Initialising ...
Initialising ...
Initialising ...
Initialising ...
Initialising ...
Initialising ...
Initialising ...
Nakayama, Masashi; Ishii, Eiichi; Hayano, Akira; Aoyagi, Kazuhei; Murakami, Hiroaki; Ono, Hirokazu; Takeda, Masaki; Mochizuki, Akihito; Ozaki, Yusuke; Kimura, Shun; et al.
JAEA-Review 2025-027, 80 Pages, 2025/09
JAEA-Review-2025-027.pdf:6.22MB
The Horonobe Underground Research Laboratory Project is being pursued by the Japan Atomic Energy Agency to enhance the reliability of relevant technologies for geological disposal of high-level radioactive waste through investigating the deep geological environment within the host sedimentary rocks at Horonobe Town in Hokkaido, north Japan. In the fiscal year 2025, we continue R&D on "Study on near-field system performance in geological environment" and "Demonstration of repository design options". These are identified as key R&D challenges to be tackled in the Horonobe underground research plan for the fiscal year 2020 onwards. In the "Study on near-field system performance in geological environment", we continue to obtain data from the full-scale engineered barrier system performance experiment, and work on the specifics of the full-scale engineered barrier system dismantling experiment. As for "Demonstration of repository design options", the investigation, design, and evaluation techniques are to be systemized at various scales, from the tunnel to the pit, by means of an organized set of evaluation methodologies for confinement performance at these respective scales. Preliminary borehole investigations will be conducted within a 500 m gallery, with the objectives of obtaining rock strength and rock permeability data, as well as surveying the extent of the excavation damaged zone surrounding the test tunnel via tomographic analysis. A planning study for the in-situ construction test will be conducted to investigate the construction of backfill material and watertight plugs. The volume of water inflow associated with the excavation of the 500 m gallery will be observed, and its magnitude will be compared with the range of water inflow predicted in the analysis. The test plan to determine the extent of the excavation damaged zone around the pit, which is planned to be constructed in the 500 m gallery, will be studied to determine the in-situ excavation damaged zone. In addition, the investigation and evaluation methods for the amount of water inflow from fractures and the extent of the excavation damaged zone around the pit will be organized. Concerning the construction and maintenance of the subsurface facilities, excavation of the West Access Shaft and the 500 m gallery will continue. It is anticipated that the construction of the facilities will be completed by the end of the fiscal year 2025. In addition, we continue R&D on the following three tasks in the Horonobe International Project; Task A: Solute transport experiment with model testing, Task B: Systematic integration of repository technology options, and Task C: Full-scale engineered barrier system dismantling experiment.
Yokoyama, Keisuke; Watanabe, Masashi; Onishi, Takashi; Yano, Yasuhide; Tokoro, Daishiro*; Sugata, Hiromasa*; Kato, Masato*
JAEA-Research 2025-002, 18 Pages, 2025/05
JAEA-Research-2025-002.pdf:1.73MB
It is advocated as a development target of fast reactors (FRs) to allow for the of use of mixed oxide (MOX) fuels containing minor actinide (MA) separated and recovered from spent fuels with the aim of reducing the volume and toxicity of high-level radioactive waste generated from nuclear reactors. In the development of MAMOX fuels, it is important behavior to understand the thermal properties such as thermal conductivity for fuel design and analysis of the irradiation. However, there are only a few reports on the thermal properties of MA-MOX fuels, and neither the effects of MA contents nor of oxygen non-stoichiometry in MOX fuels on their thermal conductivities have been fully understood. In this study, the thermal conductivities of MOX fuels with up to 15% Am content were measured at near-stoichiometric composition and the relationship between thermal conductivity and Am content was evaluated. Moreover, the thermal conductivities of Am-doped UO
fuels were also measured and evaluated by comparison with Am-MOX to evaluate the effect of Am content. The fuel samples used in this study were three types of MOX with a Pu content of 30% and different Am contents (5%, 10%, and 15%), and UO containing 15% Am. The thermal conductivities of specimens were calculated from the thermal diffusivities measured by the laser flash method, the density of the specimens and, the heat capacity at constant pressure. The oxygen partial pressure during the measurement was controlled at that of the targeted near-stoichiometric composition. The thermal conductivities of all specimens exhibited a decline with increasing temperature and Am content, with a particularly pronounced reduction observed below 1,173 K. The results of the classical phonon scattering model analysis of the measured thermal conductivities showed that the effect of lattice strain due to the Am addition was significant on the thermal resistivity change, and the effect was comparable for both MOX and UO.
Aoyama, Takahito; Ueno, Fumiyoshi; Sato, Tomonori; Kato, Chiaki; Sano, Naruto; Yamashita, Naoki; Otani, Kyohei; Igarashi, Takahiro
Annals of Nuclear Energy, 214, p.111229_1 - 111229_6, 2025/05
Times Cited Count：0 Percentile：0.00(Nuclear Science & Technology)
Be deposition in Hokuriku, JapanYoshida, Keisuke; Kato, Shingo; Okuyama, Shinichi; Nakano, Masanao; Ishimori, Yuu; Uchida, Kengo*; Inoue, Mutsuo*
Hoken Butsuri (Internet), 60(1), p.40 - 47, 2025/04
Monthly Be depositions were examined at four sites in Hokuriku, Japan, from 1992 to 2021. The amounts of Be depositions in Hokuriku from October to March differed locally: Depositions at Kanazawa were high (4400 Bq/m
), a site along the foot of the mountains. Be depositions in the plain of Fukui city, along Wakasa Bay, and along the coast of the Noto Peninsula (3300, 2800, and 2500 Bq/m, respectively) were equivalent to those of other areas along the coast of the Sea of Japan. The local variation in Be depositions in Hokuriku is predominantly ascribed to precipitation, topographic feature, and Be concentrations.
Pu
Am
)O
Yokoyama, Keisuke; Watanabe, Masashi; Usui, Akane; Seki, Takayuki*; Onishi, Takashi; Kato, Masato
Nuclear Materials and Energy (Internet), 42, p.101908_1 - 101908_6, 2025/03
Times Cited Count：0 Percentile：0.00(Nuclear Science & Technology)Oxygen potential of high Am content MOX, (UPuAm)O, was measured at 1273 K, 1473 K, 1573 K, and 1623 K. by gas equilibrium method using thermogravimeter. Comparing the measured data with the literature data, it was found that the addition of 15% Am increases the oxygen potential of (U, Pu)O
by 100-150 kJ/mol for the same Pu content and O/M ratio. The proportion of cations in the stoichiometric composition was determined as (U
U
Pu
Am
)O, assuming the presence of Am
and partial oxidation of U
to U
. The relationship between oxygen partial pressure and deviation x from stoichiometry in (UPuAm)O was analyzed by defect chemistry model. The equation to represent the O/M ratio was derived as a function of temperature and oxygen partial pressure. A part of this study includes the results of MEXT Innovative Nuclear Research and Development Program Grant Number JPMXD0219214921.
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.
Sano, Kyohei; Tameta, Yuito; Akuzawa, Tadashi; Kato, Soma; Takano, Yugo*; Akiyama, Kazuki
JAEA-Technology 2024-018, 68 Pages, 2025/02
JAEA-Technology-2024-018.pdf:4.73MB
High Active Solid Waste Storage Facility (HASWS) at the Tokai Reprocessing Plant (TRP) is a facility for storing highly radioactive solid waste generated from the reprocessing operation. Wet cells in HASWS store hull cans that contain fuel cladding tubes (hull) and fuel end pieces remained after the spent nuclear fuel shearing and dissolving, as well as used filters and contaminated equipment. Dry cells in HASWS store analytical waste containers that contain waste jugs and the other waste generated from analytical operation of samples in TRP. Since HASWS does not have waste recovery equipment from the cells, it is considered that recovery equipment to be installed. In the wet cells, methods of recovery wet-stored waste are being considered that utilize a ROV, which has been used in decommissioning in the UK, and a lifter, which is used in the marine industry to float and transport items sinking to the bottom of the sea. To confirm the feasibility of the recovery method that combines the functions of the ROV and the lifter, tests for removing waste were conducted in steps that came closer to the real environment: a "unit test" to confirm the functions required of each of the ROV and the lifter, a "combination test" to combine the ROV and the lifter to move waste underwater, and a "comprehensive test" to retrieve waste in an environment simulating the hull storage facility. Through this test, the ROV and the lifter were able to perform a series of tasks required to recovery waste - cutting the wires attached to the waste, attaching a lifter to the waste, moving the waste to under the opening, and attaching the recovery device to the moved waste - in series, confirming the feasibility of the method for recovery wet-stored waste using the ROV and the lifter.
Nakamura, Satoshi; Ishii, Sho*; Kato, Hitoshi*; Ban, Yasutoshi; Hiruta, Kenta; Yoshida, Takuya; Uehara, Hiroyuki; Obata, Hiroki; Kimura, Yasuhiko; Takano, Masahide
Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, 62(1), p.56 - 64, 2025/01
Times Cited Count：1 Percentile：37.73(Nuclear Science & Technology)A dissolution method for analyzing the elemental composition of fuel debris using the sodium peroxide (NaO) fusion technique has been developed. Herein, two different types of simulated debris materials (such as solid solution of (Zr,RE)O and molten core-concrete interaction products (MCCI)) were taken. At various temperatures, these debris materials were subsequently fused with NaO in crucibles, which are made of different materials, such as Ni, AlO
, Fe, and Zr. Then, the fused samples are dissolved in nitric acid. Furthermore, the effects of the experimental conditions on the elemental composition analysis were evaluated using inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES), which suggested the use of a Ni crucible at 923 K as an optimum testing condition. The optimum testing condition was then applied to the demonstration tests with Three Mile Island unit-2 (TMI-2) debris in a shielded concrete cell, thereby achieving complete dissolution of the debris. The elemental composition of TMI-2 debris revealed by the proposed dissolution method has good reproducibility and has an insignificant contradiction in the mass balance of the sample. Therefore, this newly developed reproducible dissolution method can be effectively utilized in practical applications by dissolving fuel debris and estimating its elemental composition.
Imagawa, Yuya; Toyota, Kodai; Onizawa, Takashi; Kato, Shoichi
JAEA-Data/Code 2024-010, 90 Pages, 2024/11
JAEA-Data-Code-2024-010.pdf:5.41MB
To establish a material testing technique in sodium and to develop a method to evaluate the sodium environmental effects, sodium tests on fast reactor fuel cladding have been carried out. Fast reactor fuel cladding is susceptible to corrosion thinning and compositional change due to sodium because of its high temperature (around 675
C) and thin wall (about 0.5 mm) during normal operation. Therefore, it is important to evaluate the corrosion behavior and mechanical properties under a high-temperature sodium environment. This report summarizes the results of experimental studies on corrosion behavior and mechanical properties of modified type 316 stainless steel fuel cladding applied to actual fast reactors under a high-temperature sodium environment, in order to reflect the results to future research activities and to consolidate knowledge and experience.
Kato, Yuto*; Sasaki, Takayuki*; Tonna, Ryutaro*; Kobayashi, Taishi*; Okamoto, Yoshihiro
Applied Geochemistry, 175, p.106196_1 - 106196_9, 2024/11
Times Cited Count：2 Percentile：48.92(Geochemistry & Geophysics)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
Times Cited Count：5 Percentile：79.68(Chemistry, Physical)
AmO at 1473, 1573, and 1673 KWatanabe, Masashi; Yokoyama, Keisuke; Vauchy, R.; Kato, Masato; Sugata, Hiromasa*; Seki, Takayuki*; Hino, Tetsushi*
Journal of Nuclear Materials, 599, p.155232_1 - 155232_5, 2024/10
Times Cited Count：2 Percentile：62.28(Materials Science, Multidisciplinary)Oxygen potential data of UAmO were measured at 1473, 1573, and 1673 K by thermogravimetry. In U
An
O, where An stands for Pu or Am, and for a given value of y and Oxygen/Metal ratio, the oxygen potential of UAmO is higher than that of UPuO. The valence of cations in the hypostoichiometric region is similar to that of Nd-doped UO. At the stoichiometric composition, it is estimated to be Am, U, and U (for charge compensation of Am). The experimental data were analyzed using a defect chemistry model, and a relationship connecting the oxygen-to-metal ratio, the temperature, and the equilibrium oxygen partial pressure was proposed.
Kato, Hiroyuki S.*; Muroyama, Mizuho*; Kobayakawa, Nano*; Muneyasu, Riku*; Tsuda, Yasutaka; Murase, Natsumi*; Watanabe, Seiya*; Yamada, Takashi*; Kanematsu, Yusuke*; Tachikawa, Masanori*; et al.
Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters (Internet), 15(43), p.10769 - 10776, 2024/10
Times Cited Count：2 Percentile：45.07(Chemistry, Physical)Kabumoto, Hiroshi; Nakamura, Masahiko; Kutsukake, Kenichi; Otokawa, Yoshinori; Asozu, Takuhiro; Matsui, Yutaka; Nakagawa, Sohei; Ikekame, Takuma; Kato, Yuta; Ishizaki, Nobuhiro; et al.
Proceedings of 21st Annual Meeting of Particle Accelerator Society of Japan (Internet), p.1165 - 1169, 2024/10
no abstracts in English
Pu
)O (x = 0, 0.18, 0.45, and 1) and analysis of heat capacityHirooka, Shun; Morimoto, Kyoichi; Matsumoto, Taku; Ogasawara, Masahiro*; Kato, Masato; Murakami, Tatsutoshi
Journal of Nuclear Materials, 598, p.155188_1 - 155188_9, 2024/09
Times Cited Count：0 Percentile：0.00(Materials Science, Multidisciplinary)no abstracts in English
Ishii, Junya*; Shimizu, Morihito*; Kato, Masahiro*; Kurosawa, Tadahiro*; Tsuji, Tomoya; Yoshitomi, Hiroshi; Tanimura, Yoshihiko; Watabe, Hiroshi*
Journal of Radiological Protection, 44(3), p.031516_1 - 031516_8, 2024/09
Times Cited Count：0 Percentile：0.00(Environmental Sciences)Machida, Masahiko; Yamada, Susumu; Kim, M.; Tanaka, Satoshi*; Tobita, Yasuhiro*; Iwata, Ayako*; Aoki, Yuto; Aoki, Kazuhisa; Yanagisawa, Kenichi*; Yamaguchi, Takashi; et al.
RIST News, (70), p.3 - 22, 2024/09
Inside the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (1F), there are many locations with high radiation levels due to contamination by radioactive materials that leaked from the reactor. These pose a significant obstacle to the smooth progress of decommissioning work. To help solve this issue, the Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA), under a subsidy from the Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry's decommissioning and contaminated water management project, is conducting research and development on digital technologies to improve the radiation environment inside the decommissioning site. This project, titled "Development of Technology to Improve the Environment Inside Reactor Buildings (Enhancing Digital Technology for Environment and Source Distribution to Reduce Radiation Exposure)," began in April of FY 2023. In this project, the aim is to develop three interconnected systems: FrontEnd, Pro, and BackEnd. The FrontEnd system, based on the previously developed 3D-ADRES-Indoor (prototype) from FY 2021-2022, will be upgraded to a high-speed digital twin technology usable on-site. The Pro system will carry out detailed analysis in rooms such as the new office building at 1F, while the BackEnd system will serve as a database to centrally manage the collected and analyzed data. This report focuses on the FrontEnd system, which will be used on-site. After point cloud measurement, the system will quickly create a 3D mesh model, estimate the radiation source from dose rate measurements, and refine the position and intensity of the estimated source using recalculation techniques (re-observation instructions and re-estimation). The results of verification tests conducted on Unit 5 are also presented. Furthermore, the report briefly discusses the future research and development plans for this project.
Yoshida, Keisuke; Kato, Shingo; Okuyama, Shinichi; Ishimori, Yuu; Inoue, Mutsuo*
Journal of Nuclear and Radiochemical Sciences (Internet), 24, p.1 - 12, 2024/08
Matsui, Yutaka; Nakamura, Masahiko; Kutsukake, Kenichi; Kabumoto, Hiroshi; Asozu, Takuhiro; Otokawa, Yoshinori; Ikekame, Takuma; Nakagawa, Sohei; Kato, Yuta; Ishizaki, Nobuhiro; et al.
Dai-36-Kai Tandemu Kasokuki Oyobi Sono Shuhen Gijutsu No Kenkyukai Hokokushu, p.17 - 21, 2024/06
no abstracts in English
Kato, Masato; Oki, Takumi; Watanabe, Masashi; Hirooka, Shun; Vauchy, R.; Ozawa, Takayuki; Uwaba, Tomoyuki; Ikusawa, Yoshihisa; Nakamura, Hiroki; Machida, Masahiko
Journal of the American Ceramic Society, 107(5), p.2998 - 3011, 2024/05
Times Cited Count：6 Percentile：41.86(Materials Science, Ceramics)