Annual report on the environmental radiation monitoring around the Tokai Reprocessing Plant FY2021

Nakada, Akira; Kanai, Katsuta; Seya, Natsumi; Nishimura, Shusaku; Futagawa, Kazuo; Nemoto, Masashi; Tobita, Keiji; Yamada, Ryohei*; Uchiyama, Rei; Yamashita, Daichi; et al.

JAEA-Review 2022-078, 164 Pages, 2023/03

JAEA-Review-2022-078.pdf:2.64MB

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 2021 to March 2022. In this report, some data include the influence of the accidental release from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station of Tokyo Electric Power Co., Inc. (the trade name was changed to Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, Inc. on April 1, 2016) 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 exceeded the normal range of fluctuation in the monitoring, were evaluated.

Experiment of incineration for Trans-Uranic (TRU) wastes containing chlorides

Yamashita, Kiyoto; Yokoyama, Aya*; Takagai, Yoshitaka*; Maki, Shota; Yokosuka, Kazuhiro; Fukui, Masahiro; Iemura, Keisuke

JAEA-Technology 2022-020, 106 Pages, 2022/10

JAEA-Technology-2022-020.pdf:4.77MB

Radioactive solid wastes generated by Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station disaster may contain high levels of salt from the tsunami and seawater deliberately released into the area. It is assumed that polyvinyl chloride (PVC) products may be used for decommissioning work and for containment of radioactive wastes in the future. Among the method of handling them, incineration is one method that needs to be investigated as it is good method for reduction and stabilization of wastes. But in order to dispose of Trans-Uranic (TRU) solid waste containing chlorides, it is necessary to select the structure and materials of the facility based on the information such as the movement of nuclides and chlorides in the waste gas treating system and the corrosion of equipment due to chlorides. Therefore, we decided to get various data necessary to design a study of the incineration facilities. And we decided to examine the transfer behavior of chlorides to the waste gas treatment system, the corrosion-resistance of materials in the incineration facilities, and the distribution survey of plutonium in them obtained using the Plutonium-contaminated Waste Treatment Facility (PWTF), Nuclear Fuel Cycle Engineering Laboratories, which is a unique incinerating facility in Japan. This report describes the transfer behavior of chlorides in the waste gas treatment system, the evaluation of corrosion-resistance materials and the distribution survey of plutonium in the incineration facilities obtained by these tests using the Plutonium-contaminated Waste Treatment Facility, Nuclear Fuel Cycle Engineering Laboratories.

Improvement of nano-polycrystalline diamond anvil cells with Zr-based bulk metallic glass cylinder for higher pressures; Application to Laue-TOF diffractometer

Yamashita, Keishiro*; Komatsu, Kazuki*; Ohara, Takashi; Munakata, Koji*; Irifune, Tetsuo*; Shimmei, Toru*; Sugiyama, Kazumasa*; Kawamata, Toru*; Kagi, Hiroyuki*

High Pressure Research, 42(1), p.121 - 135, 2022/03

https://doi.org/10.1080/08957959.2022.2045982

Developments of nano-polycrystalline diamond anvil cells for neutron diffraction experiments

Komatsu, Kazuki*; Klotz, S.*; Nakano, Satoshi*; Machida, Shinichi*; Hattori, Takanori; Sano, Asami; Yamashita, Keishiro*; Irifune, Tetsuo*

High Pressure Research, 40(1), p.184 - 193, 2020/02

https://doi.org/10.1080/08957959.2020.1727465

A new high pressure cells for neutron diffraction experiments using nano-polycrystalline anvil is presented. The cell design, off-line pressure generation tests and a gas-loading procedure for this cell are described. The performance is illustrated by powder neutron diffraction patterns of ice VII to 82 GPa. We also demonstrate the feasibility of single crystal neutron diffraction experiments of FeO at ambient conditions using this cell and discuss the current limitation and future developments.

Crystal structure of a high-pressure phase of magnesium chloride hexahydrate determined by X-ray and neutron diffraction methods

Yamashita, Keishiro*; Komatsu, Kazuki*; Hattori, Takanori; Machida, Shinichi*; Kagi, Hiroyuki*

Acta Crystallographica Section C; Structural Chemistry (Internet), 75(12), p.1605 - 1612, 2019/12

https://doi.org/10.1107/S2053229619014670

A crystal structure of a high-pressure phase of magnesium chloride hexahydrate (MgCl 6HO-II) and its deuterated counterpart (MgCl 6DO-II) have been identified for the first time by in-situ single-crystal X-ray and powder neutron diffraction. The crystal structure was analyzed by the Rietveld method for the neutron diffraction pattern based on the initial structure determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. This high-pressure phase has a similar framework to that in the known ambient-pressure phase, but exhibits some structural changes with symmetry reduction caused by a subtle modification in the hydrogen-bond network around the Mg(HO) octahedra. These structural features reflect the strain in the high-pressure phases of MgCl hydrates.

Ion irradiation effects on FeCrAl-ODS ferritic steel

Kondo, Keietsu; Aoki, So; Yamashita, Shinichiro; Ukai, Shigeharu*; Sakamoto, Kan*; Hirai, Mutsumi*; Kimura, Akihiko*

Nuclear Materials and Energy (Internet), 15, p.13 - 16, 2018/05

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nme.2018.05.022

Radiation hardening and microstructural evolution of ion irradiated 12Cr-6Al ODS ferritic steel was studied. Ion irradiation experiments were performed using Fe ions up to the nominal displacement damage of 20 dpa at the irradiation temperature was 300C. The monotonical increase of radiation hardening with dose was confirmed by experimentally obtained hardness data. The radiation hardening was also calculated theoretically by introducing the microstructural character examined by TEM into the dispersed barrier hardening model. The results showed a good agreement with the experimentally obtained data up to 5 dpa, while a slight discrepancy was found between theoretical and experimental hardness values at 20 dpa. Radiation hardening was mainly caused by irradiation-induced defect clusters below the irradiation dose of 5 dpa. As the irradiation dose increased toward 20 dpa, an additional influence of the radiation appeared, which was assumed to be induced by ' phase transformation.

Experimental study for the production cross sections of positron emitters induced from C and O nuclei by low-energy proton beams

Akagi, Takashi*; Yagi, Masashi*; Yamashita, Tomohiro*; Murakami, Masao*; Yamakawa, Yoshiyuki*; Kitamura, Keiji*; Ogura, Koichi; Kondo, Kiminori; Kawanishi, Shunichi*

Radiation Measurements, 59, p.262 - 269, 2013/12

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.radmeas.2013.07.005

In proton therapy, positron emitters are induced from C andO nuclei by protons on the beam path in the patient. Many studies for monitoring positron emitters with beam-induced PET technique have been performed by various groups to verify the proton beam range and the dose in the patient for quality assurance. The aim of this study was to develop a method for measuring the production cross sections of positron emitters using standard equipment for proton therapy. The time-activity curve was then obtained with a high-sensitivity PET scanner to extract the number of positron emitters produced in the target. The production cross sections for four reaction channels: O(p,pn)O, O(p,3p3n)C, O(p,2p2n)N, and C(p,pn)C were then measured. The cross sections for the O(p,pn)O reaction channel were consistent with data of previous experiments within the uncertainties, while those of C(p,pn)C were generally lower than data of previous experiments.

The International Atomic Energy Agency Nuclear Energy Management School 2012

Ohgama, Kazuya; Ando, Yoko; Yamaguchi, Mika; Ikuta, Yuko; Shinohara, Nobuo; Murakami, Hiroyuki; Yamashita, Kiyonobu; Uesaka, Mitsuru*; Demachi, Kazuyuki*; Komiyama, Ryoichi*; et al.

JAEA-Review 2013-004, 76 Pages, 2013/05

JAEA-Review-2013-004.pdf:13.53MB

JAEA together with the Japan Nuclear Human Resource Development Network (JN-HRD Net), the University of Tokyo (UT) and the Japan Atomic Industrial Forum (JAIF) cohosted the IAEA-Nuclear Energy Management School in Tokai Village, aiming that Japan will be the center of nuclear HRD in the Asian region. In the school, not only lectures by IAEA experts, but also lectures by Japanese experts and technical visits were included for foreign participants. The school contributed to the internationalization of Japanese young professionals, development of nuclear human resource of other countries, and enhancement of cooperation between IAEA and Japan. Additionally, collaborative relationship within JN-HRD Net was strengthened by the school. In this report, findings obtained during the preparatory work and the school period are reported for future international nuclear HRD activities in Japan.

Development of a methodology for the characterisation of long-term geosphere evolution, 1; Impacts of natural events and processes on the geosphere evolution of coastal setting, in the case of Horonobe area

Niizato, Tadafumi; Imai, Hisashi*; Maekawa, Keisuke; Yasue, Kenichi; Kurikami, Hiroshi; Shiozaki, Isao*; Yamashita, Ryo*

Proceedings of 19th International Conference on Nuclear Engineering (ICONE-19) (CD-ROM), 10 Pages, 2011/10

A critical issue for building confidence in the long-term safety of geological disposal is to demonstrate the stability of the geosphere, taking into account its likely future evolution. This study aims to establish comprehensive techniques for characterising the overall evolution of coastal sites through studying the palaeohydrogeological evolution in the coastal system around the Horonobe area, Hokkaido, northern Japan. Information on natural events and processes related to the palaeohydrogelogical evolution of the area have been integrated into the conceptual models that indicates the temporal and spatial sequences of the events and processes, such as climatic and sea-level changes, palaeogeography, and geomorphological and geological evolution in the area. The groundwater flow simulation, which is based on the conceputualisation of the long-term geosphere evolution, shows the sensitivities of natural events and processes on groundwater flow properties in a coastal setting.

X-ray photoemission spectroscopy analysis of N-containing carbon-based cathode catalysts for polymer electrolyte fuel cells

Niwa, Hideharu*; Kobayashi, Masaki*; Horiba, Koji*; Harada, Yoshihisa*; Oshima, Masaharu*; Terakura, Kiyoyuki*; Ikeda, Takashi; Koshigoe, Yuka*; Ozaki, Junichi*; Miyata, Seizo*; et al.

Journal of Power Sources, 196(3), p.1006 - 1011, 2011/02

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpowsour.2010.08.054

We report on the electronic structure of three different types of N-containing carbon-based cathode catalysts for polymer electrolyte fuel cells observed by hard X-ray photoemission spectroscopy. C 1s spectra show the importance of carbon network formation for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) activity. Samples having high oxygen reduction reaction activity in terms of oxygen reduction potential contain high concentration of graphite-like nitrogen. Based on a quantitative analysis of our results, the oxygen reduction reaction activity of the carbon-based cathode catalysts will be improved by increasing concentration of graphite-like nitrogen in a developed carbon network.