Analysis work on flush-out of plutonium and uranium for decommissioning of main plant in Tokai Reprocessing Plant

Sato, Hinata; Mori, Amami; Kuno, Sorato; Horigome, Kazushi; Goto, Yuichi; Yamamoto, Masahiko; Taguchi, Shigeo

JAEA-Technology 2024-011, 56 Pages, 2024/10

JAEA-Technology-2024-011.pdf:2.5MB

Flush-out, which recovers remaining nuclear materials in the process and transfer it to a highly radioactive liquid waste storage tank, has been performed at main plant of Tokai Reprocessing Plant. The flush-out has been composed from three steps: first step is to remove of spent fuel sheared powder, second step is to collect plutonium solution stored in the process, and third step is to convert uranium solution into uranium trioxide powder. The first step of flush-out activity has been completed in 2022. Second and third steps of flush-out have been completed from March 2023 to February 2024. Process control analysis has been performed for operation of the facility, and material accountancy analysis has been performed to control the accountancy of nuclear materials. In addition, related analytical work such as pretreatment for transporting inspection samples for safeguards analysis laboratories in IAEA has been also performed. This report describes results of analytical work performed in collections of plutonium and uranium solutions in second and third steps of the flush-out, including calibration of analytical equipment, waste generation, and education and training of analytical operator.

Application of transition-edge sensors for micro-X-ray fluorescence measurements and micro-X-ray absorption near edge structure spectroscopy; a case study of uranium speciation in biotite obtained from a uranium mine

Yomogida, Takumi; Hashimoto, Tadashi; Okumura, Takuma*; Yamada, Shinya*; Tatsuno, Hideyuki*; Noda, Hirofumi*; Hayakawa, Ryota*; Okada, Shinji*; Takatori, Sayuri*; Isobe, Tadaaki*; et al.

Analyst, 149(10), p.2932 - 2941, 2024/03

https://doi.org/10.1039/D4AN00059E

In this study, we successfully applied a transition-edge sensor (TES) spectrometer as a detector for microbeam X-ray measurements from a synchrotron X-ray light source to determine uranium (U) distribution at the micro-scale and its chemical species in biotite obtained from the U mine. It is difficult to separate the fluorescent X-ray of the U L line at 13.615 keV from that of the Rb K line at 13.395 keV in the X-ray fluorescence spectrum with an energy resolution of approximately 220 eV of the conventional silicon drift detector (SDD). Meanwhile, the fluorescent X-rays of U L and Rb K were fully separated by TES with 50 eV energy resolution at the energy of around 13 keV. The successful peak separation by TES led to an accurate mapping analysis of trace U in micro-X-ray fluorescence measurements and a decrease in the signal-to-background ratio in micro-X-ray absorption near edge structure spectroscopy.

Analysis work report on removal of spent fuel sheared powder for decommissioning of main plant

Aoya, Juri; Mori, Amami; Sato, Hinata; Kono, Soma; Morokado, Shiori; Horigome, Kazushi; Goto, Yuichi; Yamamoto, Masahiko; Taguchi, Shigeo

JAEA-Technology 2023-008, 34 Pages, 2023/06

JAEA-Technology-2023-008.pdf:1.92MB

Flush-out, by which nuclear materials in the Tokai Reprocessing Plant process are recovered, has been started in June 2022 as the first step of decommissioning. Flush-out consists of removal of spent fuel sheared powder, plutonium solution, uranium solution, and the other nuclear materials. Removal of spent fuel sheared powder has been completed in September 2022. During removal of spent fuel sheared powder, uranium concentration, plutonium concentration, acid concentration, radioactivity concentration, and solution density have been analyzed for process control. For nuclear material accountancy, uranium concentration, plutonium concentration, isotope ratio, and solution density have been analyzed. Analysis work including sample pretreatment before transportation to IAEA analytical facility for safeguards, and the other operations related to Flush-out such as calibration of analytical instruments, education, and training of operators are reported.

Extreme chemistry of superheavy elements

Sato, Tetsuya; Nagame, Yuichiro*

Nihon Butsuri Gakkai-Shi, 78(2), p.64 - 72, 2023/02

https://doi.org/10.11316/butsuri.78.2_64

The study of the chemistry of superheavy elements, which are located in the heavy extremes of the periodic table, has made considerable progress over the past 20 years, and new approaches based on various ideas have recently been developed. Research groups in Japan have also made significant contributions to the development of research on superheavy elements. Recently, notable results have been reported for the transactinide elements rutherfordium (element 104), dubnium (element 105), and seaborgium (element 106), and the heavy actinides with atomic numbers exceeding 100. The review will focus on the recent main results of these elements. This review outlines the main recent results and touches on future prospects.

Design and actual performance of J-PARC 3 GeV rapid cycling synchrotron for high-intensity operation

Yamamoto, Kazami; Kinsho, Michikazu; Hayashi, Naoki; Saha, P. K.; Tamura, Fumihiko; Yamamoto, Masanobu; Tani, Norio; Takayanagi, Tomohiro; Kamiya, Junichiro; Shobuda, Yoshihiro; et al.

Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, 59(9), p.1174 - 1205, 2022/09

https://doi.org/10.1080/00223131.2022.2038301

In the Japan Proton Accelerator Research Complex, the purpose of the 3 GeV rapid cycling synchrotron (RCS) is to accelerate a 1 MW, high-intensity proton beam. To achieve beam operation at a repetition rate of 25 Hz at high intensities, the RCS was elaborately designed. After starting the RCS operation, we carefully verified the validity of its design and made certain improvements to establish a reliable operation at higher power as possible. Consequently, we demonstrated beam operation at a high power, namely, 1 MW. We then summarized the design, actual performance, and improvements of the RCS to achieve a 1 MW beam.

Chemistry of the elements at the end of the actinide series using their low-energy ion-beams

Sato, Tetsuya; Nagame, Yuichiro*

Radiochimica Acta, 110(6-9), p.441 - 451, 2022/07

https://doi.org/10.1515/ract-2022-0001

We describe our recent achievements in the effective production of low-energy ion-beams of the elements at the end of the actinide series, fermium (Fm, atomic number Z = 100), mendelevium (Md, Z = 101), nobelium (No, Z = 102), and lawrencium (Lr, Z = 103), using a surface ionization ion-source installed in the ISOL (Isotope Separator On-Line) at the Tandem accelerator facility of JAEA (Japan Atomic Energy Agency). Then the successful measurements of the first ionization potentials (IP) of these elements with the ISOL setup are reviewed. The measured IP values increased up to No via Fm and Md, while that of Lr was the lowest among the actinides. Based on the variation of the IP1 values of the heavy actinides with the atomic number in comparison with those of the heavy lanthanides, the results clearly demonstrated that the 5f orbitals are fully filled at No, and the actinide series ends with Lr. Furthermore, the IP value of Lr provoked controversy over its position in the Periodic Table, so a short introduction to this issue is presented. The feasibility of the extension of chemical studies to still heavier elements with their ion-beams generated by ISOL is briefly discussed.

PSTEP: Project for solar-terrestrial environment prediction

Kusano, Kanya*; Ichimoto, Kiyoshi*; Ishii, Mamoru*; Miyoshi, Yoshizumi*; Yoden, Shigeo*; Akiyoshi, Hideharu*; Asai, Ayumi*; Ebihara, Yusuke*; Fujiwara, Hitoshi*; Goto, Tadanori*; et al.

Earth, Planets and Space (Internet), 73(1), p.159_1 - 159_29, 2021/12

https://doi.org/10.1186/s40623-021-01486-1

The PSTEP is a nationwide research collaboration in Japan and was conducted from April 2015 to March 2020, supported by a Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research on Innovative Areas from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan. It has made a significant progress in space weather research and operational forecasts, publishing over 500 refereed journal papers and organizing four international symposiums, various workshops and seminars, and summer school for graduate students at Rikubetsu in 2017. This paper is a summary report of the PSTEP and describes the major research achievements it produced.

First study on Nihonium (Nh, Element 113) chemistry at TASCA

Yakushev, A.*; Lens, L.*; Dllmann, C. E.*; Block, M.*; Nagame, Yuichiro*; Sato, Tetsuya; Toyoshima, Atsushi*; 42 of others*

Frontiers in Chemistry (Internet), 9, p.753738_1 - 753738_9, 2021/11

https://doi.org/10.3389/fchem.2021.753738

Nihonium (Nh, element 113) and flerovium (Fl, element 114) are the first superheavy elements in which the 7p shell is occupied. High volatility and inertness were predicted for Fl due to the strong relativistic stabilization of the closed 7p sub-shell, which originates from a large spin-orbit splitting between the 7p and 7p orbitals. One unpaired electron in the outermost 7p sub-shell in Nh is expected to give rise to a higher chemical reactivity. Theoretical predictions of Nh reactivity are discussed, along with results of the first experimental attempts to study Nh chemistry in the gas phase. The experimental observations verify a higher chemical reactivity of Nh atoms compared to its neighbor Fl and call for the development of advanced setups. First tests of a newly developed detection device miniCOMPACT with highly reactive Fr isotopes assure that effective chemical studies of Nh are within reach.

Chemical characterization of a volatile dubnium compound, DbOCl

Chiera, N. M.*; Sato, Tetsuya; Eichler, R.*; Tomitsuka, Tomohiro; Asai, Masato; Adachi, Sadia*; Dressler, R.*; Hirose, Kentaro; Inoue, Hiroki*; Ito, Yuta; et al.

Angewandte Chemie; International Edition, 60(33), p.17871 - 17874, 2021/08

https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.202102808

The formation and the chemical characterization of single atoms of dubnium (Db, element 105), in the form of its volatile oxychloride, was investigated using the on-line gas phase chromatography technique, in the temperature range 350 - 600 C. Under the exact same chemical conditions, comparative studies with the lighter homologs of group-5 in the Periodic Table clearly indicate the volatility sequence being NbOCl TaOCl DbOCl. From the obtained experimental results, thermochemical data for DbOCl were derived. The present study delivers reliable experimental information for theoretical calculations on the chemical properties of transactinides.

Real-time dosimetry system based on an optical fiber-coupled microsized photostimulable phosphor for stereotactic body radiation therapy

Yada, Ryuichi*; Maenaka, Kazusuke*; Miyamoto, Shuji*; Okada, Go*; Sasakura, Aki*; Ashida, Motoi*; Adachi, Masashi*; Sato, Tatsuhiko; Wang, T.*; Akasaka, Hiroaki*; et al.

Medical Physics, 47(10), p.5235 - 5249, 2020/10

https://doi.org/10.1002/mp.14383

The dosimeter system is capable of real-time, accurate, and precise measurement under stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) conditions. The probe is smaller than a conventional dosimeter, has excellent spatial resolution, and can be valuable in SBRT with a steep dose distribution over a small field. The developed PSP dosimeter system appears to be suitable for in vivo SBRT dosimetry.