Clogging properties of HEPA filter induced by loading of soot from burned glove-box panel materials

Tashiro, Shinsuke; Ono, Takuya; Amano, Yuki; Yoshida, Ryoichiro; Watanabe, Koji*; Abe, Hitoshi

Nuclear Technology, 208(10), p.1553 - 1561, 2022/10

https://doi.org/10.1080/00295450.2022.2045179

To contribute to the confinement safety evaluation of the radioactive materials in the Glove box (GB) fire accident, combustion tests with the Polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) and the Polycarbonate (PC) as typical panel materials for the GB have been conducted with a relatively large scale apparatus. As the important data for evaluating confinement safety, the release ratio and the particle size distribution of the soot generated from the burned materials were obtained. Furthermore, the rise of the differential pressure (P) of the high efficiency particle air (HEPA) filter by the soot loading was also investigated. As results, the release ratio of the soot from the PC was about seven times as large as the PMMA. In addition, it was found that the behavior of the rise of the P with soot loading could be represented uniformly regardless of kinds of combustion materials by considering effect of the loading volume of the soot particle in the relatively low loading region.

Current status of JAEA-AMS-TONO in the 20th year

Kokubu, Yoko; Fujita, Natsuko; Miyake, Masayasu; Watanabe, Takahiro; Ishizaka, Chika; Okabe, Nobuaki; Ishimaru, Tsuneari; Matsubara, Akihiro*; Nishizawa, Akimitsu*; Nishio, Tomohiro*; et al.

Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research B, 456, p.271 - 275, 2019/10

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nimb.2019.03.015

JAEA-AMS-TONO has been in operation at the Tono Geoscience Center, Japan Atomic Energy Agency since 1998 and 20 years have passed from the beginning of its utilization. The AMS system is a versatile system based on a 5 MV tandem Pelletron type accelerator. The system has been used to measure carbon-14 (C), beryllium-10 (Be) and aluminium-26 (Al). In addition, the development of measurement of iodine-129 (I) has been started. The main use is measurement of C in geological samples for dating studies in neotectonics and hydrogeology. In order to increase the speed of sample preparation, we introduced the automated graphitization equipment and made a gas-strip line to collect dissolved inorganic carbon in groundwater samples. Measurement of Be and Al has been used for geoscience studies and the detection limit in the measurement of Be was improved by Be-counting suppression. Recently tuning of measurement condition of I has been progressed.

Annual report on the environmental radiation monitoring around the Tokai Reprocessing Plant FY2017

Nakano, Masanao; Fujita, Hiroki; Mizutani, Tomoko; Nemoto, Masashi; Tobita, Keiji; Kono, Takahiko; Hosomi, Kenji; Hokama, Tomonori; Nishimura, Tomohiro; Matsubara, Natsumi; et al.

JAEA-Review 2018-025, 171 Pages, 2019/02

JAEA-Review-2018-025.pdf:3.81MB

Environmental radiation monitoring around the Tokai Reprocessing Plant has been performed by the Nuclear Fuel Cycle Engineering Laboratories, based on "Safety Regulations for the Reprocessing Plant of Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Chapter IV - Environmental Monitoring". This annual report presents the results of the environmental monitoring and the dose estimation to the hypothetical inhabitant due to the radioactivity discharged from the plant to the atmosphere and the sea during April 2016 to March 2017. In this report, some data include the influence of the accidental release from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station of Electric Power Company Holdings, Inc. in March 2011. Appendices present comprehensive information, such as monitoring programs, monitoring methods, monitoring results and their trends, meteorological data and discharged radioactive wastes. In addition, the data which were influenced by the accidental release and were exceeded the normal range of fluctuation in the monitoring, were evaluated.

The Twenty years of JAEA-AMS-TONO

Kokubu, Yoko; Fujita, Natsuko; Matsubara, Akihiro*; Nishizawa, Akimitsu*; Nishio, Tomohiro; Miyake, Masayasu; Ishimaru, Tsuneari; Watanabe, Takahiro; Ogata, Nobuhisa; Shimada, Akiomi; et al.

JAEA-Conf 2018-002, p.5 - 8, 2019/02

https://doi.org/10.11484/jaea-conf-2018-002

no abstracts in English

Present status of the accelerator facility at the JAEA-AMS-TONO; 2017

Fujita, Natsuko; Miyake, Masayasu; Watanabe, Takahiro; Kokubu, Yoko; Matsubara, Akihiro*; Kato, Motohisa*; Okabe, Nobuaki; Isozaki, Nobuhiro*; Ishizaka, Chika*; Torazawa, Hitoshi*; et al.

Dai-31-Kai Tandemu Kasokuki Oyobi Sono Shuhen Gijutsu No Kenkyukai Hokokushu, p.92 - 95, 2018/12

no abstracts in English

HEPA filter clogging and volatile material release under solvent fire accident in fuel reprocessing facility

Ono, Takuya; Watanabe, Koji; Tashiro, Shinsuke; Amano, Yuki; Abe, Hitoshi

Proceedings of 25th International Conference on Nuclear Engineering (ICONE-25) (CD-ROM), 7 Pages, 2017/07

After the Fukushima-Daiichi accident, countermeasures against the severe accident are newly required as regulatory items for nuclear facilities. Organic solvent fire in cell was defined as one of the accidents in the fuel reprocessing plant. When the solvent burns, aerosols including soot are released. The substances clog HEPA filters in the ventilation system and their breakthrough may happen because of differential pressure rising. Moreover, the fire can also release volatile radioactive gaseous species, which can pass through HEPA filters. These phenomena are important for evaluation of confinement capability of the facility and public exposure. We have investigated, in relating to the clogging behavior, release behavior of aerosols as well as of volatile materials from burnt solvent. In the presentation, we will report experimental data and evaluation results obtained from recent research.

Annual report on the environmental radiation monitoring around the Tokai Reprocessing Plant FY2015

Nakano, Masanao; Fujita, Hiroki; Mizutani, Tomoko; Hosomi, Kenji; Nagaoka, Mika; Hokama, Tomonori; Yokoyama, Hiroya; Nishimura, Tomohiro; Matsubara, Natsumi; Maehara, Yushi; et al.

JAEA-Review 2016-035, 179 Pages, 2017/03

JAEA-Review-2016-035.pdf:4.2MB

Environmental radiation monitoring around the Tokai Reprocessing Plant has been performed by the Nuclear Fuel Cycle Engineering Laboratories, based on "Safety Regulations for the Reprocessing Plant of Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Chapter IV - Environmental Monitoring". This annual report presents the results of the environmental monitoring and the dose estimation to the hypothetical inhabitant due to the radioactivity discharged from the plant to the atmosphere and the sea during April 2015 to March 2016. In this report, some data include the influence of the accidental release from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station of Electric Power Company Holdings, Inc. in March 2011. Appendices present comprehensive information, such as monitoring programs, monitoring methods, monitoring results and their trends, meteorological data and discharged radioactive wastes. In addition, the data which were influenced by the accidental release and were exceeded the normal range of fluctuation in the monitoring, were evaluated.

Solvent extraction and release behavior of ruthenium and europium in fire accident conditions in reprocessing plants (Contract research)

Amano, Yuki; Watanabe, Koji; Masaki, Tomoo; Tashiro, Shinsuke; Abe, Hitoshi

JAEA-Technology 2016-012, 21 Pages, 2016/06

JAEA-Technology-2016-012.pdf:1.81MB

To contribute to safety evaluation of fire accident in fuel reprocessing plants, solvent extraction behavior of ruthenium, which could form volatile species, was investigated. Distribution ratios of ruthenium at fire accident conditions were obtained by extraction experiments with several solvent composition at different temperature as parameters. In order to investigate release behavior of ruthenium and europium at fire accident, release ratios of ruthenium and europium were also obtained by solvent combustion experiments.

Annual report on the effluent control of low level liquid waste in Nuclear Fuel Cycle Engineering Laboratories FY2014

Watanabe, Hitoshi; Nakano, Masanao; Fujita, Hiroki; Kono, Takahiko; Inoue, Kazumi; Yoshii, Hideki*; Otani, Kazunori*; Hiyama, Yoshinori*; Kikuchi, Masaaki*; Sakauchi, Nobuyuki*; et al.

JAEA-Review 2015-030, 115 Pages, 2015/12

JAEA-Review-2015-030.pdf:25.28MB

Based on the regulations (the safety regulation of Tokai reprocessing plant, the safety regulation of nuclear fuel material usage facilities, the radiation safety rule, the regulation about prevention from radiation hazards due to radioisotopes, which are related with the nuclear regulatory acts, the local agreement concerning with safety and environment conservation around nuclear facilities, the water pollution control law, and bylaw of Ibaraki prefecture), the effluent control of liquid waste discharged from the Nuclear Fuel Cycle Engineering Laboratories of Japan Atomic Energy Agency has been performed. This report describes the effluent control results of the liquid waste in the fiscal year 2014. In this period, the concentrations and the quantities of the radioactivity in liquid waste discharged from the reprocessing plant, the plutonium fuel fabrication facilities, and the other nuclear fuel material usage facilities were much lower than the limits authorized by the above regulations.

Trends of nitrogen oxide release during thermal decomposition of nitrates in highly active liquid waste

Amano, Yuki; Watanabe, Koji; Tashiro, Shinsuke; Yamane, Yuichi; Ishikawa, Jun; Yoshida, Kazuo; Uchiyama, Gunzo; Abe, Hitoshi

Nihon Genshiryoku Gakkai Wabun Rombunshi, 14(2), p.86 - 94, 2015/06

https://doi.org/10.3327/taesj.J14.001

Radioactive materials could be released into air due to the accidental boiling of high active liquid waste (HALW) in reprocessing plants. Volatile radioactive nuclides, such as ruthenium, are released from the tanks into the atmosphere. Nitrogen oxides (NOx) are also released due to the thermal decomposition of metal nitrates in HALW. The released NOx transport volatile ruthenium and cause redox reactions associated with the composition or decomposition of volatile ruthenium. In this study, NOx release data were obtained by heating simulated HALW up to 600C. As a result, the release of NOx from the simulated HALW was observed from 200C to 600C, and the main release of NOx was observed at about 340C. All the lanthanide nitrates were found to decompose in the simulated HALW, and the thermal decomposition temperature of the lanthanide nitrates decreased after the addition of ruthenium dioxide to the mixed lanthanide nitrates solution.