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

Development of a portable -ray dust monitor for highly-concentrated airborne contaminants

Sagawa, Naoki; Fujisawa, Makoto; Hosomi, Kenji; Morishita, Yuki; Takada, Chie

Hoken Butsuri (Internet), 58(3), p.135 - 140, 2023/11

https://doi.org/10.5453/jhps.58.135

Radioactivity concentrations of airborne dust are important measurements because they are used to protect workers from intakes and to assess internal exposure doses. Therefore, we developed a portable -ray dust monitor by using an ultra-thin plastic scintillator, which is designed for continuous monitoring of highly-concentrated airborne contaminants ( 10 Bq/cm, equivalent to 30 times larger than the derived air concentration of Sr) such as a decommissioning work in the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. From the performance test results, it is evaluated that the developed portable -ray dust monitor is functional in continuous monitoring with an airborne concentration of 1 Bq/cm.

Measurement of the transverse asymmetry of rays in the Sn()Sn reaction

Endo, Shunsuke; Okudaira, Takuya*; Abe, Ryota*; Fujioka, Hiroyuki*; Hirota, Katsuya*; Kimura, Atsushi; Kitaguchi, Masaaki*; Oku, Takayuki; Sakai, Kenji; Shima, Tatsushi*; et al.

Physical Review C, 106(6), p.064601_1 - 064601_7, 2022/12

https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevC.106.064601

no abstracts in English

Energy-dependent angular distribution of individual rays in the La()La reaction

Okudaira, Takuya*; Endo, Shunsuke; Fujioka, Hiroyuki*; Hirota, Katsuya*; Ishizaki, Kohei*; Kimura, Atsushi; Kitaguchi, Masaaki*; Koga, Jun*; Niinomi, Yudai*; Sakai, Kenji; et al.

Physical Review C, 104(1), p.014601_1 - 014601_6, 2021/07

https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevC.104.014601

Unified mercury radioactivity monitoring system at J-PARC and its operation experiences

Harada, Masahide; Sekijima, Mitsuaki*; Morikawa, Noriyuki*; Masuda, Shiho; Kinoshita, Hidetaka; Sakai, Kenji; Kai, Tetsuya; Kasugai, Yoshimi; Muto, Giichi*; Suzuki, Akio*; et al.

JPS Conference Proceedings (Internet), 33, p.011099_1 - 011099_6, 2021/03

https://doi.org/10.7566/JPSCP.33.011099

In MLF at J-PARC, a unified mercury radioactivity monitor (UHAM) is installed to find an indication of failure of the mercury target and loop system by detecting radioactive materials leaked from the system with a -ray energy analysis with Germanium semi-conductor detectors (Ge detectors). It is composed of three units of sampling port and radiation monitors: (1) HAM for interstitial helium gas layer between the mercury vessel and surrounding water shroud of the mercury target, (2) CAM for atmosphere in the hot cell where the target loop is operated and (3) VAM for helium gas in the helium vessel where the target vessel is installed. Once any leakages of radioactive materials are detected, an alarm signal is issued immediately to the accelerator control system to stop beam operation. Software and hardware have been upgraded yearly. For example, two Ge detectors are used for HAM for redundancy, NaI Scintillation detectors are also used as supplemental for the Ge detector to keep availability of the system for high counting rate event. In April 2015, the UHAM activated when a small water coolant leakage from the water shroud of the mercury target occurred. VAM detected an abnormal increase of the counting rate in the helium vessel. It was also indicated that the measured radioactive nuclides were generated from the activation of the coolant (water) in the water shroud and not from the mercury.

Measurement of the angular distribution of -rays after neutron capture by La for a T-violation search

Okudaira, Takuya; Shimizu, Hirohiko*; Kitaguchi, Masaaki*; Hirota, Katsuya*; Haddock, C. C.*; Ito, Ikuya*; Yamamoto, Tomoki*; Endo, Shunsuke*; Ishizaki, Kohei*; Sato, Takumi*; et al.

EPJ Web of Conferences, 219, p.09001_1 - 09001_6, 2019/12

https://doi.org/10.1051/epjconf/201921909001

Parity violating effects enhanced by up to 10 times have been observed in several neutron induced compound nuclei. There is a theoretical prediction that time reversal (T) violating effects can also be enhanced in these nuclei implying that T-violation can be searched for by making very sensitive measurements. However, the enhancement factor has not yet been measured in all nuclei. The angular distribution of the (n,) reaction was measured with La by using a germanium detector assembly at J-PARC, and the enhancement factor was obtained. From the result, the measurement time to achieve the most sensitive T-violation search was estimated as 1.4 days, and a 40% polarized La target and a 70% polarized He spin filter whose thickness is 70 atmcm are needed. Therefore high quality He spin filter is developed in JAEA. The measurement result of the (n,) reaction at J-PARC and the development status of the He spin filter will be presented.

Numerical evaluation on fluctuation absorption characteristics based on nuclear heat supply fluctuation test using HTTR

Takada, Shoji; Honda, Yuki*; Inaba, Yoshitomo; Sekita, Kenji; Nemoto, Takahiro; Tochio, Daisuke; Ishii, Toshiaki; Sato, Hiroyuki; Nakagawa, Shigeaki; Sawa, Kazuhiro*

Proceedings of 9th International Topical Meeting on High Temperature Reactor Technology (HTR 2018) (USB Flash Drive), 7 Pages, 2018/10

Nuclear heat utilization systems connected to HTGRs will be designed on the basis of non-nuclear grade standards for easy entry of chemical plant companies, requiring reactor operations to continue even if abnormal events occur in the systems. The inventory control is considered as one of candidate methods to control reactor power for load following operation for siting close to demand area, in which the primary gas pressure is varied while keeping the reactor inlet and outlet coolant temperatures constant. Numerical investigation was carried out based on the results of nuclear heat supply fluctuation tests using HTTR by non-nuclear heating operation to focus on the temperature transient of the reactor core bottom structure by imposing stepwise fluctuation on the reactor inlet temperature under different primary gas pressures below 120C. As a result, it was emerged that the fluctuation absorption characteristics are not deteriorated by lowering pressure. It was also emerged that the reactor outlet temperature did not reach the scram level by increasing the reactor inlet temperature 10 C stepwise at 80% of the rated power as same with the full power case.

Characterization of germanium detectors for the measurement of the angular distribution of prompt -rays at the ANNRI in the MLF of the J-PARC

Takada, Shusuke*; Okudaira, Takuya*; Goto, Fumiya*; Hirota, Katsuya*; Kimura, Atsushi; Kitaguchi, Masaaki*; Koga, Jun*; Nakao, Taro*; Sakai, Kenji; Shimizu, Hirohiko*; et al.

Journal of Instrumentation (Internet), 13(2), p.P02018_1 - P02018_21, 2018/02

https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-0221/13/02/P02018

Nuclear heat supply fluctuation tests by non-nuclear heating with HTTR

Inaba, Yoshitomo; Sekita, Kenji; Nemoto, Takahiro; Honda, Yuki; Tochio, Daisuke; Sato, Hiroyuki; Nakagawa, Shigeaki; Takada, Shoji; Sawa, Kazuhiro

Journal of Nuclear Engineering and Radiation Science, 2(4), p.041001_1 - 041001_7, 2016/10

https://doi.org/10.1115/1.4034320

The nuclear heat utilization systems connected to High Temperature Gas-cooled Reactors (HTGRs) will be designed on the basis of non-nuclear grade standards in terms of the easier entry of chemical plant companies and the construction economics of the systems. Therefore, it is necessary that the reactor operations can be continued even if abnormal events occur in the systems. The Japan Atomic Energy Agency has developed a calculation code to evaluate the absorption of thermal load fluctuations by the reactors when the reactor operations are continued after such events, and has improved the code based on the High Temperature engineering Test Reactor (HTTR) operating data. However, there were insufficient data on the transient temperature behavior of the metallic core side components and the graphite core support structures corresponding to the fluctuation of the reactor inlet coolant temperature for further improvement of the code. Thus, nuclear heat supply fluctuation tests with the HTTR were carried out in non-nuclear heating operation to focus on thermal effect. In the tests, the coolant helium gas temperature was heated up to 120C by the compression heat of the gas circulators in the HTTR, and a sufficiently high fluctuation of 17C by devising a new test procedure was imposed on the reactor inlet coolant under the ideal condition without the effect of the nuclear power. Then, the temperature responses of the metallic core side components and the graphite core support structures were investigated. The test results adequately showed as predicted that the temperature responses of the metallic components are faster than those of the graphite structures, and the mechanism of the thermal load fluctuation absorption by the metallic components was clarified.

Progress of the general control system for the Materials and Life Science Experimental Facility in J-PARC

Sakai, Kenji; Oi, Motoki; Watanabe, Akihiko; Kai, Tetsuya; Kato, Yuko; Meigo, Shinichiro; Takada, Hiroshi

JAEA-Conf 2015-002, p.593 - 598, 2016/02

https://doi.org/10.11484/jaea-conf-2015-002

For safe and stable beam operation, a MLF general control system (GCS) consists of several subsystems such as an integral control, interlock, server, network, and timing distribution systems. Since the first beam injection in 2008, the GCS has operated stably without any serious troubles in comparison with upgrade of target devices for ramping up beam power and increment of user apparatuses year by year. In recent years, however, it has been improved significantly in view of sustainable long-term operation and maintenance. The monitor and operation system of the GCS has been upgraded by changing its framework software to improve potential flexibility in its maintenance. Its interlock system was also modified in accordance with the re-examination of the risk management system of J-PARC. This paper reports recent progress of the MLF-GCS.