Demonstration of -ray pipe-monitoring capabilities for real-time process monitoring safeguards applications in reprocessing facilities

Rodriguez, D.; Tanigawa, Masafumi; Nishimura, Kazuaki; Mukai, Yasunobu; Nakamura, Hironobu; Kurita, Tsutomu; Takamine, Jun; Suzuki, Satoshi*; Sekine, Megumi; Rossi, F.; et al.

Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, 55(7), p.792 - 804, 2018/07

https://doi.org/10.1080/00223131.2018.1439412

Nuclear material in reprocessing facilities is safeguarded by random sample verification with additional continuous monitoring applied to solution masses and volume in important tanks to maintain continuity-of-knowledge of process operation. Measuring the unique rays of each solution as the material flows through pipes connecting all tanks and process apparatuses could potentially improve process monitoring by verifying the compositions in real time. We tested this ray pipe-monitoring method using plutonium-nitrate solution transferred between tanks at the PCDF-TRP. The rays were measured using a lanthanum-bromide detector with a list-mode data acquisition system to obtain both time and energy of -ray. The analysis and results of this measurement demonstrate an ability to determine isotopic composition, process timing, flow rate, and volume of solution flowing through pipes, introducing a viable capability for process monitoring safeguards verification.

Evaluation of bending strain in NbSn strands of CIC conductor using neutron diffraction

Hemmi, Tsutomu*; Harjo, S.; Kajitani, Hideki*; Suwa, Tomone*; Saito, Toru*; Aizawa, Kazuya; Osamura, Kozo*; Koizumi, Norikiyo*

IEEE Transactions on Applied Superconductivity, 27(4), p.4200905_1 - 4200905_5, 2017/06

https://doi.org/10.1109/TASC.2017.2660064

Development of active neutron NDA techniques for nuclear nonproliferation and nuclear security, 7; Measurement of DG from MOX and Pu liquid samples for quantification and monitoring

Mukai, Yasunobu; Ogawa, Tsuyoshi; Nakamura, Hironobu; Kurita, Tsutomu; Sekine, Megumi; Rodriguez, D.; Takamine, Jun; Koizumi, Mitsuo; Seya, Michio

Proceedings of INMM 57th Annual Meeting (Internet), 7 Pages, 2016/07

The development of Delayed Gamma-ray Spectroscopy (DGS) for analyzing the composition ratio of fissile nuclides (Pu, Pu, U) focused on the Delayed Gamma-ray having energy over 3 MeV has been performed for the development of active neutron non-destructive assay techniques. In PCDF, measurement tests of Delayed Gamma-ray using Pu solution and MOX powder samples to prove the DGS technique is planned to be performed in following 4 stages. (1) Measurements for Delayed Gamma-ray originated from spontaneous fission nuclide (Passive), (2) Measurements for the Delayed Gamma-ray with fast neutron (Active), (3) DGSI (DGS combined with self-interrogation) measurements (Passive), (4) Measurements for the Delayed Gamma-ray with thermal neutron (Active) In this paper, the plan of measurement tests for nuclear material samples with use of DGS is presented.

Accuracy of prediction method of cryogenic tensile strength for austenitic stainless steels in ITER toroidal field coil structure

Sakurai, Takeru; Iguchi, Masahide; Nakahira, Masataka; Saito, Toru*; Morimoto, Masaaki*; Inagaki, Takashi*; Hong, Y.-S.*; Matsui, Kunihiro; Hemmi, Tsutomu; Kajitani, Hideki; et al.

Physics Procedia, 67, p.536 - 542, 2015/07

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.phpro.2015.06.072

Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) has developed the tensile strength prediction method at liquid helium temperature (4K) using the quadratic curve as a function of the content of carbon and nitrogen in order to establish the rationalized quality control of the austenitic stainless steel used in the ITER superconducting coil operating at 4K. ITER is under construction aiming to verify technical demonstration of a nuclear fusion generation. Toroidal Field Coil (TFC), one of superconducting system in ITER, have been started procurement of materials in 2012. JAEA is producing materials for actual product which are the forged materials with shape of rectangle, round bar, asymmetry and etc. JAEA has responsibility to procure all ITER TFC Structures. In this process, JAEA obtained many tensile strength of both room temperature and 4K about these structural materials, for example, JJ1: High manganese stainless steel for structure (0.03C-12Cr-12Ni-10Mn-5Mo- 0.24N) and 316LN: High nitrogen containing stainless steel (0.2Nitrogen). Based on these data, accuracy of 4K strength prediction method for actual TFC Structure materials was evaluated and reported in this study.

Irradiation degradation of adsorbents for minor actinides recovery

Watanabe, So; Sano, Yuichi; Kofuji, Hirohide; Takeuchi, Masayuki; Koizumi, Tsutomu

NEA/NSC/R(2015)2 (Internet), p.338 - 344, 2015/06

https://www.oecd-nea.org/science/docs/2015/nsc-r2015-2.pdf

Nuclear energy (Technical topic); Development of ITER toroidal field (TF) coil

Hemmi, Tsutomu; Kajitani, Hideki; Takano, Katsutoshi; Matsui, Kunihiro; Koizumi, Norikiyo

Yosetsu Gakkai-Shi, 83(6), p.497 - 502, 2014/09

https://doi.org/10.2207/jjws.83.497

JAEA, serving as the Japan Domestic Agency (JADA) in the ITER project, is responsible for the procurement of 9 TF coils. In the TF coil, the radial plate (RP) structure is selected to improve electrical and mechanical reliability of the electrical insulation. Since the superconductor is degraded by the bending strain of 0.1% after the reaction heat-treatment, the conductor is inserted into the RP after winding to D-shape and the heat-treatment. To insert the conductor into the RP, the winding and RP groove length must be controlled with accuracy of 0.02% (7 mm on the 1 turn of 34 m). Accordingly, the targets for solving this issue are as follows: (1) Development of manufacturing procedure of the RP; (2) Development of winding head to achieve highly accurate winding; (3) Estimation of the conductor elongation after the heat-treatment. Therefore, JAEA can establish manufacturing plan for the TF coil as a result of the R&D for these targets.

Investigation of strand bending in the He-inlet during reaction heat treatment for ITER TF Coils

Hemmi, Tsutomu; Matsui, Kunihiro; Kajitani, Hideki; Okuno, Kiyoshi; Koizumi, Norikiyo; Ishimi, Akihiro; Katsuyama, Kozo

IEEE Transactions on Applied Superconductivity, 24(3), p.4802704_1 - 4802704_4, 2014/06

https://doi.org/10.1109/TASC.2013.2297685

Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA), as Japan Domestic Agency, has responsibility to procure nine ITER Toroidal Field (TF) coils. The TF coil winding consists of a NbSn Cable-In-Conduit conductor, a pair of joints and a He-inlet. The current capacity of 68 kA is required at the magnetic field of 7 T around the He-inlet region in the TF coil winding. During reaction heat-treatment, the compressive residual strain in NbSn cable is induced by the difference in the thermal expansion coefficients between the NbSn cable and stainless steel jacket. The strands bending in the NbSn cable of the He-inlet is anticipated since there is the compressive residual strain and a gap between the NbSn cable and the He-inlet to introduce SHE flow. If the strand is bent, the variation of mechanical behaviors, such as the elongation of He-inlet during the reaction heat-treatment and the thermally induced residual strain on the jacket around the He-inlet, are expected. To investigate the strands bending in the NbSn cable of the He-inlet, the following items are performed; (1) elongation measurement during reaction heat-treatment, (2) residual longitudinal strain measurement using strain gauges by sample cuttings, (3) nondestructive inspection on the cable and strands using high resolution X-ray CT, Detail of test results and investigation of the strands bending in the NbSn cable of the He-inlet are reported and discussed.

Residual strains in ITER conductors by neutron diffraction

Harjo, S.; Hemmi, Tsutomu; Abe, Jun; Gong, W.; Nunoya, Yoshihiko; Aizawa, Kazuya; Ito, Takayoshi*; Koizumi, Norikiyo; Machiya, Shutaro*; Osamura, Kozo*

Materials Science Forum, 777, p.84 - 91, 2014/02

https://doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/MSF.777.84

Investigation of degradation mechanism of ITER CS conductor sample using TAKUMI

Hemmi, Tsutomu; Harjo, S.; Kajitani, Hideki; Nabara, Yoshihiro; Takahashi, Yoshikazu; Nunoya, Yoshihiko; Koizumi, Norikiyo; Abe, Jun; Gong, W.; Aizawa, Kazuya; et al.

KEK Progress Report 2013-4, p.45 - 47, 2013/11

https://lib-extopc.kek.jp/preprints/PDF/2013/1323/1323004.pdf

The gradual degradation was observed in the results for ITER CS conductor samples. To investigate its origin, the internal strain in the sample after the testing was successfully measured using a neutron diffraction technique non-destructively. Up to now, the transverse electromagnetic loading has been considered as an origin of the degradation due to the local bending at the high loading side (HLS). However, as a result of the neutron diffraction measurement, the large bending at the LLS of the HFZ was found. The large bending was considered as an origin of the strand buckling due to the large void generated by the transverse electromagnetic loading and the thermally induced residual compressive strain. For the improvement of the conductor performance on the strand buckling, the shorter twisting pitch (STP) can be considered. The result of the SULTAN testing of the conductor sample with STP found very effective, and the performance degradation was negligible.

Cable twist pitch variation in NbSn conductors for ITER toroidal field coils in Japan

Takahashi, Yoshikazu; Nabara, Yoshihiro; Hemmi, Tsutomu; Nunoya, Yoshihiko; Isono, Takaaki; Hamada, Kazuya; Matsui, Kunihiro; Kawano, Katsumi; Koizumi, Norikiyo; Oshikiri, Masayuki; et al.

IEEE Transactions on Applied Superconductivity, 23(3), p.4801504_1 - 4801504_4, 2013/06

https://doi.org/10.1109/TASC.2013.2239693

Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) is the first to start the mass production of the TF conductors in March 2010 among the 6 parties who are procuring TF conductors in the ITER project. The height and width of the TF coils are 14 m and 9 m, respectively. The conductor is cable-in-conduit conductor (CICC) with a central spiral. A circular multistage superconducting cable is inserted into a circular stainless steel jacket with a thickness of 2 mm. A total of 900 NbSn strands and 522 copper strands are cabled around the central spiral and the cable is inserted into a round-in-round stainless steel jacket. It was observed that the cabling pitch of the destructive sample is longer than the original pitch at cabling. The JAEA carried out the tensile tests of the cable and the measurement of the cable rotation during the insertion to investigate the cause of the elongation. The cause of elongation was clarified and the results will be described in this paper.