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.

Equipment renewal, facility improvement, and dismantling / removal in the glove-box at basic laboratory of Plutonium Conversion Development Facility

Umino, Yoshinori; Kato, Keisuke; Tanigawa, Masafumi; Kobayashi, Daisuke; Obu, Tomoyuki; Kimura, Yuichi*; Nemoto, Ryo*; Tajiri, Kazuma*

Nihon Hozen Gakkai Dai-19-Kai Gakujutsu Koenkai Yoshishu, p.33 - 36, 2023/08

In the basic laboratory of the Plutonium Conversion Development Facility in Tokai Reprocessing Plant, tests had been conducted to obtain effective data for manufacturing mixed plutonium and uranium oxide powder by irradiating a mixture of plutonium and uranium solution with microwaves. The test has already been completed, and we are currently dismantling and removing equipment. In this paper, techniques related to equipment renewal, dismantling and removal works inside the glove-box are discussed.

Design and actual performance of J-PARC 3 GeV rapid cycling synchrotron for high-intensity operation

Yamamoto, Kazami; Kinsho, Michikazu; Hayashi, Naoki; Saha, P. K.; Tamura, Fumihiko; Yamamoto, Masanobu; Tani, Norio; Takayanagi, Tomohiro; Kamiya, Junichiro; Shobuda, Yoshihiro; et al.

Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, 59(9), p.1174 - 1205, 2022/09

https://doi.org/10.1080/00223131.2022.2038301

In the Japan Proton Accelerator Research Complex, the purpose of the 3 GeV rapid cycling synchrotron (RCS) is to accelerate a 1 MW, high-intensity proton beam. To achieve beam operation at a repetition rate of 25 Hz at high intensities, the RCS was elaborately designed. After starting the RCS operation, we carefully verified the validity of its design and made certain improvements to establish a reliable operation at higher power as possible. Consequently, we demonstrated beam operation at a high power, namely, 1 MW. We then summarized the design, actual performance, and improvements of the RCS to achieve a 1 MW beam.

Metalloid substitution elevates simultaneously the strength and ductility of face-centered-cubic high-entropy alloys

Wei, D.*; Wang, L.*; Zhang, Y.*; Gong, W.; Tsuru, Tomohito; Lobzenko, I.; Jiang, J.*; Harjo, S.; Kawasaki, Takuro; Bae, J. W.*; et al.

Acta Materialia, 225, p.117571_1 - 117571_16, 2022/02

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actamat.2021.117571

Study on the evaluation method to determine the radioactivity concentration in radioactive waste on Oarai Research and Development Institute (FY2020)

Asakura, Kazuki; Shimomura, Yusuke; Donomae, Yasushi; Abe, Kazuyuki; Kitamura, Ryoichi; Miyakoshi, Hiroyuki; Takamatsu, Misao; Sakamoto, Naoki; Isozaki, Ryosuke; Onishi, Takashi; et al.

JAEA-Review 2021-020, 42 Pages, 2021/10

JAEA-Review-2021-020.pdf:2.95MB

The disposal of radioactive waste from the research facility need to calculate from the radioactivity concentration that based on variously nuclear fuels and materials. In Japan Atomic Energy Agency Oarai Research and Development Institute, the study on considering disposal is being advanced among the facilities which generate radioactive waste as well as the facilities which process radioactive waste. This report summarizes a study result in FY2020 about the evaluation method to determine the radioactivity concentration in radioactive waste on Oarai Research and Development Institute.

Thermally altered subsurface material of asteroid (162173) Ryugu

Kitazato, Kohei*; Milliken, R. E.*; Iwata, Takahiro*; Abe, Masanao*; Otake, Makiko*; Matsuura, Shuji*; Takagi, Yasuhiko*; Nakamura, Tomoki*; Hiroi, Takahiro*; Matsuoka, Moe*; et al.

Nature Astronomy (Internet), 5(3), p.246 - 250, 2021/03

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41550-020-01271-2

Here we report observations of Ryugu's subsurface material by the Near-Infrared Spectrometer (NIRS3) on the Hayabusa2 spacecraft. Reflectance spectra of excavated material exhibit a hydroxyl (OH) absorption feature that is slightly stronger and peak-shifted compared with that observed for the surface, indicating that space weathering and/or radiative heating have caused subtle spectral changes in the uppermost surface. However, the strength and shape of the OH feature still suggests that the subsurface material experienced heating above 300 C, similar to the surface. In contrast, thermophysical modeling indicates that radiative heating does not increase the temperature above 200 C at the estimated excavation depth of 1 m, even if the semimajor axis is reduced to 0.344 au. This supports the hypothesis that primary thermal alteration occurred due to radiogenic and/or impact heating on Ryugu's parent body.

Radionuclides from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in terrestrial systems

Onda, Yuichi*; Taniguchi, Keisuke*; Yoshimura, Kazuya; Kato, Hiroaki*; Takahashi, Junko*; Wakiyama, Yoshifumi*; Coppin, F.*; Smith, H.*

Nature Reviews Earth & Environment (Internet), 1(12), p.644 - 660, 2020/12

https://doi.org/10.1038/s43017-020-0099-x

Development of the residual sodium quantification method for a fuel pin bundle of SFRs before and after dry cleaning

Kudo, Hideyuki*; Otani, Yuichi*; Hara, Masahide*; Kato, Atsushi; Otaka, Masahiko; Ide, Akihiro*

Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, 57(4), p.408 - 420, 2020/04

https://doi.org/10.1080/00223131.2019.1691069

In a fuel handling system of sodium-cooled fast reactors (SFRs), it is necessary to remove the sodium remaining on spent fuel assemblies (FAs) before storing them in a spent fuel water pool (SFP) in order to minimize plant operating loads. A next-generation SFR in Japan has adopted an advanced dry cleaning process which consists of the following steps, argon gas blowing to remove the metallic residual sodium on the FA, moist argon gas blowing to deactivate the residual sodium, and direct storage in the SFP. This three-step process increases economic competitiveness and reduces waste products thanks to a waterless process. In this R&D work, performance of the dry cleaning process has been investigated.

Reconstruction of a Fukushima accident-derived radiocesium fallout map for environmental transfer studies

Kato, Hiroaki*; Onda, Yuichi*; Gao, X.*; Sanada, Yukihisa; Saito, Kimiaki

Journal of Environmental Radioactivity, 210, p.105996_1 - 105996_12, 2019/12

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvrad.2019.105996

Temporal change in radiological environments on land after the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident

Saito, Kimiaki; Mikami, Satoshi; Ando, Masaki; Matsuda, Norihiro; Kinase, Sakae; Tsuda, Shuichi; Sato, Tetsuro*; Seki, Akiyuki; Sanada, Yukihisa; Wainwright-Murakami, Haruko*; et al.

Journal of Radiation Protection and Research, 44(4), p.128 - 148, 2019/12

https://doi.org/10.14407/jrpr.2019.44.4.128