Stabilization of post-experiment nuclear materials in Plutonium Fuel Research Facility

Sato, Takumi; Otobe, Haruyoshi; Morishita, Kazuki; Marufuji, Takato; Ishikawa, Takashi; Fujishima, Tadatsune; Nakano, Tomoyuki

JAEA-Technology 2023-016, 41 Pages, 2023/09

JAEA-Technology-2023-016.pdf:2.74MB

This report summarizes the results of the stabilization treatments of post-experiment nuclear materials in Plutonium Fuel Research Facility (PFRF) from August 2018 to March 2021. Based on the management standards for nuclear materials enacted after the contamination accident that occurred at PFRF on June 6, 2017, the post-experiment nuclear materials containing plutonium (Pu): samples mixed with organic substances that cause an increase in internal pressure due to radiolysis (including X-ray diffraction samples mixed with epoxy resin and plutonium powder which caused contamination accidents), carbides and nitrides samples which is reactive in air, and chloride samples which may cause corrosion of storage containers, were selected as targets of the stabilization. The samples containing organic materials, carbides and nitrides were heated in an air flow at 650 C and 950 C for 2 hours respectively to remove organic materials and convert uranium (U) and Pu into oxides. U and Pu chlorides in LiCl-KCl eutectic melt were reduced and extracted into liquid Cd metal by a reaction with lithium (Li) -cadmium (Cd) alloy and converted to U-Pu-Cd alloy at 500 C or higher. All of the samples were stabilized and stored at PFRF. We hope that the contents of this report will be utilized to consider methods for stabilizing post experiment nuclear materials at other nuclear fuel material usage facilities.

Intruder configurations in Ne at the transition into the island of inversion; Detailed structure study of Ne

Wang, H.*; Yasuda, Masahiro*; Kondo, Yosuke*; Nakamura, Takashi*; Tostevin, J. A.*; Ogata, Kazuyuki*; Otsuka, Takaharu*; Poves, A.*; Shimizu, Noritaka*; Yoshida, Kazuki; et al.

Physics Letters B, 843, p.138038_1 - 138038_9, 2023/08

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physletb.2023.138038

Detailed -ray spectroscopy of the exotic neon isotope Ne has been performed using the one-neutron removal reaction from Ne. Based on an analysis of parallel momentum distributions, a level scheme with spin-parity assignments has been constructed for Ne and the negative-parity states are identified for the first time. The measured partial cross sections and momentum distributions reveal a significant intruder p-wave strength providing evidence of the breakdown of the N = 20 and N = 28 shell gaps. Only a weak, possible f-wave strength was observed to bound final states. Large-scale shell-model calculations with different effective interactions do not reproduce the large p-wave and small f-wave strength observed experimentally, indicating an ongoing challenge for a complete theoretical description of the transition into the island of inversion along the Ne isotopic chain.

Enhancement of element production by incomplete fusion reaction with weakly bound deuteron

Wang, H.*; Otsu, Hideaki*; Chiga, Nobuyuki*; Kawase, Shoichiro*; Takeuchi, Satoshi*; Sumikama, Toshiyuki*; Koyama, Shumpei*; Sakurai, Hiroyoshi*; Watanabe, Yukinobu*; Nakayama, Shinsuke; et al.

Communications Physics (Internet), 2(1), p.78_1 - 78_6, 2019/07

https://doi.org/10.1038/s42005-019-0165-1

Searching for effective pathways for the production of proton- and neutron-rich isotopes through an optimal combination of reaction mechanism and energy is one of the main driving forces behind experimental and theoretical nuclear reaction studies as well as for practical applications in nuclear transmutation of radioactive waste. We report on a study on incomplete fusion induced by deuteron, which contains one proton and one neutron with a weak binding energy and is easily broken up. This reaction study was achieved by measuring directly the cross sections for both proton and deuteron for Pd at 50 MeV/u via inverse kinematics technique. The results provide direct experimental evidence for the onset of a cross-section enhancement at high energy, indicating the potential of incomplete fusion induced by loosely-bound nuclei for creating proton-rich isotopes and nuclear transmutation of radioactive waste.

Detection of a gas region in a human body across a therapeutic carbon beam by measuring low-energy photons

Yamaguchi, Mitsutaka; Nagao, Yuto; Kawachi, Naoki; Sato, Takahiro; Fujimaki, Shu; Kamiya, Tomihiro; Torikai, Kota*; Shimada, Hirofumi*; Sugai, Hiroyuki*; Sakai, Makoto*; et al.

International Journal of PIXE, 26(1&2), p.61 - 72, 2016/00

https://doi.org/10.1142/S0129083516500078

no abstracts in English

On-site background measurements for the J-PARC E56 experiment; A Search for the sterile neutrino at J-PARC MLF

Ajimura, Shuhei*; Bezerra, T. J. C.*; Chauveau, E.*; Enomoto, T.*; Furuta, Hisataka*; Harada, Masahide; Hasegawa, Shoichi; Hiraiwa, T.*; Igarashi, Yoichi*; Iwai, Eito*; et al.

Progress of Theoretical and Experimental Physics (Internet), 2015(6), p.063C01_1 - 063C01_19, 2015/06

https://doi.org/10.1093/ptep/ptv078

The J-PARC E56 experiment aims to search for sterile neutrinos at the J-PARC Materials and Life Science Experimental Facility (MLF). In order to examine the feasibility of the experiment, we measured the background rates of different detector candidate sites, which are located at the third floor of the MLF, using a detector consisting of plastic scintillators with a fiducial mass of 500 kg. The gammas and neutrons induced by the beam as well as the backgrounds from the cosmic rays were measured, and the results are described in this article.

NHEJ repair rather than HR repair is the primary function to target to enhance radiosensitization at high LET values

Takahashi, Akihisa*; Kubo, Makoto*; Igarashi, Chie*; Yoshida, Yukari*; Funayama, Tomoo; Kobayashi, Yasuhiko; Nakano, Takashi*

JAEA-Review 2014-050, JAEA Takasaki Annual Report 2013, P. 82, 2015/03

https://doi.org/10.11484/jaea-review-2014-050

DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) induced by ionizing radiation pose a major threat to cell survival. The cell can respond to the presence of DSBs, through two major repair pathways: Homologous recombination (HR) and non-homologous end-joining (NHEJ). Higher levels of cell death are induced by high-LET radiation when compared to low-LET radiation, even at the same doses because of less effective or more inefficient DNA repair. In this study, we examine the effects of radiation with different LET values on DNA DSB repair and radiosensitivity. Wild-type cells and HR deficient (but NHEJ proficient) cells exhibited the high RBE values at LET values of 108 keV/ m. The RBE value for each cell type decreased with increasing LET values over 200 keV/m. Although NHEJ proficient cells had an almost constant SER value, NHEJ deficient cells showed a high SER value when compared to NHEJ proficient cells, even with increasing LET values.

Nonhomologous end-joining repair plays a more important role than homologous recombination repair in defining radiosensitivity after exposure to high-LET radiation

Takahashi, Akihisa*; Kubo, Makoto*; Ma, H.*; Nakagawa, Akiko*; Yoshida, Yukari*; Isono, Mayu*; Kanai, Tatsuaki*; Ono, Tatsuya*; Furusawa, Yoshiya*; Funayama, Tomoo; et al.

Radiation Research, 182(3), p.338 - 344, 2014/09

https://doi.org/10.1667/RR13782.1

To clarify whether high-LET radiation inhibits all repair pathways or specifically one repair pathway, studies were designed to examine the effects of radiation with different LET values on DNA DSB repair and radiosensitivity. Embryonic fibroblasts bearing repair gene KO were exposed to X rays, carbon-, iron-, neon- and argon-ion beams. Cell survival was measured with colony-forming assays. The sensitization enhancement ratio (SER) values were calculated using the 10% survival dose of wild-type cells and repair-deficient cells. Cellular radiosensitivity was listed in descending order: double-KO cells NHEJ-KO cells HR-KO cells wild-type cells. Although HR-KO cells had an almost constant SER value, NHEJ-KO cells showed a high-SER value when compared to HR-KO cells, even with increasing LET values. These results suggest that with carbon-ion therapy, targeting NHEJ repair yields higher radiosensitivity than targeting homologous recombination repair.

Increase in cell motility by carbon ion irradiation via the Rho signaling pathway and its inhibition by the ROCK inhibitor Y-27632 in lung adenocarcinoma A549 cells

Murata, Kazutoshi*; Noda, Shinei*; Oike, Takahiro*; Takahashi, Akihisa*; Yoshida, Yukari*; Suzuki, Yoshiyuki*; Ono, Tatsuya*; Funayama, Tomoo; Kobayashi, Yasuhiko; Takahashi, Takeo*; et al.

Journal of Radiation Research, 55(4), p.658 - 664, 2014/07

https://doi.org/10.1093/jrr/rru002

The effect of carbon ion irradiation on cell motility through the Rho signaling pathway in the human lung adenocarcinoma cell line A549 was studied. At 48 h after irradiation, the cell motility of A549 cells became significantly greater, and the formation of protrusions significantly increased in cells irradiated with carbon ion. The observed increase in cell motility due to carbon ion irradiation was similar to that observed due to X-ray irradiation. Western-blot analysis showed that carbon ion irradiation increased P-MLC2-S19 expression compared with in unirradiated controls, while total MLC2 expression was unchanged. Exposure to a non-toxic concentration of Y-27632, a specific inhibitor of ROCK, reduced the expression of P-MLC2-S19 after C-ion irradiation, resulting in a significant reduction in migration. These data suggest that carbon irradiation increases cell motility in A549 cells via the Rho signaling pathway and that ROCK inhibition reduces that effect.

Effects of temperature on stress corrosion cracking behavior of stainless steel and outer oxide distribution in cracks due to exposure to high-temperature water containing hydrogen peroxide

Nakano, Junichi; Sato, Tomonori; Kato, Chiaki; Yamamoto, Masahiro; Tsukada, Takashi; Kaji, Yoshiyuki

Journal of Nuclear Materials, 444(1-3), p.454 - 461, 2014/01

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnucmat.2013.10.031

Cracking growth tests were conducted in high-temperature water containing hydrogen peroxide (HO) at 561 to 423 K to evaluate the effects of HO on stress corrosion cracking (SCC) of stainless steel (SS) at temperature lower than the boiling water reactor (BWR) operating temperature. Small compact tension (CT) specimens were prepared from thermally sensitized type 304 SS. Despite the observation of only a small portion intergranular SCC (IGSCC) near the side groove of the CT specimen at 561 K in high-temperature water containing 100 ppb of HO, the IGSCC area expanded to the central region of the CT specimens at 423 and 453 K. Effects of HO on SCC appeared intensely at temperature lower than the BWR operating temperature. To estimate the environment in the cracks, outer oxide distribution on the fracture surface and fatigue pre-crack were examined by laser Raman spectroscopy and thermal equilibrium calculation was performed.

photoproduction with evidence for the Kappa Meson Exchange at SPring-8/LEPS

Hwang, S. H.*; Hicks, K.*; Ahn, J. K.*; Nakano, Takashi*

Few-Body Systems, 54(7-10), p.1037 - 1041, 2013/08

https://doi.org/10.1007/s00601-013-0650-0