffraction and thermal analysis.

Attempt to estimate the creep characteristics of thick laminated rubber bearings installed in a vibration isolation building based on long-term observation results

Masaki, Nobuo*; Murota, Nobuo*; Kato, Koji*; Okamura, Shigeki; Yamamoto, Tomohiko; Uchita, Masato*; Fujita, Satoshi*

Nihon Kenchiku Gakkai Gijutsu Hokokushu, 31(78), p.687 - 692, 2025/06

https://doi.org/10.3130/aijt.31.687

Creep characteristic of the thick laminated rubber bearing made of natural rubber installed in the actual vibration isolation building for 55.2 years could be estimated by using existing measurement data and newly measurement data. Creep measurement data sets were examined by simple regression equation of recommended by JIS K6410-2. Regression analysis showed that the average creep displacement characteristics could be described by a power law. Average creep displacement of the thick laminated rubber bearings installed the building for 60 years was estimated 3.4 mm by the regression equation. The method of JIS K6410-2 is useful for forecasting creep displacement.

Structural behaviors of lead zirconate titanate-based ferroelectric ceramics during pyroelectric-power generation cycles

Kawasaki, Takuro; Fukuda, Tatsuo; Yamanaka, Satoru*; Murayama, Ichiro*; Kato, Takanori*; Baba, Masaaki*; Hashimoto, Hideki*; Harjo, S.; Aizawa, Kazuya; Tanaka, Hirohisa*; et al.

Journal of Applied Physics, 137(9), p.094101_1 - 094101_7, 2025/03

https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0243081

Decommissioning report for Wastewater Treatment Facility (Part 2); Chapter on contamination inspection section

Yamamoto, Keisuke; Nakagawa, Takuya; Shimojo, Hiroto; Kijima, Jun; Miura, Daiya; Onose, Yoshihiko*; Namba, Koji*; Uchida, Hiroaki*; Sakamoto, Kazuhiko*; Ono, Chika*; et al.

JAEA-Technology 2024-019, 211 Pages, 2025/02

JAEA-Technology-2024-019.pdf:35.35MB

The uranium enrichment facilities at the Nuclear Fuel Cycle Engineering Laboratories of Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) were constructed sequentially to develop uranium enrichment technology with centrifugal separation method. The developed technologies were transferred to Japan Nuclear Fuel Limited until 2001. And the original purpose has been achieved. Wastewater Treatment Facility, one of the uranium enrichment facilities, was constructed in 1976 to treat radioactive liquid waste generated at the facilities, and it finished the role in 2008. In accordance with the Medium/Long-Term Management Plan of JAEA Facilities, interior equipment installed in this facility had been dismantled and removed since November 2021 to August 2023. This report summarizes the findings obtained through the work related to the contamination inspection methods cancellation the controlled area of Wastewater Treatment Facility from September 2023 to March 2024.

Enthalpy measurement on (UPu)O (x = 0, 0.18, 0.45, and 1) and analysis of heat capacity

Hirooka, Shun; Morimoto, Kyoichi; Matsumoto, Taku; Ogasawara, Masahiro*; Kato, Masato; Murakami, Tatsutoshi

Journal of Nuclear Materials, 598, p.155188_1 - 155188_9, 2024/09

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnucmat.2024.155188

no abstracts in English

High temperature nanoindentation of (U,Ce)O compounds

Frazer, D.*; Saleh, T. A.*; Matsumoto, Taku; Hirooka, Shun; Kato, Masato; McClellan, K.*; White, J. T.*

Nuclear Engineering and Design, 423, p.113136_1 - 113136_7, 2024/07

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nucengdes.2024.113136

Nanoindentation based techniques can be employed on minute volumes of material to measure mechanical properties, including Young's modulus, hardness, and creep stress exponents. In this study, (U,Ce)O solid solutions samples are used to develop elevated temperature nanoindentation and nanoindentation creep testing methods for use on mixed oxide fuels. Nanoindentation testing was performed on 3 separate (Ux-1,Cex)O compounds ranging from x equals 0.1 to 0.3 at up to 800 C: their Young's modulus, hardness, and creep stress exponents were evaluated. The Young's modulus decreases in the expected linear manner while the hardness decreases in the expected exponential manner. The nanoindentation creep experiments at 800 C give stress exponent values, n=4.7-6.9, that suggests dislocation motion as the deformation mechanism.

Characteristics of temporal variability of long-duration bursts of high-energy radiation associated with thunderclouds on the Tibetan plateau

Tsuchiya, Harufumi; Hibino, Kinya*; Kawata, Kazumasa*; Onishi, Munehiro*; Takita, Masato*; Munakata, Kazuoki*; Kato, Chihiro*; Shimoda, Susumu*; Shi, Q.*; Wang, S.*; et al.

Progress of Earth and Planetary Science (Internet), 11, p.26_1 - 26_14, 2024/05

https://doi.org/10.1186/s40645-024-00625-y

Thermal conductivity measurement of uranium-plutonium mixed oxide doped with Nd/Sm as simulated fission products

Horii, Yuta; Hirooka, Shun; Uno, Hiroki*; Ogasawara, Masahiro*; Tamura, Tetsuya*; Yamada, Tadahisa*; Furusawa, Naoya*; Murakami, Tatsutoshi; Kato, Masato

Journal of Nuclear Materials, 588, p.154799_1 - 154799_20, 2024/01

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnucmat.2023.154799

The thermal conductivities of near-stoichiometric (U,Pu,Am)O doped with NdO/SmO, which is major fission product (FP) generated by a uranium-plutonium mixed oxides (MOX) fuel irradiation, as simulated fission products are evaluated at 1073-1673 K. The thermal conductivities are calculated from the thermal diffusivities that are measured using the laser flash method. To evaluate the thermal conductivity from a homogeneity viewpoint of Nd/Sm cations in MOX, the specimens with different homogeneity of Nd/Sm are prepared using two kinds of powder made by ball-mill and fusion methods. A homogeneous Nd/Sm distribution decreases the thermal conductivity of MOX with increasing Nd/Sm content, whereas heterogeneous Nd/Sm has no influence. The effect of Nd/Sm on the thermal conductivity is studied using the classical phonon transport model (A+BT). The dependences of the coefficients A and B on the Nd/Sm content (C and C, respectively) are evaluated as: A(mK/W)=1.70 10 + 0.93C + 1.20C, B(m/W)=2.39 10.

Sintering and microstructural behaviors of mechanically blended Nd/Sm-doped MOX

Hirooka, Shun; Horii, Yuta; Sunaoshi, Takeo*; Uno, Hiroki*; Yamada, Tadahisa*; Vauchy, R.; Hayashizaki, Kohei; Nakamichi, Shinya; Murakami, Tatsutoshi; Kato, Masato

Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, 60(11), p.1313 - 1323, 2023/11

https://doi.org/10.1080/00223131.2023.2192725

Additive MOX pellets are fabricated by a conventional dry powder metallurgy method. NdO and SmO are chosen as the additive materials to simulate the corresponding soluble fission products dispersed in MOX. Shrinkage curves of the MOX pellets are obtained by dilatometry, which reveal that the sintering temperature is shifted toward a value higher than that of the respective regular MOX. The additives, however, promote grain growth and densification, which can be explained by the effect of oxidized uranium cations covering to a pentavalent state. Ceramography reveals large agglomerates after sintering, and Electron Probe Micro-Analysis confirms that inhomogeneous elemental distribution, whereas XRD reveals a single face-centered cubic phase. Finally, by grinding and re-sintering the specimens, the cation distribution homogeneity is significantly improved, which can simulate spent nuclear fuels with soluble fission products.

EBR-II MOX fuel characterization enabling ARES Phase I testing

Bess, J. D.*; Chipman, A. S.*; Pope, C. L.*; Jensen, C. B.*; Ozawa, Takayuki; Hirooka, Shun; Kato, Masato*

Nuclear Science and Engineering, 197(8), p.1845 - 1872, 2023/08

https://doi.org/10.1080/00295639.2022.2156240

Pretransient characterization was performed for the EBR-II MOX fuel pellets from the SPA-2/-2B Operational Reliability Testing collaboration between Japan and US. The continued collaboration will investigate the transient performance of these rods in TREAT at Idaho National Laboratory. The results will fill a gap in existing transient performance data for MOX as these rods have a peak burnup of ~134.4 GWd/t in the EBR-II. Fuel pellet properties were gathered from available resources and their irradiation and decay history evaluated. Further reactor physics calculations were performed to support the experiment design, reactor operations, and safety analyses necessary to enable the programmatic success. Of the three irradiated fuel pins, two will undergo transient testing, and all three will undergo post-irradiation examination.