Examinations of performance for utilization of radiation portal monitors in contamination inspection for motor vehicles in nuclear emergency (Contract research)

Hiraoka, Hirokazu; Komatsuzaki, Joji*; Hanaka, Norihiko*; Okamoto, Akiko; Saito, Yoshihiko*; Munakata, Masahiro; Togawa, Orihiko

JAEA-Technology 2022-003, 70 Pages, 2022/07

JAEA-Technology-2022-003.pdf:2.53MB

In contamination inspections for public in nuclear emergency, it is assumed that a large number of motor vehicles and evacuees will be inspected. At present, first measurement points of vehicles are tires and around a wiper, and they are basically inspected by persons using portable radiation surface contamination meters such as GM survey meters. However, in order to efficiently inspect contamination of vehicles, utilization of portable radiation portal monitors is being considered for the inspection. In this study, examination of performance of the portal monitor was conducted in order to obtain basic data. In this examinations, sealed radiation sources, Ba, were substituted for the contamination of Operational Intervention Level 4 (OIL4), the evaluation criteria to conduct simple decontamination in the contamination inspection. The radiation source was attached practically to a tire and around the wipers of a vehicle, and the counting rate of -rays from the radiation sources was measured using the portal monitor. Three examinations were conducted: static examination with a vehicle stationary, moving examination to mock the actual inspection, and high back ground examination to investigate performance of the equipment in high back ground environment. The vehicle mainly used in the experiments was a sedan, which is generally used as standard vehicles. And, a van whose front body is like that of a bus was used at this experiment. In addition, the "Gamma Pole" manufactured by the Chiyoda Technol Corporation was used as the portal monitor. As the result, it was estimated that the case of contamination equivalent to 40,000 cpm, the default value of the OIL4, deposited on the tread on a vehicle tire, when the vehicle passes through the portal monitor at 10 km/h or less, the contamination would be detected with a probability of 99% or more. Similarly, when the contamination deposited on around the wipers and the vehicle speed is 5 km/h or less,

Consideration on utilization of atmospheric dispersion models for a nuclear emergency preparedness and response

Togawa, Orihiko; Okura, Takehisa; Kimura, Masanori; Nagai, Haruyasu

JAEA-Review 2021-021, 61 Pages, 2021/11

JAEA-Review-2021-021.pdf:3.72MB

Triggered by the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station accident, there have been a lot of arguments among various situations and levels about utilization of atmospheric dispersion models for a nuclear emergency preparedness and response. Most of these arguments, however, were alternative and extreme discussions on whether predictions by computational models could be applied or not for protective measures in a nuclear emergency, and it was hard to say that these arguments were politely conducted, based on scientific verification in an emergency response. It was known, on the other hand, that there were not a few potential users of atmospheric dispersion models and/or calculation results by the models within the Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) and outside. However, they seemed to have a lack of understanding and a misunderstanding on proper use of different kinds of atmospheric dispersion models. This report compares an outline of models and calculation method in atmospheric dispersion models for a nuclear emergency preparedness and response, with a central focus on the models which have been developed and used in the JAEA. Examples of calculations by these models are also described in the report. This report aims at contributing to future consideration and activities for potential users of atmospheric dispersion models within the JAEA and outside.

Investigation and consideration on evaluation of radiation doses to residents in the case of a nuclear emergency

Hashimoto, Makoto; Kinase, Sakae; Munakata, Masahiro; Murayama, Takashi; Takahashi, Masa; Takada, Chie; Okamoto, Akiko; Hayakawa, Tsuyoshi; Sukegawa, Masato; Kume, Nobuhide*; et al.

JAEA-Review 2020-071, 53 Pages, 2021/03

JAEA-Review-2020-071.pdf:2.72MB

In the case of a nuclear accident or a radiological emergency, the Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA), as a designated public corporation assigned in the Disaster Countermeasures Basic Act and the Armed Attack Situation Response Law, undertakes technical supports to the national government and local governments. The JAEA is requested to support to evaluate radiation doses to residents in a nuclear emergency, which is specified in the Basic Disaster Management Plan and the Nuclear Emergency Response Manual. For the dose evaluation, however, its strategy, target, method, structure and so on have not been determined either specifically or in detail. This report describes the results of investigation and consideration discussed in the "Working Group for Radiation Dose Evaluation at a Nuclear Emergency" established within the Nuclear Emergency Assistance and Training Center to discuss technical supports for radiation dose evaluation to residents in the case of a nuclear emergency, and aims at contributing to specific and detailed discussion and activities in the future for the national government and local governments, also within the JAEA.

Activities on predictions of atmospheric dispersion of radionuclides for nuclear tests by North Korea

Ishizaki, Shuhei; Hayakawa, Tsuyoshi; Tsuzuki, Katsunori; Terada, Hiroaki; Togawa, Orihiko

JAEA-Technology 2018-007, 43 Pages, 2018/10

JAEA-Technology-2018-007.pdf:5.67MB

When North Korea has carried out a nuclear test, by a request from Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA), Nuclear Emergency Assistance and Training Center (NEAT) predicts atmospheric dispersion of radionuclides by WSPEEDI-II system in cooperation with Nuclear Science and Engineering Center (NSEC), and submits the predicted results to NRA as the activity to assist responses by the Japanese Government. This report explains frameworks of the Japanese Government and Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) to cope with nuclear tests by North Korea, and describes a series of activities by NEAT regarding predictions of atmospheric dispersion of radionuclides in response to the 5th and 6th nuclear tests carried out by North Korea in September 2016 and September 2017. Future plans and issues to be solved for responses to nuclear tests are also described in this report, together with an outline of a computer program system used in the predictions.

A Study of released radionuclide in the coastal area from a discharge pipe of nuclear fuel reprocessing plant in Rokkasho, Aomori, Japan

Kobayashi, Takuya; In, Teiji*; Ishikawa, Yoichi*; Kawamura, Hideyuki; Nakayama, Tomoharu*; Shima, Shigeki*; Awaji, Toshiyuki*; Togawa, Orihiko

Progress in Nuclear Science and Technology (Internet), 2, p.682 - 687, 2011/10

https://doi.org/10.15669/pnst.2.682

When the reprocessing plant is in routine operation, radionuclides are released to the coastal ocean as scheduled. Released radionuclides migrate in the ocean by physical, chemical and biological processes. Thus, for environmental safety, it is important to understand the migration behavior due to routine releases of radionuclides to the coastal ocean from the reprocessing plant. A numerical simulation model system that consists of an ocean general circulation model and a particle random-walk model to describe the radionuclide migration behavior in Rokkasho coastal region has been developed. The particle random-walk model, SEA-GEARN, calculates the radionuclides migration in the ocean. The system has been applied to simulate the nowcast of Rokkasho coastal region in 2007 and hypothetical radionuclide release has been carried out.

Surface concentrations of I around the subarctic front in the Japan Sea

Suzuki, Takashi; Otosaka, Shigeyoshi; Togawa, Orihiko

Dai-13-Kai AMS Shimpojiumu Hokokusho, p.69 - 72, 2011/01

no abstracts in English

Simulation of concentrations of anthropogenic radionuclides in the Japan Sea

Kawamura, Hideyuki; Ito, Toshimichi; Kobayashi, Takuya; Otosaka, Shigeyoshi; Hirose, Naoki*; Togawa, Orihiko

Proceedings of Joint International Conference of 7th Supercomputing in Nuclear Application and 3rd Monte Carlo (SNA + MC 2010) (USB Flash Drive), 4 Pages, 2010/10

This study aims to demonstrate many findings in the Japan Sea expeditions by Japan Atomic Energy Agency between 1997 and 2002 making use of an ocean general circulation model. A numerical experiment is performed between 1945 and 2000 with deposition at the sea surface by global fallout as main source of anthropogenic radionuclides. The concentrations of Sr and Cs in the surface layer are approximately in the range of 1.0-1.5 Bq/m and 2.0-2.5 Bq/m and they exponentially decrease with depth from the sea surface to the sea bottom. Total amounts of Sr and Cs in the seawater of the Japan Sea are estimated to be about 1.34 PBq (1 PBq = 10 Bq) and 2.02 PBq in the numerical experiment, which demonstrates observational estimations in the Japan Sea expeditions. Time series of the total amounts show that they attain the maximums of 4.86 PBq for Sr and 7.33 PBq for Cs in 1964.

Seawater circulation in the Japan Sea based on iodine-129

Suzuki, Takashi; Minakawa, Masayuki*; Kabuto, Shoji; Togawa, Orihiko

Dai-12-Kai AMS Shimpojiumu Hokokushu, p.69 - 72, 2010/05

no abstracts in English

Preliminary result of dissolved organic radiocarbon in the western North Pacific Ocean

Tanaka, Takayuki; Otosaka, Shigeyoshi; Wakita, Masahide*; Amano, Hikaru*; Togawa, Orihiko

Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research B, 268(7-8), p.1219 - 1221, 2010/04

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nimb.2009.10.137

Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in seawater is one of the largest reservoirs of organic matter on the earth's surface, holding approximately as much carbon as available in atmospheric CO. As a result of the huge carbon reservoir, the role and dynamics of DOC have become of greater interest in the global carbon cycle. It has been suggested that dissolved organic radiocarbon (C-DOC) in seawater is a powerful tool to understand the dynamics of DOC and its researches have been carried out using AMS. However, there are very few data in the world oceans because of the difficulties of the measurement technique. Although it has been represented that the western North Pacific plays an important role in the carbon cycle from the viewpoint of a terminal of the deep water circulation in the world oceans and a high biological activity, C-DOC has not been measured yet. In this study, we obtained its vertical profile in the western North Pacific for the first time.

The Estimation of turnover time in the Japan Sea bottom water by I

Suzuki, Takashi; Minakawa, Masayuki*; Togawa, Orihiko

JAEA-Conf 2010-001, p.15 - 18, 2010/03

https://jopss.jaea.go.jp/pdfdata/JAEA-Conf-2010-001.pdf

no abstracts in English