Development of semiconductor switches for high-power crowbar circuits for J-PARC accelerator

Ono, Ayato; Takayanagi, Tomohiro; Fuwa, Yasuhiro; Shinozaki, Shinichi; Ueno, Tomoaki*; Horino, Koki*; Sugita, Moe; Yamamoto, Kazami; Kinsho, Michikazu; Ikoma, Naoya*; et al.

Proceedings of 20th Annual Meeting of Particle Accelerator Society of Japan (Internet), p.871 - 876, 2023/11

https://www.pasj.jp/web_publish/pasj2023/proceedings/PDF/FRP1/FRP17.pdf

In J-PARC, an ignitron is used for the crowbar device of the klystron power supply to excite the RF acceleration voltage in a Linac cavity. Mercury, that is used in the ignitron, would be prohibition of use in the future due to environmental protection. Therefore, we designed a semiconductor crowbar switch for short-circuit protection of klystron using a MOS gate thyristor. We have manufactured an oval-type board module that realizes an operating output of 3kV, 40kA, and 50us per board. Because a high voltage of 120 kV is applied on each board, we adopted a self-power supply method to supply a electricity for the control system. This method can create the electricity from a high-voltage DCDC converter. We confirmed the operating performance on a 1/2 scale (60 kV, 40 kA) of the voltage in the existing ignitron system (120 kV, 40 kA). We also studied a test circuit in a higher voltage range of more than 90 kV. Our latest result is well promising for an alternative system of ignitron.

Semiconductor pulse power supplies for accelerators at J-PARC

Takayanagi, Tomohiro; Ono, Ayato; Fuwa, Yasuhiro; Shinozaki, Shinichi; Horino, Koki*; Ueno, Tomoaki*; Sugita, Moe; Yamamoto, Kazami; Oguri, Hidetomo; Kinsho, Michikazu; et al.

Proceedings of 19th Annual Meeting of Particle Accelerator Society of Japan (Internet), p.242 - 246, 2023/01

At J-PARC, semiconductor short pulse power supplies to replace kicker power supplies and semiconductor long pulse power supplies to replace klystron power supply systems are under construction. We have fabricated a 40kV/2kA/1.2s unit power supply that employs a linear transformer drivers (LTD) system for kickers. Currently, we are working on a high voltage insulating cylinder insulator that suppresses corona discharges using only the insulator structure, without using insulating oil. In addition, the MARX system was adopted for klystron power supply system. A main circuit unit for 8kV/60A/830s rectangular pulse output and an 800V/60A correction circuit unit that improves the flat top droop from 10% to 1% were manufactured. Furthermore, a 2.2kV/2.4kW high voltage SiC inverter charger has been fabricated for this MARX power supply. The presentation will report the evaluation results of each test and prospects for semiconductor pulse power supplies.

Time dependence of corrosion behavior on Ta in NaOH solutions

Ishijima, Yasuhiro; Ueno, Fumiyoshi; Abe, Hitoshi

Materials Transactions, 63(4), p.538 - 544, 2022/04

https://doi.org/10.2320/matertrans.MT-C2021005

The time dependence of the corrosion behavior of tantalum (Ta), which is used in nuclear fuel reprocessing equipment, in sodium hydroxide (NaOH) solutions was investigated by immersion tests, and the mechanism of the time dependence was examined via surface observations and electrochemical measurements. The immersion tests were conducted at room temperature with NaOH concentrations ranging from 1 to 7 mol/L for immersion periods of 24 to 168 h. The corrosion rate increased with the NaOH concentration but peaked with the immersion period and then decreased. The time to peak of the corrosion rate was shorter with higher NaOH concentration. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns and Raman spectra of the surfaces of the specimens immersed in the 7 mol/L NaOH solution for more than 48 h showed NaTaO formation. The polarization resistance decreased with immersion time for all NaOH concentrations up to about 24 h after immersion. Thereafter, the polarization resistance increased with immersion time in 7 mol/L NaOH solution and remained almost constant in the other NaOH concentrations. Findings suggested that the change in the corrosion rate was affected by the film formation during immersion, since the time dependence of the polarization resistance and the sum of film resistance and charge transfer resistance had the same tendencies. The precipitation film was mainly NaTaO formed by the dissolution of the passivity film on Ta.

Rabi-oscillation spectroscopy of the hyperfine structure of muonium atoms

Nishimura, Shoichiro*; Torii, Hiroyuki*; Fukao, Yoshinori*; Ito, Takashi; Iwasaki, Masahiko*; Kanda, Sotaro*; Kawagoe, Kiyotomo*; Kawall, D.*; Kawamura, Naritoshi*; Kurosawa, Noriyuki*; et al.

Physical Review A, 104(2), p.L020801_1 - L020801_6, 2021/08

https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.104.L020801

Time dependence of corrosion behavior on Ta in NaOH solutions

Ishijima, Yasuhiro; Ueno, Fumiyoshi; Abe, Hitoshi

Zairyo To Kankyo, 70(6), p.192 - 198, 2021/06

https://doi.org/10.3323/jcorr.70.192

The time dependence of corrosion behavior on tantalum used in nuclear fuel reprocessing equipment in sodium hydroxide solution was investigated by immersion corrosion tests, and the mechanism of aging change was discussed from surface observations and electrochemical measurements. The immersion tests were carried out at room temperature with NaOH concentrations ranging from 1 to 7 mol/L and immersion times ranging from 24 to 168 hr, respectively. The corrosion rate increased with NaOH concentration, but peaked with immersion time and then decreased. The time to peak of corrosion rate was shorter with higher NaOH concentration. The SEM observations and Raman analysis at the surface of the specimens that were cleaned and weighed after the immersion test did not show any film formation. On the other hand, the polarization resistance showed a constant value or an increase after a decrease immediately after immersion. It is suggested that the change in corrosion rate is affected by the formation of film by immersion, since the value of polarization resistance is almost the same as the sum of film resistance and charge transfer resistance. The film was considered to be mainly NaTaO formed by the dissolution of Ta.

Short- and middle-ranges order structures of KNbO nanocrystals

Yoneda, Yasuhiro; Kunisada, Ryoichi*; Chikada, Tsukasa*; Ueno, Shintaro*; Fujii, Ichiro*; Nagata, Hajime*; Ohara, Koji*; Wada, Satoshi*

Japanese Journal of Applied Physics, 58(SL), p.SLLA03_1 - SLLA03_7, 2019/11

https://doi.org/10.7567/1347-4065/ab37e2

Local structure analysis of KNbO nanocrystals with cubic shape

Yoneda, Yasuhiro; Kunisada, Ryoichi*; Chikada, Tsukasa*; Ueno, Shintaro*; Ohara, Koji*; Wada, Satoshi*

Transactions of the Materials Research Society of Japan, 43(2), p.93 - 96, 2018/04

https://doi.org/10.14723/tmrsj.43.93

KNbO nanocrystals were grown by solvothermal technique assisted by a microwave treatment. We performed high-energy X-ray diffraction to extract average and local structural parameters. The particle size can be evaluated by the Scherrer's equation. The unit cell size was reduced as the particle size increased. The local structure was found to be a rhombohedral structure, which was similar to that of the bulk KNbO.

Hydrogen absorption behavior on zirconium under -radiolysis of nitric acid solution

Ishijima, Yasuhiro; Ueno, Fumiyoshi; Abe, Hitoshi

Nihon Genshiryoku Gakkai Wabun Rombunshi, 16(2), p.100 - 106, 2017/05

https://doi.org/10.3327/taesj.J16.018

Zirconium (Zr) has been used as a structural material at the spent nuclear fuel reprocessing plant in Japan because of its excellent corrosion resistance against nitric acid solution. And the radiolytic hydrogen is known to be generated in the spent nuclear fuel solution. Zr is known to be highly susceptible to hydrogen embrittlement. Therefore, evaluating the radiolytic hydrogen absorption behavior of Zr in nitric acid solution (HNO) is essential. In this study, immersion tests were conducted on Zr in nitric acid solutions under -ray irradiation to evaluate its radiolytic hydrogen absorption behavior. Results showed that hydrogen concentration on Zr increased both in 1-3 mol/L HNO and pure water at 5 and 7 kGy/h after immersion. The amount of hydrogen absorption on Zr under -ray irradiation had a direct correlation with the radiolytic hydrogen generation value in HNO. The results of glow discharge optical emission spectrometry, thermal desorption spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction result shows that the absorbed radiolytic hydrogen generated a hydride on the surface of Zr.

The Effect of crystal textures on the anodic oxidization of zirconium in a boiling nitric acid solution

Kato, Chiaki; Ishijima, Yasuhiro; Ueno, Fumiyoshi; Yamamoto, Masahiro

Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, 53(9), p.1371 - 1379, 2016/09

AA2015-0626.pdf:1.2MB

https://doi.org/10.1080/00223131.2015.1110506

The effects of crystal textures and the potentials in the anodic oxidation of zirconium in a boiling nitric acid solution were investigated to study the stress corrosion cracking of zirconium in nitric acid solutions. The growth of the zirconium oxide film dramatically changed depending on the applied potential at a closed depassivation potential (1.47 V vs. SSE). At 1.5 V, the zirconium oxide film rapidly grows, and its growth exhibits cyclic oxidation kinetics in accordance with a nearly cubic rate law. The zirconium oxide film grows according to the quantity of electric charge, and the growth rate does not depend on the crystal texture in the pretransition region before the cyclic oxidation kinetics. However, the growth and cracking under the thick oxide film depend on the crystal texture in the transition region. On the normal direction side, the oxide film thickness decreases on average since some areas of the thick oxide film are separated from the specimen surface owing to the cracks in the thick oxide. On the rolling direction side, cracks are found under the thick oxide film, which deeply propagate along the RD without an external stress. The cracks under the thick oxide film propagate to the center of the oxide layer. The cracks in the oxide layer propagate in the (0002)Zr plane in the zirconium matrix. The oxide layer consists of string-like zirconium oxide and zirconium hydride. The string-like zirconium oxide contains orthorhombic ZrO in addition to monoclinic ZrO. As one assumption for the mechanism of crack initiation and propagation without an external stress, it is considered that the oxidizing zirconium hydrides precipitate in the (0002)Zr and then the phase transformation from orthorhombic ZrO to monoclinic ZrO in the oxide layer causes the crack propagation in the (0002) plane.

Beam test of a new radio frequency quadrupole linac for the Japan Proton Accelerator Research Complex

Kondo, Yasuhiro; Morishita, Takatoshi; Yamazaki, Saishun; Hori, Toshihiko; Sawabe, Yuki; Chishiro, Etsuji; Fukuda, Shimpei; Hasegawa, Kazuo; Hirano, Koichiro; Kikuzawa, Nobuhiro; et al.

Physical Review Special Topics; Accelerators and Beams, 17(12), p.120101_1 - 120101_8, 2014/12

https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevSTAB.17.120101

We performed a beam test of a new radio frequency quadrupole linac (RFQ III) for the beam current upgrade of the Japan Proton Accelerator Research Complex. First, the conditioning of RFQ III was conducted, and after 20 h of conditioning, RFQ III became very stable with a nominal peak power and duty factor of 400 kW and 1.5%, respectively. An off-line beam test was subsequently conducted before installation in the accelerator tunnel. The transmission, transverse emittance, and energy spread of the 50-mA negative hydrogen beam from RFQ III were measured and compared with simulation results. The experiment and simulation results showed good agreement; therefore, we conclude that the performance of RFQ III conforms to its design.