Measurements of thermal conductivity for near stoichiometric (UPuAm)O (z = 0.05, 0.10, and 0.15)

Yokoyama, Keisuke; Watanabe, Masashi; Tokoro, Daishiro*; Sugimoto, Masatoshi*; Morimoto, Kyoichi; Kato, Masato; Hino, Tetsushi*

Nuclear Materials and Energy (Internet), 31, p.101156_1 - 101156_7, 2022/06

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nme.2022.101156

In current nuclear fuel cycle systems, to reduce the amount of high-level radioactive waste, minor actinides (MAs) bearing MOX fuel is one option for burning MAs using fast reactor. However, the effects of Am content in fuel on thermal conductivity are unclear because there are no experimental data on thermal conductivity of high Am bearing MOX fuel. In this study, The thermal conductivities of near stoichiometric (UPuAm)O solid solutions(z = 0.05, 0.10, and 0.15) have been measured between room temperature (RT) and 1473 K. The thermal conductivities decreased with increasing Am content and satisfied the classical phonon transport model ((A+BT)) up to about 1473 K. A values increased linearly with increasing Am content because the change in ionic radius affects the conduction of the phonon due to the solid solution in U and Am. B values were independent of Am content.

Assessment of radiation doses to off-site responders in TEPCO Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station Accident

Shimada, Kazumasa; Iijima, Masashi*; Watanabe, Masatoshi*; Takahara, Shogo

Proceedings of Asian Symposium on Risk Assessment and Management 2021 (ASRAM 2021) (Internet), 17 Pages, 2021/10

The radiation doses received by the off-site responders in the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station accident were assessed. Atmospheric dispersion simulation was conducted with the source term of the previous research to calculate the atmospheric concentration and ground surface deposition in the municipalities where off-site responders actives. The external exposure dose from cloudshine and groundshine, the internal exposure dose due to inhalation of radioactive plume and resuspended radio nuclei, and the temporal and spatial distribution within each municipality were assessed. As a result of comparing the assessed values of the external exposure dose with the measured values of the personal dosimeter, the measured values were within the assessed range. As a result of our assessment with internal dose exposure, if the exposures occurred without protective measures, the potential daily effective dose in the period between 12 and 31 March 2011 were several tens mSv per day or more in the relatively high dose area. Therefore, to keep the doses received by the responders below the reference level of 20 mSv recommended by the ICRP, it is necessary to ensure that the protective measures for internal exposures such as masks are taken, and to manage the time spent for their activity at least daily.

Assessment of radiation doses from ingestion pathway to the public in Fukushima prefecture after the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant accident

Takahara, Shogo; Watanabe, Masatoshi*

Proceedings of Asian Symposium on Risk Assessment and Management 2019 (ASRAM 2019) (USB Flash Drive), 9 Pages, 2019/09

Internal exposure from ingestion pathway is one of most concerned contributor to the received doses to the public after the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP) accident. In the present study, we developed the dose prediction model taking into account the ecological half-lives of radionuclides in foodstuffs and the reduction effects on concentration of radionuclides in cooking-process based on the experiences and the latest insights of the FDNPP accident. From comparison of the retrospective assessment results in Fukushima city between our models and the previous models (market bascket, duplicate, sewer sludge method), no contradictions were observed. In addition, it was found that the potential annual effective doses, which were assessed using the developed model, is several tens micro Sieverts in the first year after the FDNPP accident, and subsequent years the doses is also not exceeding several micro Sv for the future in Fukushima city.

Cryogenic sample environments shared at the MLF, J-PARC

Kawamura, Seiko; Takahashi, Ryuta*; Ishikado, Motoyuki*; Yamauchi, Yasuhiro*; Nakamura, Masatoshi*; Ouchi, Keiichi*; Kira, Hiroshi*; Kambara, Wataru*; Aoyama, Kazuhiro*; Sakaguchi, Yoshifumi*; et al.

Journal of Neutron Research, 21(1-2), p.17 - 22, 2019/05

https://doi.org/10.3233/JNR-190106

The Cryogenics and Magnets group in the Sample Environment team is responsible for operation of cryostats and magnets for user's experiments at the MLF in J-PARC. We have introduced a top-loading He cryostat, a bottom-loading He cryostat, a dilution refrigerator insert and a superconducting magnet. The frequency of use of them dramatically becomes higher in these two years, as the beam power and the number of proposal increase. To respond such situation, we have made efforts to enhance performance of these equipment as follows. The He cryostat originally involves an operation software for automatic initial cooling down to the base temperature and automatic re-charge of He. Recently we made an additional program for automatic temperature control with only the sorb heater. Last year, a new outer vacuum chamber of the magnet with an oscillating radial collimator (ORC) was fabricated. The data quality was drastically improved by introducing this ORC so that the magnet can be used even for the inelastic neutron scattering experiments.

A Significant role of non-thermal equilibrated electrons in the formation of deleterious complex DNA damage

Kai, Takeshi; Yokoya, Akinari*; Ukai, Masatoshi*; Fujii, Kentaro*; Toigawa, Tomohiro; Watanabe, Ritsuko*

Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics, 20(4), p.2838 - 2844, 2018/01

https://doi.org/10.1039/C7CP06903K

It is thought that complex DNA damage which induces in radiation biological effects is formed at radiation track end. Thus, the earliest stage of water radiolysis at the electron track end was studied to predict DNA damage. These results indicate that DNA damage sites comprising multiple nucleobase lesions with a single strand breaks can therefore be formed by multiple collisions of the electrons within three base pairs (3bp) of a DNA strand. This multiple damage site cannot be processed by base excision repair enzymes. However, pre-hydrated electrons can also be produced resulting in an additional base lesion more than 3bp away from the multi-damage site. This clustered damage site may be finally converted into a double strand break (DSB) when base excision enzymes process the additional base lesions. These DSBs include another base lesion(s) at their termini that escape from the base excision process and which may result in biological effects such as mutation in surviving cells.

Identification of penetration path and deposition distribution of radionuclides in houses by experiments and numerical model

Hirouchi, Jun; Takahara, Shogo; Iijima, Masashi; Watanabe, Masatoshi; Munakata, Masahiro

Radiation Physics and Chemistry, 140, p.127 - 131, 2017/11

BB2016-0282.pdf:0.39MB

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.radphyschem.2017.02.005

Survey on evacuation facilities in case of nuclear emergency in Shimane prefecture (Contract research)

Takahara, Shogo; Watanabe, Masatoshi; Oguri, Tomomi; Kimura, Masanori; Hirouchi, Jun; Munakata, Masahiro; Homma, Toshimitsu

JAEA-Data/Code 2016-016, 65 Pages, 2017/02

JAEA-Data-Code-2016-016.pdf:2.32MB

We surveyed on structural and material data on 22 facilities which are listed in local disaster management plan in Matsue city. These facilities can be divided into educational facilities, communal facilities and gymnastic hall. Height and floor-area of rooms, as well as window-area were collected as the structural data. We also collected information on constructional materials, and density of those. In addition, mass-thicknesses of the constructional materials were evaluated based on our surveys, and compared to the previous studies which were made in Japan, U.S., and European countries. Consequently, it was found that there is no significant difference of mass-thickness of constructional materials between the results of our surveys and the previous studies. However, for gymnastic hall, since thin metal plates are used for roofs, we can point out that the mass-thickness of roofs are much lower than those for other concrete facilities and clay tile roofing wooden houses.

Dynamic behavior of secondary electrons in liquid water at the earliest stage upon irradiation; Implications for DNA damage localization mechanism

Kai, Takeshi; Yokoya, Akinari*; Ukai, Masatoshi*; Fujii, Kentaro*; Watanabe, Ritsuko*

Journal of Physical Chemistry A, 120(42), p.8228 - 8233, 2016/10

https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jpca.6b05929

Low energy secondary electrons produced by an ionizing radiation in a living cell may involve in formation of complexed DNA damage. We performed theoretical study for numerical calculation of dynamic behavior of the electrons to imply a formation of radiation damage to DNA. The decelerating electrons are gradually attracted to their parent cations by the Coulombic force within hundreds of fs, and about 12.6 % of electrons are finally distributed within 2 nm from the cations. The collision fraction of the ionization and excitation within 1 nm from the cation was estimated to be about 40 %. From those analyses, we suggested a process of DNA damage that the secondary electrons may cause highly localized lesions around a cation in DNA molecule through additional dissociative electron transfer as well as the ionization or the excitation if the electrons are ejected from DNA. The localized damage may involve ultimately in biological effects such as cell death or mutation induction.

The Influences of Pu and Zr on the melting temperatures of the UO-PuO-ZrO pseudo-ternary system

Morimoto, Kyoichi; Hirooka, Shun; Akashi, Masatoshi; Watanabe, Masashi; Sugata, Hiromasa*

Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, 52(10), p.1247 - 1252, 2015/10

https://doi.org/10.1080/00223131.2015.1047807

As a part of decommissioning plan of the damaged reactors at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, some strategies for removing of debris from the reactors are discussed. In these considerations, it is necessary to predict a melt progression during the severe accident based on theoretical evidences. Melting temperature is one of the most important thermal characteristics to analyse a melt progression during the severe accident. In this study, the melting temperatures of specimens of U, Pu and Zr mixed oxide prepared as simulated debris were measured by the thermal arrest technique. From the results of this measurement, the influences of Pu and Zr contents on the melting temperature of the simulated debris were evaluated.

Cross-scale interactions between electron and ion scale turbulence in a tokamak plasma

Maeyama, Shinya*; Idomura, Yasuhiro; Watanabe, Tomohiko*; Nakata, Motoki*; Yagi, Masatoshi; Miyato, Naoaki; Ishizawa, Akihiro*; Nunami, Masanori*

Physical Review Letters, 114(25), p.255002_1 - 255002_5, 2015/06

https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.114.255002

Multiscale gyrokinetic turbulence simulations with the real ion-to-electron mass ratio and value are realized for the first time, where the value is given by the ratio of plasma pressure to magnetic pressure and characterizes electromagnetic effects on microinstabilities. Numerical analysis at both the electron scale and the ion scale is used to reveal the mechanism of their cross-scale interactions. Even with the real- mass scale separation, ion-scale turbulence eliminates electron-scale streamers and dominates heat transport, not only of ions but also of electrons. When the ion-scale modes are stabilized by finite- effects, the contribution of the electron-scale dynamics to the turbulent transport becomes non-negligible and turns out to enhance ion-scale turbulent transport.