Fast burnup calculation method based on neutron spectrum reconstruction with proper orthogonal decomposition and regression model

渡邉 友章; 相澤 直人*; 千葉 豪*; 多田 健一; 山本 章夫*

Proceedings of International Conference on Mathematics and Computational Methods Applied to Nuclear Science and Engineering (M&C 2025) (Internet), 10 Pages, 2025/04

現在、核燃料の核種組成を計算する燃焼計算では、燃焼ステップ毎に中性子輸送計算を行い中性子スペクトルの変化を考慮する手法が主流となっている。この手法は高精度である一方、中性子輸送計算の大きな計算コストが問題となる場合がある。そのため、固有直交分解(POD)と回帰モデルを用いた中性子スペクトル再構成に基づく高速な燃焼計算手法について検討した。本手法では、様々な入力パラメータに対する詳細燃焼計算により得られた多数の中性子束に対してPODによる次元削減を行い、低次元化した中性子束とパラメータを関係づける回帰モデルを構築する。この回帰モデルに計算対象である任意の入力パラメータを与えて中性子束を再構成し、燃焼計算を行う。本手法により、中性子輸送計算を行うことなく、入力条件に基づく中性子スペクトルの変化を考慮した燃焼計算を行うことができる。本手法をPWRのUO燃料ピンセルモデルに適用した結果、詳細計算と比較して核種インベントリを数パーセント以内の差異で計算できることが分かった。また、検証の結果この計算誤差は回帰モデルの影響が支配的であったことから、回帰モデルの改善により精度が改善する見通しが得られた。

Effect of neutron beam properties on dose distributions in a water phantom for boron neutron capture therapy

石川 諒尚; 田中 浩基*; 中村 哲志*; 熊田 博明*; 櫻井 良憲*; 渡辺 賢一*; 吉橋 幸子*; 棚上 裕生*; 瓜谷 章*; 鬼柳 善明*

Journal of Radiation Research (Internet), 65(6), p.765 - 775, 2024/11

https://doi.org/10.1093/jrr/rrae076

From the viewpoints of the advantage depths (ADs), peak tumor dose, and skin dose, we evaluated the effect of neutron beam properties, namely, the ratio between thermal and epithermal neutron fluxes (thermal/epithermal ratio), fast neutron component, and -ray component on the dose distribution. Several parameter surveys were conducted with respect to the beam properties of neutron sources for boron neutron capture therapy assuming boronophenylalanine as the boron agent using our dose calculation tool, called SiDE. The ADs decreased by 3% at a thermal/epithermal ratio of 20% - 30% compared with the current recommendation of . The skin dose increased with the increasing thermal/epithermal ratio, reaching a restricted value of 14 Gy-eq at a thermal/epithermal ratio of . The fast neutron component was modified using two different models, namely, the "linear model," in which the fast neutron intensity decreases log-linearly with the increasing neutron energy, and the "moderator thickness (MT) model," in which the fast neutron component is varied by adjusting the moderator thickness in a virtual beam shaping assembly. Although a higher fast neutron component indicated a higher skin dose, the increment was at a fast neutron component of Gy cm for both models. Furthermore, in the MT model, the epithermal neutron intensity was higher at a fast neutron component of Gy cm compared with the current recommendation of Gy cm. The -ray component also caused no significant disadvantages up to several times larger compared with the current recommendation.

Energy-resolved neutron imaging study of a Japanese sword signed by Bishu Osafune Norimitsu

及川 健一; 松本 吉弘*; 渡辺 賢一*; 佐藤 博隆*; Parker, J. D.*; 篠原 武尚; 鬼柳 善明*

Scientific Reports (Internet), 14, p.27990_1 - 27990_11, 2024/11

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-79436-6

We are conducting research focused on elucidating the crystallographic structure of Japanese swords in a non-destructive manner using the neutron imaging instrument RADEN at J-PARC. In this study, we developed an analysis method that combines wavelength-resolved Bragg-edge imaging and a wavelength-selective neutron tomography with a new strategy, and applied it to an approximately 45 cm long Japanese sword signed by Bishu Osafune Norimitsu. Computed tomography was performed, and the analysis succeeded in clearly capturing the characteristic internal structure "Kobuse". Kobuse is most famous steel combining structure of Japanese swords, where a center steel with low carbon content is covered by an outer steel with high carbon content. The crystallite size distribution obtained through Bragg-edge analysis was able to explain without contradiction from the layered structure of two steels observed in neutron tomograms. Our non-destructive imaging also revealed that the quenching was quite deep, forming a wavy pattern more than 5 mm away from the cutting edge.

Comparison between carrier transport property and crystal quality of TlBr semiconductors

渡辺 賢一*; 須貝 優介*; 長谷川 創大*; 田中 清志朗*; 人見 啓太朗*; 野上 光博*; 篠原 武尚; Su, Y. H.; Parker, J. D.*; Kockelmann, W.*

Scientific Reports (Internet), 14, p.25224_1 - 25224_13, 2024/10

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-76005-9

Thallium bromide (TlBr) semiconductor detectors are being developed as promising candidates for high-detection-efficiency, high-energy-resolution, and room-temperature gamma-ray spectrometers. This study presents methods for evaluating TlBr crystal quality and carrier transport characteristics using neutron Bragg-dip imaging and the time-of-flight method for pulsed-laser-induced carriers, respectively. In this study, two samples obtained from both the upstream and downstream region in the crystal ingot were evaluated.

Comparison between neutron bragg dip and electron backscatter diffraction images of TlBr semiconductors

渡辺 賢一*; 須貝 優介*; 長谷川 創大*; 人見 啓太朗*; 野上 光博*; 篠原 武尚; Su, Y. H.; Parker, J. D.*; Kockelmann, W.*

Sensors and Materials, 36(1), p.149 - 154, 2024/01

https://doi.org/10.18494/SAM4629

Thallium bromide (TlBr) semiconductor detectors are promising candidates for high-detection-efficiency, high-energy-resolution, and room-temperature gamma-ray spectrometers. In this study, we conducted neutron Bragg dip and electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) imaging of TlBr crystals to measure the crystal orientation distribution. We confirmed that crystal grains were continuous over a certain distance along the solidification direction for samples fabricated with the current growth procedure.

Update of Bragg edge analysis software "GUI-RITS"

及川 健一; 佐藤 博隆*; 渡辺 賢一*; Su, Y. H.; 篠原 武尚; 甲斐 哲也; 鬼柳 善明*; 長谷美 宏幸

Journal of Physics; Conference Series, 2605, p.012013_1 - 012013_6, 2023/10

https://doi.org/10.1088/1742-6596/2605/1/012013

Spectral data of Bragg-edge imaging, which is one of the energy-resolved neutron imaging methods, can be analyzed by single-edge analysis and full-pattern analysis with the Bragg-edge analysis code RITS developed by Sato et al. This program has a function to generate neutron transmission data considering wavelength-dependent pulse-shape function, atomic number density, crystalline structure, etc., and to extract these parameters from the measured data by the nonlinear least-squares fitting. Last year, we worked on updating the operating environment of the platform Scientific Linux 6 and the language Python 2, which have been discontinued, to Windows 10 and Python 3, and added some functions to improve usability. GUI-RITS for the windows platform has been released to users. In this presentation, we will show concrete examples of the results of the analysis of the same data by the old and new programs, and compare the efficiency of data analysis.

2021年度楢葉遠隔技術開発センター年報

秋山 陽一; 柴沼 蒼; 柳澤 憲一*; 山田 大地; 鈴木 健太; 吉田 萌夏; 大野 貴裕; 川端 邦明; 渡辺 夏帆; 森本 恭一; et al.

JAEA-Review 2023-015, 60 Pages, 2023/09

JAEA-Review-2023-015.pdf:4.78MB

楢葉遠隔技術開発センターは、東京電力ホールディングス株式会社が実施する福島第一原子力発電所の廃炉作業に資するため、遠隔操作機器・装置による廃炉作業の実証試験・要素試験が実施できる施設・設備を有している。2021年度は84件の施設利用を支援し、福島第一原子力発電所廃炉作業等に貢献した。また、福島第一原子力発電所の廃炉・除染に携わる事業者、災害対応分野においてロボット技術等を必要としている事業者との技術マッチングの機会として開催された廃炉・災害対応ロボット関連技術展示実演会に出展し、地域活性化・福島県の産業復興に協力した。さらに、第6回廃炉創造ロボコンや国際原子力人材育成イニシアチブ事業等の支援を通じて、長期にわたる福島第一原子力発電所の廃炉関連業務を担う次世代の人材育成に貢献した。新たな取組みとして、楢葉町教育委員会が実施している「ならはっ子こども教室」への協力として、楢葉町小学生を対象とした遠隔ロボット操作及びVRの体験会を実施し、地域教育活動に貢献した。本報告書は、2021年度における楢葉遠隔技術開発センターの施設・設備の整備・利用状況およびそれに係る取組み、遠隔基盤技術の開発状況、緊急時対応遠隔操作資機材の整備・訓練等の活動状況について取りまとめたものである。

Lanthanide and actinide ion complexes containing organic ligands investigated by surface-enhanced infrared absorption spectroscopy

平田 早紀子*; 日下 良二; 明地 省吾*; 為国 誠太*; 奥寺 洸介*; 浜田 昇賢*; 坂本 知優*; 本田 匠*; 松下 高輔*; 村松 悟*; et al.

Inorganic Chemistry, 62(1), p.474 - 486, 2023/01

https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.inorgchem.2c03618

A new technique, surface-enhanced infrared absorption (SEIRA) spectroscopy, was used for the structural investigation of lanthanide (Ln) and actinide (An) complexes containing organic ligands. We synthesized thiol derivatives of organic ligands with coordination sites similar to those of diglycolamide (DGA), Cyanex-272, and -tetrakis(2-pyridinylmethyl)-1,2-ethanediamine (TPEN), which have been used for separating Ln and An through solvent extraction. These ligands were attached on a gold surface deposited on an Si prism through S-Au covalent bonds; the gold surface enhanced the IR absorption intensity of the ligands. Aqueous solutions of Ln (Eu, Gd, Tb) and An (Am) ions were loaded onto the gold surface to form ion complexes. The IR spectra of the ion complexes were obtained using FT-IR spectroscopy in the attenuated total reflection mode. In this study, we developed a new sample preparation method for SEIRA spectroscopy that enabled us to obtain the IR spectra of the complexes with a small amount of ion solution (5 L). This is a significant advantage for the IR measurement of radiotoxic Am complexes. In the IR spectra of DGA, the band attributed to C=O stretching vibrations at 1630 cm shifted to a lower wavenumber by 20 cm upon complexation with Ln and An ions. Moreover, the amount of the red-shift was inversely proportional to the extraction equilibrium constant reported in previous studies on solvent extraction. The coordination ability of DGA toward Ln and An ions could be assessed using the band position of the C=O band. The Cyanex-272- and TPEN-like ligands synthesized in this report also showed noticeable SEIRA signals for Ln and An complexes. This study indicates that SEIRA spectroscopy can be used for the structural investigation of ion complexes and provides a microscopic understanding of selective extraction of Ln and An.

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

山本 風海; 金正 倫計; 林 直樹; Saha, P. K.; 田村 文彦; 山本 昌亘; 谷 教夫; 高柳 智弘; 神谷 潤一郎; 菖蒲田 義博; et al.

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

https://doi.org/10.1080/00223131.2022.2038301

J-PARC 3GeVシンクロトロン(RCS)は、最大1MWの大強度ビームを25Hzという早い繰り返しで中性子実験及び下流の主リングシンクロトロンに供給することを目的に設計された。2007年の加速器調整運転開始以降、RCSではビーム試験を通じて加速器の設計性能が満たされているかの確認を進め、必要に応じてより安定に運転するための改善を行ってきた。その結果として、近年RCSは1MWのビーム出力で連続運転を行うことが可能となり、共用運転に向けた最後の課題の抽出と対策の検討が進められている。本論文ではRCSの設計方針と実際の性能、および改善点について議論する。

First demonstration of a novel single-end readout type position-sensitive optical fiber radiation sensor based on wavelength-resolved photon counting

寺阪 祐太; 渡辺 賢一*; 瓜谷 章*

Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research A, 1034, p.166793_1 - 166793_6, 2022/07

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nima.2022.166793

In this study, a single-end readout type position-sensitive optical fiber radiation sensor was developed. Using the wavelength dependency of light attenuation inside the optical fiber, the incident position of radiation at the fiber can be estimated reversely. Instead of a spectrometer, we employed bandpass filters and photon-counting head as a photodetector to improve detection efficiency. The detection efficiency of a 10 m long plastic scintillation fiber at the 5 m position from the readout end was evaluated to be in the range of 0.08-0.12 % for 662 keV gamma-rays from Cs and 2.6-3.9 % for beta-rays from Sr/Y when a bandpass filter transmitting photons with a wavelength of 500 nm was used. A basic measurement test of radiation intensity distribution was conducted using a Sr/Y radioactive point source. A field test was also performed at the difficult-to-return zone in Fukushima Prefecture, and the estimated dose rate distribution roughly agreed with the survey meter measurement.