Design and safety assessment of cooling facilities for air system

Asano, Norikazu; Nishimura, Arashi; Takabe, Yugo; Araki, Daisuke; Yanai, Tomohiro; Ebisawa, Hiroyuki; Ogasawara, Yasushi; Oto, Tsutomu; Otsuka, Kaoru; Otsuka, Noriaki; et al.

JAEA-Technology 2021-045, 137 Pages, 2022/06

JAEA-Technology-2021-045.pdf:2.97MB

A collapse event of a cooling tower for secondary cooling system in the Japan Materials Testing Reactor (JMTR) was caused by the strong winds of Typhoon No.15 on September 9, 2019. As measures against the event, the working group for the renewal of the UCL (Utility Cooling Loop) cooling tower was established in the department of JMTR, and the integrity of the UCL cooling tower, which is the same type of wooden cooling tower as the secondary cooling tower in the JMTR, was investigated. As a result of this investigation, we have decided to replace the existing UCL cooling tower with a new cooling system. After investigations, in order to reduce the risk of collapse due to wood decay, the new cooling system was installed as a component of the air system to be managed as a performance maintenance facility after decommissioning. This report describes the design of and the evaluation results of the facility.

Soundness survey of cooling tower of Utility Cooling Loop (UCL Cooling Tower) in JMTR

Oto, Tsutomu; Asano, Norikazu; Kawamata, Takanori; Yanai, Tomohiro; Nishimura, Arashi; Araki, Daisuke; Otsuka, Kaoru; Takabe, Yugo; Otsuka, Noriaki; Kojima, Keidai; et al.

JAEA-Review 2020-018, 66 Pages, 2020/11

JAEA-Review-2020-018.pdf:8.87MB

A collapse event of the cooling tower of secondary cooling system in the JMTR (Japan Materials Testing Reactor) was caused by the strong wind of Typhoon No.15 on September 9, 2019. The cause of the collapse of the cooling tower was investigated and analyzed. As the result, it was identified that four causes occurred in combination. Thus, the soundness of the cooling tower of Utility Cooling Loop (UCL cooling tower), which is a wooden cooling tower installed at the same period as the cooling tower of secondary cooling system, was investigated. The items of soundness survey are to grasp the operation conditions of the UCL cooling tower, to confirm the degradation of structural materials, the inspection items and inspection status of the UCL cooling tower, and to investigate the past meteorological data. As the results of soundness survey of the UCL cooling tower, the improvement of inspection items of the UCL cooling tower was carried out and the replacement and repair of the structural materials of the UCL cooling tower were planned for safe maintenance and management of this facility. And the renewal plan of new cooling tower was created to replace the existing UCL cooling tower. This report is summarized the soundness survey of the UCL cooling tower.

Radiocesium distribution in aggregate-size fractions of cropland and forest soils affected by the Fukushima nuclear accident

Koarashi, Jun; Nishimura, Shusaku; Atarashi-Andoh, Mariko; Matsunaga, Takeshi*; Sato, Tsutomu*; Nagao, Seiya*

Chemosphere, 205, p.147 - 155, 2018/08

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2018.04.092

There is little understanding of how soil aggregation can affect the mobility and bioavailability of Cs in soils. To explore this, soil samples were collected at seven sites under different land-use conditions in Fukushima and were separated into four aggregate-size fractions. The fractions were then analyzed for Cs content and extractability and mineral composition. In forest soils, aggregate formation was significant, and Cs was largely associated with large-sized aggregates. In contrast, there was less aggregation in agricultural field soils, and most of Cs was in the clay- and silt-sized fractions. Across all sites, the Cs extractability was higher in the large-sized aggregate fractions than in the clay-sized fractions. The results demonstrate that large-sized aggregates are a significant reservoir of potentially mobile and bioavailable Cs in organic-rich (forest and orchard) soils.

Completion of solidification and stabilization for Pu nitrate solution to reduce potential risks at Tokai Reprocessing Plant

Mukai, Yasunobu; Nakamichi, Hideo; Kobayashi, Daisuke; Nishimura, Kazuaki; Fujisaku, Sakae; Tanaka, Hideki; Isomae, Hidemi; Nakamura, Hironobu; Kurita, Tsutomu; Iida, Masayoshi*; et al.

Proceedings of 2017 International Congress on Advances in Nuclear Power Plants (ICAPP 2017) (CD-ROM), 8 Pages, 2017/04

TRP has stored the plutonium in solution state for long-term since the last PCDF operation in 2007 was finished. After the great east Japan earthquake in 2011, JAEA had investigated the risk against potential hazard of these solutions which might lead to make hydrogen explosion and/or boiling of the solution accidents with the release of radioactive materials to the public when blackout. To reduce the risk for storing Pu solution (about 640 kg Pu), JAEA planned to perform the process operation for the solidification and stabilization of the solution by converted into MOX powder at PCDF in 2013. In order to perform PCDF operation without adaption of new safety regulation, JAEA conducted several safety measures such as emergency safety countermeasures, necessary security and safeguards (3S) measures with understanding of NRA. As a result, the PCDF operation had stared on 28th April, 2014, and successfully completed to convert MOX powder on 3rd August, 2016 for about 2 years as planned.

Year-round variations in the fluvial transport load of particulate Cs in a forested catchment affected by the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident

Matsunaga, Takeshi; Nakanishi, Takahiro; Atarashi-Andoh, Mariko; Takeuchi, Erina; Muto, Kotomi; Tsuzuki, Katsunori; Nishimura, Shusaku; Koarashi, Jun; Otosaka, Shigeyoshi; Sato, Tsutomu*; et al.

Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry, 310(2), p.679 - 693, 2016/11

AA2015-0821.pdf:3.78MB

https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-016-4840-3

Particulate Cs in stream water was collected continuously for two years in order to assess the long-term trend of the Cs discharge from the forest environment. Sampling was conducted from December 2011 to December 2013 in a mountainous stream, which received the Cs from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident. A seasonal increase in fluvial transport load of particulate Cs associated with suspended solids (SS) was observed in August and September when rainfall was abundant. The particulate Cs concentration decreased at a faster rate than the rate due to radioactive decay. This decrease might be resulted from redistribution of the easily eroded and polluted soil surface due to heavy rain events such as typhoons. These findings indicate that the particulate Cs load was subject to the inter-annual variations in rainfalls, and decreased gradually over a long period of time due to a decrease in Cs concentration in SS.

Evaluation of inter-laminar shear strength of GFRP composed of bonded glass/polyimide tapes and cyanate-ester/epoxy blended resin for ITER TF coils

Hemmi, Tsutomu; Nishimura, Arata*; Matsui, Kunihiro; Koizumi, Norikiyo; Nishijima, Shigehiro*; Shikama, Tatsuo*

AIP Conference Proceedings 1574, p.154 - 161, 2014/01

https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4860618

Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA), as Japan Domestic Agency, has responsibility to procure 9 ITER Toroidal Field (TF) coils. The insulation system of the ITER TF coils consists of 3 layers of insulations, which are a conductor insulation, a double-pancake (DP) insulation and a ground insulation, composed of multi-layer glass/polyimide tapes impregnated a resin. The ITER TF coils are required to withstand an irradiation of 10 MGy from -ray and neutrons since the ITER TF coils is exposed by first neutron ( 0.1 MeV) of 10 n/m during the operation of 20 years in the ITER. Cyanate-ester/epoxy blended resins and bonded glass/polyimide tapes are developed as insulation materials to realize the required radiation-hardness for the insulation of the ITER TF coils. To evaluate the radiation-hardness of the developed insulation materials, the inter-laminar shear strength of glass-fiber reinforced plastics (GFRP) fabricated using developed insulation materials is measured as one of most important mechanical properties before/after the irradiation in a fission reactor of JRR-3. As a result, it is demonstrated that the GFRPs using the developed insulation materials have a sufficient performance to apply the ITER TF coil insulation.

Fuel and core design studies on metal fuel sodium-cooled fast reactor, 3; Joint research report for JFY2007&2008

Okano, Yasushi; Kobayashi, Noboru*; Ogawa, Takashi; Oki, Shigeo; Naganuma, Masayuki; Okubo, Tsutomu; Mizuno, Tomoyasu; Ogata, Takanari*; Ueda, Nobuyuki*; Nishimura, Satoshi*

JAEA-Research 2009-025, 105 Pages, 2009/10

JAEA-Research-2009-025.pdf:10.45MB

A metal fuel core has specific features on high heavy metal density, hard neutron spectrum, and efficient neutron utilization. Enlarged applicable design envelops would improve core performances and features: higher breeding ratio, compacted reactor core, and, smaller amount of Pu-fissile inventory. A joint study on "Reactor Core and Fuel Design of Metal Fuel Core of Sodium Cooled Fast Reactor" by Japan Atomic Energy Agency and Central Research Institute of Electric Power Industry has been conducted during Japanese fiscal years of 2007 and 2008. This report shows the results on (1) the study on applicable design ranges of metal fuel specifications, (2) the study on conceptual core designs for high breeding ratio, and (3) the safety study on metal fuel core designed in the Fast Reactor Cycle Technology Development (FaCT) Project.

Modeling of chemical transition of nitrate accompanied with corrosion of carbon steel under alkaline conditions

Honda, Akira; Masuda, Kaoru*; Imakita, Tsuyoshi*; Kato, Osamu*; Nishimura, Tsutomu*

Zairyo To Kankyo, 58(5), p.182 - 189, 2009/05

https://doi.org/10.3323/jcorr.58.182

Interaction between carbon steel and nitrate was modeled using the mixed potential concept. Carbon steel was selected as an example of metal components in the repository of radioactive waste. The nitrate reduction accompanied by the corrosion of carbon steel was modeled as a reaction series such as nitrate - nitrite - ammonia. The sum of the current of the reaction series of nitrate - nitrite - ammonia and that of water reduction was assumed to balance with the corrosion current of carbon steel. The input parameters for this kinetic model were determined by electrochemical measurement and immersion test. The results of the immersion test can be interpreted by the analyses of the model.

Chemical transition of nitrate ions accompanied with corrosion of carbon steel under alkaline conditions

Honda, Akira; Kato, Takashi; Tateishi, Tsuyoshi*; Imakita, Tsuyoshi*; Masuda, Kaoru*; Kato, Osamu*; Nishimura, Tsutomu*

Zairyo To Kankyo, 55(10), p.458 - 465, 2006/10

https://doi.org/10.3323/jcorr.55.458

Migration of radioactive material can be affected by the redox condition and the concentration of ligands in the repository of radioactive waste. It is possible that radioactive waste contains nitrate which can affect the migration behavior of radioactive nuclides by both changing the redox condition of the environment and acting as a ligand. On the other hand, several researchers observed the reduction of nitrate ions in ammonia due to the iron. Ammonia has a potential to ligand for radioactive nuclides. Nitrate can also affect the rate of hydrogen gas evolution accompanied by metal corrosion through changing the rest potential of metal by its oxidizing nature. Carbon steel was, therefore, immersed in an aqueous solution of sodium nitrate in a closed system for observing both the chemical interaction between metal and nitrate, and the effect of nitrate on the hydrogen gas evolution rate. The experimental pH range of the solution was 10.0-13.5 which corresponds to the pH range of pore fluid of cementitious material. The cathodic current density shows a Tafel equation type potential dependency in the aqueous solution containing nitrate or nitrite. In spite of the acceleration of cathodic reaction due to the existence of nitrate, the corrosion rates of carbon steel were not accelerated in the nitrate solutions. This fact suggests that the system is controlled by the anodic reaction. The nitrate reduction accompanied by the corrosion of carbon steel is considered to be a series reaction such as nitrate nitrite ammonia. The nitrate reduction reaction compete with the water reduction reaction within the anodic controlled condition, therefore nitrate strongly reduced the hydrogen evolution rate. The generation rates of ammonia were independent of the concentration of nitrate.

Hydrogen Evolution Behavior in the Corrosion of Carbon Steel in Contact with Magnetite

Taniguchi, Naoki; Tateishi, Tsuyoshi*; Fukudome, Kazuyuki*; Nishimura, Tsutomu*; Kawakami, Susumu

JNC TN8400 2005-014, 36 Pages, 2005/07

JNC-TN8400-2005-014.pdf:0.44MB

It has been reported that the corrosion of carbon steel is accelerated by a contact with magnetite, which is a representative corrosion product in low oxygen environment. It is important to clear the corrosion mechanism in the presence of magnetite for long term prediction of overpack corrosion. There are two possible cathodic reactions in the presence of magnetite coupled with anodic reaction. One is reduction of Fe(III) in magnetite, and the other is hydrogen evolution reaction. If the former dominate the cathodic reaction, corrosion acceleration will be stopped with the consumption of Fe(III). While, if the latter is the main cathodic reaction, corrosion acceleration is possible to be continued for a long time. In this study, corrosion rate and hydrogen evolution behavior were investigated by the immersion test of carbon steel in contact with dummy corrosion product to contribute to understanding the corrosion mechanism.