PANDORA Project for the study of photonuclear reactions below

Tamii, Atsushi*; Pellegri, L.*; Sderstrm, P.-A.*; Allard, D.*; Goriely, S.*; Inakura, Tsunenori*; Khan, E.*; Kido, Eiji*; Kimura, Masaaki*; Litvinova, E.*; et al.

European Physical Journal A, 59(9), p.208_1 - 208_21, 2023/09

https://doi.org/10.1140/epja/s10050-023-01081-w

no abstracts in English

Irradiation test using foreign reactor, 1; Study of irradiation test with capsule temperature control system (Joint research)

Takabe, Yugo; Otsuka, Noriaki; Fuyushima, Takumi; Sayato, Natsuki; Inoue, Shuichi; Morita, Hisashi; Jaroszewicz, J.*; Migdal, M.*; Onuma, Yuichi; Tobita, Masahiro*; et al.

JAEA-Technology 2022-040, 45 Pages, 2023/03

JAEA-Technology-2022-040.pdf:6.61MB

Because of the decommission of the Japan Materials Testing Reactor (JMTR), the domestic neutron irradiation facility, which had played a central role in the development of innovative nuclear reactors and the development of technologies to further improve the safety, reliability, and efficiency of light water reactors, was lost. Therefore, it has become difficult to pass on the operation techniques of the irradiation test reactors and irradiation technologies, and to train human resources. In order to cope with these issues, we conducted a study on the implementation of irradiation tests using overseas reactors as neutron irradiation sites as an alternative method. Based on the "Arrangement between the National Centre for Nuclear Research and the Japan Atomic Energy Agency for Cooperation in Research and Development on Testing Reactor," the feasibility of conducting an irradiation test at the MARIA reactor (30 MW) owned by the National Centre for Nuclear Research (NCBJ) using the temperature control system, which is one of the JMTR irradiation technologies, was examined. As a result, it was found that the irradiation test was possible by modifying the ready-made capsule manufactured in accordance with the design and manufacturing standards of the JMTR. After the modification, a penetration test, an insulation continuity test, and an operation test in the range of room temperature to 300C, which is the operating temperature of the capsule, were conducted and favorable results were obtained. We have completed the preparations prior to transport to the MARIA reactor.

Multiparticle tunneling transport at strongly correlated interfaces

Tajima, Hiroyuki*; Oue, Daigo*; Matsuo, Mamoru

Physical Review A, 106(3), p.033310_1 - 033310_8, 2022/09

https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.106.033310

Distribution, dynamics, and fate of radiocesium derived from FDNPP accident in the ocean

Otosaka, Shigeyoshi*; Kamidaira, Yuki; Ikenoue, Tsubasa; Kawamura, Hideyuki

Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, 59(4), p.409 - 423, 2022/04

https://doi.org/10.1080/00223131.2021.1994480

After the accident at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP), many oceanographic observations were carried out from various perspectives. Numerical simulations were also effectively applied to understand the distribution of radionunclides. By integrating these results, the dynamics of the accident-derived radionuclides in the ocean were highlighted. The transport processes of the accident-derived radionuclides to the ocean include (1) direct discharge to the ocean, (2) deposition in the ocean via the atmosphere, and (3) inflow from rivers after deposition to the land surface. In the case of Cs, one of major accident-derived radionuclides, most of the supply to the ocean immediately after the accident (8-21 PBq) was estimated to be due to processes (1) and (2). The amount of Cs accumulated on the seafloor is only about 1% (0.2PBq) of the amount carried to the ocean, but it remains in the sediments in the coastal area for a long period of time and gradually migrates to the seawater and ecosystems near the seafloor.

Conformational dynamics of a multidomain protein by neutron scattering and computational analysis

Nakagawa, Hiroshi; Saio, Tomohide*; Nagao, Michihiro*; Inoue, Rintaro*; Sugiyama, Masaaki*; Ajito, Satoshi; Tominaga, Taiki*; Kawakita, Yukinobu

Biophysical Journal, 120(16), p.3341 - 3354, 2021/08

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bpj.2021.07.001

A multi-domain protein can have various conformations in solution. Interactions with other molecules result in the stabilization of one of the conformations and change in the domain dynamics. SAXS, a well-established experimental technique, can be employed to elucidate the conformation of a multi-domain protein in solution. NSE spectroscopy is a promising technique for recording the domain dynamics in nanosecond and nanometer scale. Despite the great efforts, there are still under development. Thus, we quantitatively removed the contribution of diffusion dynamics and hydrodynamic interactions from the NSE data via incoherent scattering, revealing the differences in the domain dynamics of the three functional states of a multi-domain protein, MurD. The differences among the three states can be explained by two domain modes.

Database for corrosion under irradiation conditions (Contract research)

Sato, Tomonori; Hata, Kuniki; Kaji, Yoshiyuki; Ueno, Fumiyoshi; Inoue, Hiroyuki*; Taguchi, Mitsumasa*; Seito, Hajime*; Tada, Eiji*; Abe, Hiroshi*; Akiyama, Eiji*; et al.

JAEA-Review 2021-001, 123 Pages, 2021/06

JAEA-Review-2021-001.pdf:10.33MB

In the implement of the decommissioning of Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station (1F), there are many problems to be solved. Specially, the mitigation of the aging degradation by the corrosion of the structural materials is important to implement the decommissioning safely and continuously. However, there are limited data for the environmental factors of corrosion in 1F, and the condition of 1F is continuously changing. So, the literature data for the water radiolysis and the corrosion under irradiation are listed as the database of corrosion under irradiation in this report. And the new obtained radiolysis and corrosion data, which have not been reported in the literature and will be required in the decommissioning of 1F, are reported.

Analysis of the activities of the website "Question and Answer about radiation in Daily Life" after the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station and some lessons learned from it; To pass on this experience to the future

Kono, Takahiko; Shimo, Michikuni*; Hayakawa, Hironobu*; Taniguchi, Kazufumi*; Tanaka, Masato*; Tanaka, Hitomi*; Onoue, Yosuke*; Nagaya, Hiroshi*; Torii, Hiroyuki*; Uno, Kazuko*

Hoken Butsuri (Internet), 55(4), p.226 - 238, 2020/12

https://doi.org/10.5453/jhps.55.226

After the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station, artificial radionuclides such as radioactive cesium and iodine were released into the environment. It caused great anxiety not only in the vicinity of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station but also in other regions of Japan. Some members of the Japan Health Physics Society (JHPS) which is a leading academic society in Japan in the field of radiation protection volunteered to establish the website called "Question and Answer about radiation in Daily Life" just after the accident to reduce the anxiety of the residents about the health effects of radiation. After that, Committee of "Question and Answer about radiation in Daily Life" was established in August 2011 in JHPS, and this activity had been carried out under the responsibility of the society that answered with sincerity against questions from the public as specialists until February 2013. The number of questions on the website had gradually decreased as time passed; therefore, the Committee members decided to end these activities in February 2013. In this paper, following contents were shown; the activities of the Q&A website for about two years, the issues of the stance on our activities, the information related to the website activities and the analysis of Twitter data. Based on the experience and the knowledge obtained from these activities, the issues and experiences that can be utilized in the initial response to emergencies for radiation protection experts as well as other fields are presented.

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.

Formation and mobility of soil organic carbon in a buried humic horizon of a volcanic ash soil

Wijesinghe, J. N.*; Koarashi, Jun; Atarashi-Andoh, Mariko; Kokubu, Yoko; Yamaguchi, Noriko*; Sase, Takashi*; Hosono, Mamoru*; Inoue, Yuzuru*; Mori, Yuki*; Hiradate, Shuntaro*

Geoderma, 374, p.114417_1 - 114417_10, 2020/09

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoderma.2020.114417

Annual report on the effluent control of low level liquid waste in Nuclear Fuel Cycle Engineering Laboratories FY2018

Nakano, Masanao; Fujii, Tomoko; Nagaoka, Mika; Inoue, Kazumi; Koike, Yuko; Yamada, Ryohei; Yoshii, Hideki*; Otani, Kazunori*; Hiyama, Yoshinori*; Kikuchi, Masaaki*; et al.

JAEA-Review 2019-045, 120 Pages, 2020/03

JAEA-Review-2019-045.pdf:2.54MB

Based on the regulations (the safety regulation of Tokai Reprocessing Plant, the safety regulation of nuclear fuel material usage facilities, the radiation safety rule, the regulation about prevention from radiation hazards due to radioisotopes, which are related with the nuclear regulatory acts, the local agreement concerning with safety and environment conservation around nuclear facilities, the water pollution control law, and by law of Ibaraki Prefecture), the effluent control of liquid waste discharged from the Nuclear Fuel Cycle Engineering Laboratories of Japan Atomic Energy Agency has been performed. This report describes the effluent control results of the liquid waste in the fiscal year 2018. In this period, the concentrations and the quantities of the radioactivity in liquid waste discharged from the reprocessing plant, the plutonium fuel fabrication facilities, and the other nuclear fuel material usage facilities were much lower than the limits authorized by the above regulations.