Production of Cu and Cu with accelerator neutrons by deuterons and their separation from zinc

Nagai, Yasuki*; Kawabata, Masako*; Saeki, Hideya*; Motoishi, Shoji*; Hashimoto, Kazuyuki; Tsukada, Kazuaki; Motomura, Arata*; Ota, Akio*; Takashima, Naoki*; Hashimoto, Shintaro; et al.

Frontiers in Nuclear Medicine (Internet), 5, p.1657125_1 - 1657125_11, 2025/10

https://doi.org/10.3389/fnume.2025.1657125

In recent years, the radionuclide pair of Cu and Cu has attracted attention as an ideal theranostic agent. We proposed a novel production method utilizing a neutron source generated by deuteron beams at an accelerator facility. By irradiating enriched Zn samples with this neutron source, we measured the absolute activity and radionuclidic purity of the produced Cu. The results were consistent with calculations performed using PHITS and JENDL-5 developed by the Japan Atomic Energy Agency, confirming the reliability of the calculation method and demonstrating its capability to estimate the yields of trace radionuclides that are difficult to measure experimentally. Furthermore, we successfully separated Cu from the irradiated Zn sample using our developed sublimation and column separation techniques. These findings suggest that the production of Cu and Cu can be achieved in an economically sustainable manner at multiple sites.

Compliance measures at the Radioactive Waste Treatment Facilities at the Nuclear Science Research Institute; Aseismic reinforcement of the Radioactive Waste Treatment Facility No. 3, Waste Size Reduction and Storage Facility, and Waste Volume Reduction Facility

Iketani, Shotaro; Suzuki, Takeshi; Yokobori, Tomohiko; Sugawara, Satoshi; Yokota, Akira; Kikuchi, Genta; Muraguchi, Yoshinori; Kitahara, Masaru; Seya, Manato; Kurosawa, Tsuyoshi; et al.

JAEA-Technology 2025-001, 169 Pages, 2025/08

JAEA-Technology-2025-001.pdf:14.22MB

The radioactive waste treatment facilities at the Nuclear Science Research Institute includes the Radioactive Waste Treatment Facility No. 3, Waste Size Reduction and Storage Facility, and Waste Volume Reduction Facility. These three facilities come under the purview of the Act on the Regulation of Nuclear Source Material, Nuclear Fuel Material and Reactors, and are included under Class C of the act based on the seismic requirements specified in the Act. We assessed the seismic capacity of these three radioactive waste treatment facilities based on the current Building Standards Act, to verify whether they comply with the new regulatory requirements enforced by the Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) in the aftermath of the 2011 nuclear accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station operated by the Tokyo Electric Power Company. We found that the allowable stress of a few structural members used in the construction of the facilities did not meet the regulatory requirements. After studying the approval granted by the NRA for the construction plans, including the design and construction methods (design and construction plans) of the three facilities on March 5, 2021, we made aseismic reinforcement at these facilities between 2021 and 2022. This report presents an overview of the seismic design of these facilities and an outline of the aseismic reinforcement conducted, management system existing, safety measures adopted, and the preoperational inspections conducted at these facilities.

Discrimination of disposal-restricted materials in waste containers by nondestructive testing and image analysis with high-energy X-ray computed tomography

Murakami, Masashi; Yoshida, Yukihiko; Nango, Nobuhito*; Kubota, Shogo*; Kurosawa, Takuya*; Sasaki, Toshiki

Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, 62(7), p.650 - 661, 2025/07

https://doi.org/10.1080/00223131.2025.2460526

An Assessment of support effect on reinforced concrete structure under inclined impact conditions

Kang, Z.; Okuda, Yukihiko; Nishida, Akemi; Tsubota, Haruji; Ito, Masaharu

Mechanical Engineering Journal (Internet), 12(4), p.24-00450_1 - 24-00450_12, 2025/03

https://doi.org/10.1299/mej.24-00450

no abstracts in English

Physicochemical characterization of the youngest active domain in major fault zones using the weathering index and X-ray computed tomography

Iwamori, Akiyuki*; Ogita, Yasuhiro; Shimada, Koji; Tateishi, Ryo*; Takagi, Hideo*; Ota, Toru*; Cho, T.*; Kudo, Shunsuke*; Nojiri, Keisuke*; Shigemitsu, Yasumune*; et al.

Engineering Geology, 344, p.107821_1 - 107821_20, 2025/01

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enggeo.2024.107821

Clarification of the physicochemical characterization of brittle fault rocks is important not only for understanding the history of the fault activity and deformation mechanisms, but also for assessing the siting conditions of important facilities such as nuclear power plants, radioactive waste disposal sites, and oil storage bases. Here, we apply the chemical weathering index (W values) to the brittle fault rocks of the Shiraki-Nyu fault (granite), the Tsuruga fault (geological boundary between granite and greenstone), and the Yamada fault (adamellite), which are active faults in the peripheral area of Wakasa Bay, and their respective protoliths (hard rocks), and investigate the physicochemical characteristics of the youngest active domain of brittle fault rocks based on the relationship between computed tomography data (CT numbers) and alteration intensity (AI values). The W values of the fault rocks are mainly affected by changes in NaO and CaO, corresponding to the elution or deposition of plagioclase and calsite for granite, clinopyroxene and hornblende for greenstone, and plagioclase for adamellite. The W values mainly indicate the effects of hydrothermal alteration up to 50 60 percent and of weathering at over 60 percent. On the other hand, the CT values of the fault rocks are lowest in the fault gouge corresponding to the latest active zone, which was identified as the lowest density zone. In addition, fresh plagioclase fragments are present in each fault gouge of the latest active zone of the active faults in this study. The application of W values to brittle fault rocks is an effective method for understanding the trends of mineralogical variations associated with hydrothermal alteration and weathering in fault rocks, and it is highly possible to improve the accuracy of identifying the youngest active domain in major fault zones through joint analyses of CT numbers.

Investigating the effect of supports on reinforced concrete slab subjected to oblique missile impact

Kang, Z.; Okuda, Yukihiko; Nishida, Akemi; Tsubota, Haruji; Ito, Masaharu; Li, Y.

Proceedings of 31st International Conference on Nuclear Engineering (ICONE31) (Internet), 9 Pages, 2024/11

https://doi.org/10.1115/ICONE31-135948

Most studies conducted till now on local damage of reinforced concrete (RC) slab structures subjected to missile impact are about normal impact, while few research related to oblique impact can be found. The objective of this study is to carry out impact tests under different impact conditions including oblique impacts, to confirm the different impact behaviors of the RC slab structure, to develop an analysis method by investigating the test results and analytical conditions, and to validate the analysis method through comparison with the test results. This study focuses on the effect of the stiffness of the supports for oblique impact on the reaction forces of RC slab. Until now, static loading tests were conducted to confirm the stiffnesses of the supporting parts that supported the RC specimen during oblique impact tests. Based on the obtained load-displacement relationships, and so on, the stiffnesses of the supporting parts are estimated.

Validation study on SFR core bowing codes using Joyo ex-core experiment data; Single duct bowing benchmark

Ohgama, Kazuya; Doda, Norihiro; Uwaba, Tomoyuki; Futagami, Satoshi; Tanaka, Masaaki; Yamano, Hidemasa; Ota, Hirokazu*; Ogata, Takanari*; Wozniak, N.*; Shemon, E.*; et al.

Proceedings of International Conference on Nuclear Fuel Cycle (GLOBAL2024) (Internet), 4 Pages, 2024/10

To enhance the accuracy of the safety evaluations in sodium-cooled fast reactors, it is necessary to develop a method to realistically evaluate the reactivity caused by core deformation. In this regard, Japan and the United States jointly conducted a benchmark analysis of thermal bowing experiments of a single duct of Joyo-type fuel assembly. The aim was to confirm the validity of the core bowing analysis codes. Comparisons of analysis and test results revealed that the core bowing analysis codes used by both countries were able to reasonably predict the axial distribution of horizontal duct displacement of a single duct due to thermal bowing and the contact load on the duct pad.

Document collection of the 41st Technical Special Committee on Fugen Decommissioning

Koda, Yuya; Matsuno, Hiroki; Matsushima, Akira; Kubota, Shintaro; Toda, Keisuke; Nakamura, Yasuyuki

JAEA-Review 2024-003, 38 Pages, 2024/06

JAEA-Review-2024-003.pdf:4.94MB

"Fugen Decommissioning Engineering Center", in planning and carrying out our decommissioning technical development, organizes "Technical special committee on Fugen decommissioning" which consists of the members well-informed, aiming to make good use of Fugen as a place for technological development which is opened domestic and international, as the central place in research and development base of Fukui prefecture, and to utilize the outcome in our decommissioning to the technical development effectively. This report consists of presentation paper are "The current status of Fugen decommissioning", "Regarding dismantling and decontamination of steam drums", "Knowledge of radiation management in dismantling contaminated equipment", "Achievements and considerations for identifying and separating contaminated parts of nonradioactive waste" and "Regarding technology development plans for nuclear reactor dismantling" which is presented in the 41st Technical Special Committee on Fugen Decommissioning.

High sensitivity of a future search for effects of -odd/-odd interactions on the 0.75 eV -wave resonance in + forward transmission determined using a pulsed neutron beam

Nakabe, Rintaro*; Auton, C. J.*; Endo, Shunsuke; Fujioka, Hiroyuki*; Gudkov, V.*; Hirota, Katsuya*; Ide, Ikuo*; Ino, Takashi*; Ishikado, Motoyuki*; Kambara, Wataru*; et al.

Physical Review C, 109(4), p.L041602_1 - L041602_4, 2024/04

https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevC.109.L041602

Onset of collectivity for argon isotopes close to

Linh, B. D.*; Corsi, A.*; Gillibert, A.*; Obertelli, A.*; Doornenbal, P.*; Barbieri, C.*; Duguet, T.*; Gmez-Ramos, M.*; Holt, J. D.*; Hu, B. S.*; et al.

Physical Review C, 109(3), p.034312_1 - 034312_15, 2024/03

https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevC.109.034312

no abstracts in English