Real-time inversion of radioactive source distribution using air dose rate measurements via least absolute shrinkage and selection operator method

Shi, W.*; Machida, Masahiko; Okamoto, Koji*; Luo, X.*; Feng, W.*; Liu, X.*

Reliability Engineering & System Safety, 272, Part1, p.112538_1 - 112538_18, 2026/08

http://doi.org/10.1016/j.ress.2026.112538

The reliability of emergency response in severe nuclear accidents critically depends on robust real-time monitoring of radioactive source distributions. However, this safety function is challenged by physical constraints that create monitoring blind spots and by the inadequacy of static methods in tracking dynamic releases. To enhance the reliability and robustness of source term estimation, this study proposes a dynamic reconstruction framework based on LASSO regression with temporal regularization. A sliding-window time-penalty mechanism is introduced, imposing -norm constraints on inter-step source variations to ensure physical continuity. The contribution matrix and measurement vector are normalized to counteract biases from radiation shielding and time-varying intensities. Validation using a two-room model with internal shielding, with PHITS Monte Carlo simulation, demonstrates accurate reconstruction of dynamic sources from remote measurements. Temporal regularization enhances situational awareness by suppressing spatial aliasing: at sliding-window width (no regularization), hotspot locations fluctuate significantly, with quantitative mean absolute error fluctuations at around , whereas yields improved spatial consistency and the fluctuation quantities decrease to the range. Comparative analysis identifies as optimal in balancing accuracy and computational cost. This work establishes a more reliable pathway for dynamic hazard assessment, enabling accurate localization and intensity tracking under challenging conditions. The proposed framework provides a decision-support tool enhancing the resilience and safety of emergency management in nuclear facilities.

Uncertainty analysis of the inverse LASSO estimation scheme on radioactive source distributions inside reactor building rooms from air does rate measurements

Shi, W.*; Machida, Masahiko; Yamada, Susumu; Okamoto, Koji

Progress in Nuclear Energy, 184, p.105710_1 - 105710_10, 2025/06

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pnucene.2025.105710

Very recently, Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (LASSO) has been proposed as a scheme capable to inversely estimate radioactive source distributions inside reactor building rooms from air dose rate measurements together with the predicted lower bound of the measurement numbers for successful reconstructions. However, no one has ever analyzed how the uncertainty of input data including the measurement errors influences the accuracy of the inverse estimation results. In this paper, we therefore perform uncertainty analysis of the LASSO scheme and suggest an uncertainty estimation function derived based on the theory of Candes. We actually demonstrate in two types of numerical tests with different input uncertainties obtained by using Monte Carlo code, Particle and Heavy Ion Transport code System (PHITS) that the calculated errors obey the proposed uncertainty estimation function. Thus, the LASSO scheme allows to successfully estimate radioactive distributions within the predicted uncertainty.

R&D of digital technology on inverse estimation of radioactive source distributions and related source countermeasures; R&D status of digital platform including 3D-ADRES-indoor

Machida, Masahiko; Yamada, Susumu; Kim, M.; Okumura, Masahiko; Miyamura, Hiroko; Shikaze, Yoshiaki; Sato, Tomoki*; Numata, Yoshiaki*; Tobita, Yasuhiro*; Yamaguchi, Takashi; et al.

RIST News, (69), p.2 - 18, 2023/09

https://www.rist.or.jp/rnews/69/69s2.pdf

The contamination of radioactive materials leaked from the reactor has resulted in numerous hot spots in the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station (1F) building, posing obstacles to its decommissioning. In order to solve this problem, JAEA has conducted research and development of the digital technique for inverse estimation of radiation source distribution and countermeasures against the estimated source in virtual space for two years from 2021 based on the subsidy program "Project of Decommissioning and Contaminated Water Management" performed by the funds from the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. In this article, we introduce the results of the project and the plan of the renewal project started in April 2023. For the former project, we report the derivative method for LASSO method considering the complex structure inside the building and the character of the source and show the result of the inverse estimation using the method in the real reactor building. Moreover, we explain the platform software "3D-ADRES-Indoor" which integrates these achievements. Finally, we introduce the plan of the latter project.

LASSO reconstruction scheme for radioactive source distributions inside reactor building rooms with spectral information and multi-radionuclide contaminated situations

Shi, W.*; Machida, Masahiko; Yamada, Susumu; Yoshida, Toru*; Hasegawa, Yukihiro*; Okamoto, Koji*

Annals of Nuclear Energy, 184, p.109686_1 - 109686_12, 2023/05

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anucene.2023.109686

LASSO reconstruction scheme to predict radioactive source distributions inside reactor building rooms; Practical applications

Machida, Masahiko; Shi, W.*; Yamada, Susumu; Miyamura, Hiroko; Yoshida, Toru*; Hasegawa, Yukihiro*; Okamoto, Koji; Aoki, Yuto; Ito, Rintaro; Yamaguchi, Takashi; et al.

Proceedings of Waste Management Symposia 2023 (WM2023) (Internet), 11 Pages, 2023/02

High-temperature gaseous reaction of cesium with siliceous thermal insulation; The Potential implication to the provenance of enigmatic Fukushima cesium-bearing material

Rizaal, M.; Nakajima, Kunihisa; Saito, Takumi*; Osaka, Masahiko; Okamoto, Koji*

ACS Omega (Internet), 7(33), p.29326 - 29336, 2022/08

https://doi.org/10.1021/acsomega.2c03525

Investigation of high-temperature chemical interaction of calcium silicate insulation and cesium hydroxide

Rizaal, M.; Nakajima, Kunihisa; Saito, Takumi*; Osaka, Masahiko; Okamoto, Koji*

Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, 57(9), p.1062 - 1073, 2020/09

https://doi.org/10.1080/00223131.2020.1755733

The interaction of cesium hydroxide and a calcium silicate insulation material was experimentally investigated at high temperature conditions. A thermogravimetry equipped with differential thermal analysis was used to analyze thermal events in the samples of mixed calcium silicate and cesium hydroxide under Ar-5%H and Ar-4%H-20%H0 with maximum temperature of 1100C. Prior being mixed with cesium hydroxide, a part of calcium silicate was pretreated at high temperature to evaluate the effect of possible structural changes of this material due to a preceding thermal history and also the sake of thermodynamic evaluation to those available ones. Based upon the initial condition (preliminary heat treatment) of calcium silicate, it was found that if the original material consisted of xonotlite (CaSi0(0H)), the endothermic reaction with cesium hydroxide occurred over the temperature range 575-730C meanwhile if the crystal phase of original material was changed to wollastonite (CaSi0), the interaction occurred over temperature range 700-1100C. Furthermore, the X-ray diffraction analyses have indicated on both type of pretreated calsils that regardless of Ar-5%H and Ar-4%H-20%H0 atmosphere, cesium aluminum silicate, CsAlSi0 was formed with aluminum in the samples as an impurity or adduct.

Structural investigation of thorium in molten lithium-calcium fluoride mixtures for salt treatment process in molten salt reactor

Numakura, Masahiko*; Sato, Nobuaki*; Bessada, C.*; Okamoto, Yoshihiro; Akatsuka, Hiroshi*; Nezu, Atsushi*; Shimohara, Yasuaki*; Tajima, Keisuke*; Kawano, Hirokazu*; Nakahagi, Takeshi*; et al.

Progress in Nuclear Energy, 53(7), p.994 - 998, 2011/11

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pnucene.2011.04.026

X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) measurements on thorium fluoride in molten lithium-calcium fluoride mixtures and molecular dynamics (MD) simulation of zirconium and yttrium fluoride in molten lithium-calcium fluoride mixtures have been carried out. In the molten state, coordination number of thorium and inter ionic distances between thorium and fluorine in the first neighbor are nearly constant in all mixtures. However the fluctuation factors (Debye-Waller factor and C cumulant) increase until CaF = 0.17 and decrease by addition of excess CaF. It means that the local structure around Th is disordered until CaF=0.17 and stabilized over CaF = 0.17. The variation of fluctuation factors is related to the number density of F in ThF mixtures and the stability of local structure around Th increases with decreasing the number density of F in ThF mixtures. This tendency is common to those in the ZrF and YF mixtures.

XAFS studies on actinide-pyridine-diamide complexes for development of an innovative separation process

Shiwaku, Hideaki; Yaita, Tsuyoshi; Kobayashi, Toru; Numakura, Masahiko; Suzuki, Shinichi; Okamoto, Yoshihiro

Proceedings of 4th Workshop on Speciation, Techniques, and Facilities for Radioactive Materials at Synchrotron Light Sources (Actinide-XAS-2006), p.301 - 306, 2007/05

no abstracts in English

3D visualization of air-dose rate of working spaces by Digital Twin

Koizumi, Kenji; Suzuki, Masahiro; Aoki, Kazuhisa; Yamada, Susumu; Kim, M.; Suzuki, Kenta; Abe, Fumiaki; Machida, Masahiko; Okamoto, Koji

no journal, , 

In the 1F decommissioning, it is crucial to improve the environment of working spaces inside the reactor building. One of the most essential ones is to reduce the exposure of workers as much as possible by utilizing advanced safety planning and designing tools. JAEA has so far developed a digital software tool to reveal 3D distributions of air dose rates and perform virtual simulations to reduce worker's exposure inside working places. A core part is to inversely estimate radiation-source spatial distributions and their magnitudes even in limited monitoring results using a machine learning technique called LASSO. By measuring the point cloud data and air dose rate data using measuring devices mounted on remote-controlled robots, 3D distributions of the obtained contamination can be displayed, and decontamination evaluation and safety analysis for worker exposure reduction can be performed without radiation exposure on virtual digital space.