Development of an continuous air monitor for the measurement of highly radioactive alpha-emitting particulates (-aerosols) under high humidity environment

Tsubota, Yoichi; Honda, Fumiya; Tokonami, Shinji*; Tamakuma, Yuki*; Nakagawa, Takahiro; Ikeda, Atsushi

Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research A, 1030, p.166475_1 - 166475_7, 2022/05

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nima.2022.166475

In the long-lasting decommissioning of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station (1F), the dismantling of nuclear fuel debris (NFD) remaining in the damaged reactors is an unavoidable but significant issue with many technical difficulties. The dismantling is presumed to involve mechanical cutting, generating significant concentrations of particulates containing -radionuclides (-aerosols) that pose significant health risk upon inhalation. In order to minimize the radiation exposure of workers with -aerosols during the dismantling/decommissioning process at 1F, it is essential to monitor the concentration of -aerosols at the point of initial generation, i.e. inside the primary containment vessels (PCV) of the damaged reactors. Toward this end, an monitoring system for -aerosols ( alpha air monitor: IAAM) was developed and its technical performance was investigated under the conditions expected for the actual environments at 1F. IAAM was confirmed to fulfill four technical requirements: (1) steady operation under high humidity, (2) operation without using filters, (3) capability of measuring a high counting rate of -radiation, and (4) selective measurement of -radiation even under high radiation background with /-rays. IAAM is capable of selectively measuring -aerosols with a concentration of 3.3 10 Bq/cm or higher without saturation under a high humid environment (100%-relative humidity) and under high background with /-radiation (up to 100 mSv/h of -radiation). These results demonstrate promising potential of IAAM to be utilized as a reliable monitoring system for -aerosols during the dismantling of NFD, as well as the whole long-lasting decommissioning of 1F.

Development of spin-contrast-variation neutron powder diffractometry for extracting the structure factor of hydrogen atoms

Miura, Daisuke*; Kumada, Takayuki; Sekine, Yurina; Motokawa, Ryuhei; Nakagawa, Hiroshi; Oba, Yojiro; Ohara, Takashi; Takata, Shinichi; Hiroi, Kosuke; Morikawa, Toshiaki*; et al.

Journal of Applied Crystallography, 54(2), p.454 - 460, 2021/04

AA2020-0724.pdf:2.05MB

https://doi.org/10.1107/S1600576721000303

We developed a spin-contrast-variation neutron powder diffractometry technique that extracts the structure factor of hydrogen atoms, namely, the contribution of hydrogen atoms to a crystal structure factor. Crystals of L-glutamic acid were dispersed in a dpolystyrene matrix containing 4-methacryloyloxy-2,2,6,6,-tetramethyl-1-piperidinyloxy (TEMPO methacrylate) to polarize their proton spins dynamically. The intensities of the diffraction peaks of the sample changed according to the proton polarization, and the structure factor of the hydrogen atoms was extracted from the proton-polarization dependent intensities. This technique is expected to enable analyses of the structures of hydrogen-containing materials that are difficult to determine with conventional powder diffractometry.

Reactor physics experiment in graphite moderation system for HTGR, 1

Fukaya, Yuji; Nakagawa, Shigeaki; Goto, Minoru; Ishitsuka, Etsuo; Kawakami, Satoru; Uesaka, Takahiro; Morita, Keisuke; Sano, Tadafumi*

KURNS Progress Report 2018, P. 148, 2019/08

https://www.rri.kyoto-u.ac.jp/PUB/report/PR/ProgRep2018/ProgRep2018.html

The Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) started the Research and Development (R&D) to improve nuclear prediction techniques for High Temperature Gas-cooled Reactors (HTGRs). The objectives are to introduce generalized bias factor method to avoid full mock-up experiment for the first commercial HTGR and to introduce reactor noise analysis to High Temperature Engineering Test Reactor (HTTR) experiment. To achieve the objectives, the reactor core of graphite moderation system named B7/4"G2/8"p8EUNU+3/8"p38EU(1) was newly composed in the B-rack of Kyoto University Critical Assembly (KUCA). The core plays a role of the reference core of the bias factor method, and the reactor noise was measured to develop the noise analysis scheme. In addition, training of operator of HTTR was also performed during the experiments.

Nuclear heat supply fluctuation tests by non-nuclear heating with HTTR

Inaba, Yoshitomo; Sekita, Kenji; Nemoto, Takahiro; Honda, Yuki; Tochio, Daisuke; Sato, Hiroyuki; Nakagawa, Shigeaki; Takada, Shoji; Sawa, Kazuhiro

Journal of Nuclear Engineering and Radiation Science, 2(4), p.041001_1 - 041001_7, 2016/10

https://doi.org/10.1115/1.4034320

The nuclear heat utilization systems connected to High Temperature Gas-cooled Reactors (HTGRs) will be designed on the basis of non-nuclear grade standards in terms of the easier entry of chemical plant companies and the construction economics of the systems. Therefore, it is necessary that the reactor operations can be continued even if abnormal events occur in the systems. The Japan Atomic Energy Agency has developed a calculation code to evaluate the absorption of thermal load fluctuations by the reactors when the reactor operations are continued after such events, and has improved the code based on the High Temperature engineering Test Reactor (HTTR) operating data. However, there were insufficient data on the transient temperature behavior of the metallic core side components and the graphite core support structures corresponding to the fluctuation of the reactor inlet coolant temperature for further improvement of the code. Thus, nuclear heat supply fluctuation tests with the HTTR were carried out in non-nuclear heating operation to focus on thermal effect. In the tests, the coolant helium gas temperature was heated up to 120C by the compression heat of the gas circulators in the HTTR, and a sufficiently high fluctuation of 17C by devising a new test procedure was imposed on the reactor inlet coolant under the ideal condition without the effect of the nuclear power. Then, the temperature responses of the metallic core side components and the graphite core support structures were investigated. The test results adequately showed as predicted that the temperature responses of the metallic components are faster than those of the graphite structures, and the mechanism of the thermal load fluctuation absorption by the metallic components was clarified.

Results of whole body counting for JAEA staff members engaged in the emergency radiological monitoring for the Fukushima nuclear disaster

Takada, Chie; Kurihara, Osamu*; Kanai, Katsuta; Nakagawa, Takahiro; Tsujimura, Norio; Momose, Takumaro

NIRS-M-252, p.3 - 11, 2013/03

http://repo.nirs.go.jp/dspace/bitstream/918273645/330/1/nirs_m_252.pdf

A massive earthquake and tsunami on March 11, 2011 resulted in an enormous amount of release of radioactivity to the environment. On the day after the earthquake occurrence, Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) started emergency radiological monitoring. The measurements with whole body counter (WBC) for the staff members who had returned from Fukushima started at the end of March. The measured activity of I due to inhalation for emergency staff varied from LLD to 7 kBq, which corresponded to a range of estimated initial intakes of 1 to 60 kBq when extrapolated back to the date on which the staff started the operation in Fukushima. The measured activity of Cs and Cs were both in the ranges of LLD - 3 kBq. The range of initial intake of Cs to I was 11 when taking a median from all the measurements. The maximum committed effective dose of 0.8 mSv was recorded for a worker, a member of the 2nd monitoring team dispatched from March 13 to 14.

Study on effects of thoron and thermal treatment for aging-related diseases in humans

Aoyama, Yutaka*; Kataoka, Takahiro*; Nakagawa, Shinya*; Sakoda, Akihiro*; Ishimori, Yuu; Mitsunobu, Fumihiro*; Yamaoka, Kiyonori*

Iranian Journal of Radiation Research, 9(4), p.221 - 229, 2012/03

The aim of this study was to analyze the effects of thoron and thermal treatment for aging-related diseases in humans. All subjects inhaled thoron with a high concentration (about 4900 Bq/m) for 2 weeks. Blood pressures were measured and blood samples were collected after each treatment 1, 2 and 3 weeks after the first treatment. The -atrial natriuretic peptide level of the rheumatoid arthritis group was increased and the blood pressure was significantly decreased. Superoxide dismutase activity of rheumatoid arthritis group was significantly increased by treatment. In addition, thoron and thermal treatment significantly enhanced the concanavalin A-induced mitogen response and increased the level of CD4-positive cells; it decreased the level of CD8-positive cells. The results suggest that thoron and thermal treatment activates antioxidative function. Furthermore, these findings suggest that thoron and thermal treatment prevents diabetic ketoacidosis and contributes to the prevention of aging-related diseases. Thoron and thermal therapy may be part of the mechanism for the alleviation of diabetes mellitus and rheumatoid arthritis.

Studies on possibility for alleviation of lifestyle diseases by low-dose irradiation or radon inhalation

Kataoka, Takahiro*; Sakoda, Akihiro*; Yoshimoto, Masaaki*; Nakagawa, Shinya*; Toyota, Teruaki*; Nishiyama, Yuichi*; Yamato, Keiko*; Ishimori, Yuu; Kawabe, Atsushi*; Hanamoto, Katsumi*; et al.

Radiation Protection Dosimetry, 146(1-3), p.360 - 363, 2011/07

https://doi.org/10.1093/rpd/ncr189

Our previous studies showed the possibility that activation of the antioxidative function alleviates various oxidative damages, which are related to lifestyle diseases. Results showed that, low-dose X-ray irradiation activated superoxide dismutase and inhibits oedema following ischaemia-reperfusion. To alleviate ischaemia-reperfusion injury with transplantation, the changes of the antioxidative function in liver graft using low-dose X-ray irradiation immediately after exenteration were examined. Results showed that liver grafts activate the antioxidative function as a result of irradiation. In addition, radon inhalation enhances the antioxidative function in some organs, and alleviates alcohol-induced oxidative damage of mouse liver. Moreover, in order to determine the most effective condition of radon inhalation, mice inhaled radon before or after carbon tetrachloride (CCl) administration. Results showed that radon inhalation alleviates CCl-induced hepatopathy, especially prior inhalation. It is highly possible that adequate activation of antioxidative functions induced by low-dose irradiation can contribute to preventing or reducing oxidative damages, which are related to lifestyle diseases.

Azimuthal correlations of electrons from heavy-flavor decay with hadrons in and Au+Au collisions at = 200 GeV

Adare, A.*; Afanasiev, S.*; Aidala, C.*; Ajitanand, N. N.*; Akiba, Yasuyuki*; Al-Bataineh, H.*; Alexander, J.*; Aoki, Kazuya*; Aphecetche, L.*; Aramaki, Y.*; et al.

Physical Review C, 83(4), p.044912_1 - 044912_16, 2011/04

https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevC.83.044912

Measurements of electrons from the decay of open-heavy-flavor mesons have shown that the yields are suppressed in Au+Au collisions compared to expectations from binary-scaled collisions. Here we extend these studies to two particle correlations where one particle is an electron from the decay of a heavy flavor meson and the other is a charged hadron from either the decay of the heavy meson or from jet fragmentation. These measurements provide more detailed information about the interaction between heavy quarks and the quark-gluon matter. We find the away-side-jet shape and yield to be modified in Au+Au collisions compared to collisions.

Radiation-induced chemical evolution of biomolecules

Nakagawa, Kazumichi*; Matsui, Takahiro*; Izumi, Yudai*; Agui, Akane; Tanaka, Masahito*; Muro, Takayuki*

Radiation Physics and Chemistry, 78(12), p.1198 - 1201, 2009/12

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.radphyschem.2009.07.010

Chemical-evolution in glycilglycine (Gly2) films irradiated by 146 nm light was studied. It was found that quantum efficiency of chemical evolution from Gly2 to glycilglycilglycine (Gly3) is smaller than that to glycilglycilglycilglycine (Gly4) due to the multiple step of reaction. From natural circular dichroism spectra measurements for serine and alanine films, we found the splitting of 1s transitions in the energy region of oxygen 1s.

Current status of the control system for J-PARC accelerator complex

Yoshikawa, Hiroshi; Sakaki, Hironao; Sako, Hiroyuki; Takahashi, Hiroki; Shen, G.; Kato, Yuko; Ito, Yuichi; Ikeda, Hiroshi*; Ishiyama, Tatsuya*; Tsuchiya, Hitoshi*; et al.

Proceedings of International Conference on Accelerator and Large Experimental Physics Control Systems (ICALEPCS '07) (CD-ROM), p.62 - 64, 2007/10

J-PARC is a large scale facility of the proton accelerators for the multi-purpose of scientific researches in Japan. This facility consists of three accelerators and three experimental stations. Now, J-PARC is under construction, and LINAC is operated for one year, 3GeV synchrotron has just started the commissioning in this October the 1st. The completion of this facility will be next summer. The control system of accelerators established fundamental performance for the initial commissioning. The most important requirement to the control system of this facility is to minimize the activation of accelerator devices. In this paper, we show that the performances of each layer of this control system have been achieved in the initial stage.