Background aerial monitoring and UAV radiation monitoring technology development for emergency response and preparedness in the fiscal year 2024 (Contract research)

Futemma, Akira; Ochi, Kotaro; Sasaki, Miyuki; Nakama, Shigeo; Kawasaki, Yoshiharu*; Iwai, Takeyuki*; Hiraga, Shogo*; Haginoya, Masashi*; Matsunaga, Yuki*; Sanada, Yukihisa; et al.

JAEA-Technology 2025-015, 171 Pages, 2026/03

JAEA-Technology-2025-015.pdf:11.43MB

On March 11, 2011, the 2011 off the Pacific coast of Tohoku Earthquake and tsunami caused the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station accident, releasing radioactive material. Since then, Aerial Radiation Monitoring (ARM) with manned helicopters has been used to assess radiation distribution quickly. In FY2024, the Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA), under commission from the Nuclear Regulation Authority, conducted ARM around the Shimane Nuclear Power Station, producing background dose rate maps validated against ground and other data. During a nuclear emergency drill, UAV training flights complemented manned monitoring, confirming the effectiveness of real-time communication and rapid mapping. The UAV data system was developed and demonstrated for real-time analysis and multi-platform use. Skill training for multicopters was also conducted to strengthen operational capability. Additionally, joint monitoring with the U.S., France, South Korea, and Canada provided insights into international technologies and practices, emphasizing the value of information sharing. This report summarizes the results and technical challenges from these FY2024 activities, contributing to the advancement of emergency radiation monitoring.

Development of a phoswich detector for low-energy gamma rays emitted from alpha emitters

Morishita, Yuki; Yamada, Tsutomu*; Nakasone, Takamasa*; Kanno, Marina*; Sasaki, Miyuki; Sanada, Yukihisa; Torii, Tatsuo*

Radiation Measurements, 188, p.107502_1 - 107502_7, 2025/11

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.radmeas.2025.107502

The decommissioning of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station requires thorough inspection of piping for contamination, including alpha nuclides. Since external alpha particle measurements are impractical, detection relies on gamma-rays emitted by the alpha nuclides. Therefore, a phoswich detector for detecting low-energy gamma-rays was developed and experimentally validated. The detector was designed with consideration of energy deposition characteristics and consists of YAP:Ce or HR-GAGG scintillators in combination with BGO scintillators, employing a photomultiplier tube for signal amplification. Validation procedures included Monte Carlo simulations and measurements using actual radiation sources. Both measurement and simulation results demonstrate a correlation in scintillator energy depositions across different gamma-ray energies. Pulse Shape Discrimination (PSD) plots effectively differentiate between low-energy and high-energy gamma-rays, thereby confirming the predictions from simulations. These results suggest promising potential for developing a sensitive low-energy gamma-ray detector utilizing various scintillator combinations. The phoswich detector shows promise for effectively detecting low-energy gamma-rays emitted by alpha nuclides in piping.

Development of a compact detector for measurement of alpha contamination in piping

Morishita, Yuki; Peschet, L.; Yamada, Tsutomu*; Nakasone, Takamasa*; Kanno, Marina*; Sasaki, Miyuki; Sanada, Yukihisa; Torii, Tatsuo*

Radiation Measurements, 183, p.107414_1 - 107414_6, 2025/04

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.radmeas.2025.107414

In the decommissioning nuclear facilities, it is crucial to inspect piping for contamination to prevent worker exposure to alpha-emitting nuclides. Traditional methods using gamma rays and neutrons are inadequate for detecting small amounts of alpha nuclides due to the short range (approximately 4 cm) of alpha particles in air. To address this, we developed a compact detector capable of distinguishing between alpha particles for direct measurement within pipes. This detector, comprising a ZnS(Ag) scintillator for alpha particles and a plastic scintillator for beta particles (gamma rays), was coupled to a small photomultiplier tube. The system demonstrated high accuracy in differentiating between alpha and beta radiation through pulse shape discrimination (PSD). Monte Carlo simulations and empirical measurements confirmed the detector's effectiveness, achieving a 51.3% detection efficiency for alpha particles with negligible sensitivity to beta and gamma radiation. This innovation presents a significant advancement for direct alpha contamination measurement in environments with high beta and gamma backgrounds, such as the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant decommissioning site.

Aerial monitoring around TEPCO's Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station and development of radiation monitoring technology for unmanned airplanes in fiscal year 2023 (Contract research)

Futemma, Akira; Sanada, Yukihisa; Nakama, Shigeo; Sasaki, Miyuki; Ochi, Kotaro; Nagakubo, Azusa; Sawahata, Yoshiro*; Kawasaki, Yoshiharu*; Iwai, Takeyuki*; Hiraga, Shogo*; et al.

JAEA-Technology 2024-021, 232 Pages, 2025/03

JAEA-Technology-2024-021.pdf:25.79MB

The 2011 off the Pacific coast of Tohoku Earthquake on March 11, 2011, caused a tsunami that led to the TEPCO's Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station (FDNPS) accident, releasing a large amount of radioactive material into the surrounding environment. Since the accident, Aerial Radiation Monitoring (ARM) has been used to quickly and widely measure radiation distribution. As a commissioned project from the Nuclear Regulation Authority, the Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) has continuously conducted ARM around FDNPS using manned and unmanned helicopters. This report summarizes the monitoring results for fiscal year 2023, evaluates changes in dose rate from past results, and discusses the factors contributing to these changes. Additionally, an analysis considering terrain undulation was conducted to improve accuracy for converting ARM data into dose rate. Furthermore, a method to discriminate airborne radon progeny was applied for ARM results to evaluate its impact. Moreover, to perform wide-area monitoring more efficiently, we advanced the development of unmanned airplane monitoring technology.

Basic study on tritium monitor using plastic scintillator for treated water discharge at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant

Sanada, Yukihisa; Abe, Tomohisa; Sasaki, Miyuki; Kanno, Marina*; Yamada, Tsutomu*; Nakasone, Takamasa*; Miyazaki, Nobuyuki*; Oshikiri, Keisuke*; Watabe, Hiroshi*

Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, 61(5), p.693 - 702, 2024/05

https://doi.org/10.1080/00223131.2023.2258880

The "treated water" from which the main radioactive materials were removed contains tritium, and stakeholders in Japan have been debating how to treat it. The amount of treated water stored in the facility has reached its limit, and the Japanese government has decided that the treatment method will be to discharge the water into the ocean by FY 2023 (FY: Fiscal Year). The present research developed a simple and practical tritium monitor for the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station (FDNPS) tritiated water release. A simple and practical tritium monitor was developed for FDNPS tritiated water release based on thin plastic scintillator sheets. The developed devices were calibrated using standard tritium solutions and a method for calculating the minimum detectable activity. Fifteen 0.25 mm-thick scintillators can be placed in the 0.26 L flow cell where the sample water is fed, yielding an active surface area of 3,200 mm. The efficiency of tritiated water with full water is 0.000035 cps Bq. The minimum detectable activity under simple shielding conditions was 7,800 Bq L (Measurement time was 3,600 s).

Development of an omnidirectional detector for beta and gamma-ray imaging with fractal geometry

Torii, Tatsuo*; Sasaki, Miyuki; Sanada, Yukihisa

Proceedings of 2023 IEEE Nuclear Science Symposium, Medical Imaging Conference and International Symposium on Room-Temperature Semiconductor Detectors (IEEE NSS MIC RTSD 2023) (Internet), P. 1, 2023/11

https://doi.org/10.1109/NSSMICRTSD49126.2023.10337827

Radiation imaging is useful in various fields where the location of radiation sources needs to be identified. Especially in environments where radiation sources are distributed in three dimensions and difficult to locate, the development of a small imaging sensor that can detect radiation in the 4- direction will have a significant impact on the progress of work. We have developed a radiation detector with a fractal geometry. This is a unit of tetrahedral radiation sensors, 16 sensors are arranged in a Sierpinski tetrahedron shape, and the space between the sensors is filled with heavy metals. The count rates of the individual sensors make it possible to determine the direction of radiation incidence. Furthermore, since there is no external shielding, the distribution of charged particles, such as beta rays, can also be measured. We have analyzed the response of the Sierpinski radiation detector with respect to the incident direction of gamma and beta rays and compared it with experimental results to understand the sensitivity characteristics.

Background radiation monitoring via manned helicopter for application of technique of nuclear emergency response in the fiscal year 2021 (Contract research)

Futemma, Akira; Sanada, Yukihisa; Sasaki, Miyuki; Kawasaki, Yoshiharu*; Iwai, Takeyuki*; Hiraga, Shogo*; Haginoya, Masashi*; Matsunaga, Yuki*; Akutsu, Yuichiro*; Hokama, Tomonori; et al.

JAEA-Technology 2022-028, 127 Pages, 2023/02

JAEA-Technology-2022-028.pdf:15.21MB

A large amount of radioactive material was released by the nuclear disaster of Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station (FDNPS), Tokyo Electric Power Company, caused by the Great East Japan Earthquake and the following tsunami on March 11, 2011. After the nuclear disaster, airborne radiation monitoring via manned helicopter has been utilized to grasp rapidly and widely the distribution of the radioactive materials surrounding FDNPS. We prepare the data of background radiation dose, geomorphic characteristics and the controlled airspace surrounding nuclear facilities of the whole country in order to make effective use of the monitoring technique as a way of emergency radiation monitoring and supply the results during an accident of a facility. This report has summarized the knowledge noted above achieved by the aerial radiation monitoring around Ohi and Takahama nuclear power stations. In addition, the examination's progress aimed at introducing airborne radiation monitoring via an unmanned plane during a nuclear disaster and the technical issues are summarized in this report.

Analysis of radiation measurement data using AI

Sasaki, Miyuki

Isotope News, (778), p.2 - 5, 2021/12

no abstracts in English

Background radiation monitoring using manned helicopter for application of technique of nuclear emergency response in the fiscal year 2020 (Contract research)

Futemma, Akira; Sanada, Yukihisa; Sasaki, Miyuki; Kawasaki, Yoshiharu*; Iwai, Takeyuki*; Hiraga, Shogo*; Sato, Kazuhiko*; Haginoya, Masashi*; Matsunaga, Yuki*; Kikuchi, Hikaru*; et al.

JAEA-Technology 2021-020, 138 Pages, 2021/11

JAEA-Technology-2021-020.pdf:17.11MB

A large amount of radioactive material was released by the nuclear disaster of Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station (FDNPS), Tokyo Electric Power Company, caused by the Great East Japan Earthquake and the following tsunami on March 11, 2011. After the nuclear disaster, airborne radiation monitoring via manned helicopter has been utilized to grasp rapidly and widely the distribution of the radioactive materials surrounding FDNPS. We prepare the data of background radiation dose, geomorphic characteristics and the controlled airspace surrounding nuclear facilities of the whole country in order to make effective use of the monitoring technique as a way of emergency radiation monitoring and supply the results during an accident of a facility. This report is summarized that the knowledge as noted above achieved by the aerial radiation monitoring around Tsuruga and Mihama nuclear power station, research reactors in Kindai University Atomic Energy Research Institute and Institute for Integrated Radiation and Nuclear Science, Kyoto University. In addition, examination's progress aimed at introduction of airborne radiation monitoring via unmanned plane during nuclear disaster and the technical issues are summarized in this report.

Evaluation of decreasing trend in air dose rate and ecological half-life within an 80 km range from Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant, using car-borne survey data measured by KURAMA systems up to 2018

Ando, Masaki; Sasaki, Miyuki; Saito, Kimiaki

Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, 57(12), p.1319 - 1330, 2020/12

https://doi.org/10.1080/00223131.2020.1789008

Air dose rates measured by car-borne surveys within 80 km range of Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant using KURAMA systems from 2011 up to 2018 were analyzed, and decreasing trends and ecological half-life were evaluated. The decreasing speed of air dose rates became 0.08 over a period of seven years, indicating a much more rapid decrease than estimated by the physical decay of radiocesium (0.3). The fast components of the ecological half-lives evaluated in entire the evacuation order area were about 2 to 3 y, and were considerably larger than those outside the evacuation order area (0.4 to 0.5 y). To model the acceleration in the decrease of air dose rates observed in evacuation order areas, we modified the bi-exponential curve formula of ecological half-life and introduced the two-group model. The fast decreasing components of the ecological half-life evaluated using the two-group model after 2013 were 0.5 to 1 y, and were much shorter than those up to 2013, at 2 to 3 y.