Dependency of the source term estimation method for radionuclides released into the atmosphere on the available environmental monitoring data and its applicability to real-time source term estimation

Terada, Hiroaki; Nagai, Haruyasu; Kadowaki, Masanao; Tsuzuki, Katsunori

Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, 60(8), p.980 - 1001, 2023/08

https://doi.org/10.1080/00223131.2022.2162139

It is essential to establish a method for reconstructing the source term and spatiotemporal distribution of radionuclides released into the atmosphere due to a nuclear accident for emergency countermeasures. We examined the dependency of a source term estimation method based on Bayesian inference using atmospheric dispersion simulation and environmental monitoring data on the availability of various monitoring data. Additionally, we examined the applicability of this method to a real-time estimation conducted immediately after an accident. A sensitivity analysis of the estimated source term during the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station (FDNPS) accident for combinations of various monitoring data indicated that using monitoring data with a high temporal and spatial resolution and the concurrent use of air concentration and surface deposition data is effective for accurate estimation. A real-time source term estimation experiment assuming the situation of monitoring data acquisition during the FDNPS accident revealed that this method could provide the necessary source term for grasping the overview of surface contamination in the early phase and evaluating the approximate accident scale. If the immediate online acquisition of monitoring data and regular operation of an atmospheric dispersion simulation are established, this method can provide the source term in near-real time.

Investigation of random beam trips in a linear accelerator at the Japan Proton Accelerator Research Complex for the development of an accelerator-driven nuclear transmutation system

Takei, Hayanori

Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, 14 Pages, 2023/00

https://doi.org/10.1080/00223131.2023.2296039

In the proton linear accelerator (linac), the proton beam is unexpectedly interrupted due to the electrical discharge originating from the radio frequency, failure of the device/equipment, or other factors. Do these beam trips occur randomly? Conventionally, it has been implicitly assumed that beam trips occur randomly. In this study, we investigated whether beam trips in the linac of the Japan Proton Accelerator Research Complex (J-PARC) occur randomly to estimate the beam trip frequency in a superconducting proton linac for an accelerator-driven nuclear transmutation system. First, the J-PARC linac was classified into five subsystems. Then, the reliability function for the operation time in each subsystem was obtained using the Kaplan--Meier estimation, a reliability engineering methods. Using this reliability function, the randomness of beam trips was examined. Analysis of five-year operational data for five subsystems of the J-PARC linac showed that beam trips occurred randomly in some subsystems. However, beam trips did not occur randomly in many subsystems of the proton linac, including the ion source and the acceleration cavity, the primary subsystems of the proton linac.

3D position and radioactivity estimation of radiation source by a simple directional radiation detector combined with structure from motion

Sato, Yuki; Minemoto, Kojiro*; Nemoto, Makoto*

Radiation Measurements, 142, p.106557_1 - 106557_6, 2021/03

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.radmeas.2021.106557

Re-evaluation of radiation-energy transfer to an extraction solvent in a minor-actinide-separation process based on consideration of radiation permeability

Toigawa, Tomohiro; Tsubata, Yasuhiro; Kai, Takeshi; Furuta, Takuya; Kumagai, Yuta; Matsumura, Tatsuro

Solvent Extraction and Ion Exchange, 39(1), p.74 - 89, 2021/00

https://doi.org/10.1080/07366299.2020.1826639

Absorbed-dose estimation is essential for evaluation of the radiation feasibility of minor-actinide-separation processes. We propose a dose-evaluation method based on radiation permeability, with comparisons of heterogeneous structures seen in the solvent-extraction process, such as emulsions forming in the mixture of the organic and aqueous phases. A demonstration of radiation-energy-transfer simulation is performed with a focus on the minor-actinide-recovery process from high-level liquid waste with the aid of the Monte Carlo radiation-transport code PHITS. The simulation results indicate that the dose absorbed by the extraction solvent from alpha ray depends upon the emulsion structure, and that from beta and gamma ray depends upon the mixer-settler-apparatus size. Non-negligible contributions of well-permeable gamma rays were indicated in terms of the plant operation of the minor-actinide-separation process.

Estimation of planes of a rock mass in a gallery wall from point cloud data based on MD PSO

Matsuura, Yuto*; Hayano, Akira; Itakura, Kenichi*; Suzuki, Yukinori*

Applied Soft Computing, 84, p.105737_1 - 105737_9, 2019/11

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.asoc.2019.105737

LiDAR (laser imaging detection and ranging) has been developed to obtain a high-resolution point cloud data indicating the detailed 3D shapes of an object. To identify discontinuities in a rock mass of a tunnel gallery wall, it is necessary to approximate the rock mass surface with small planes. Normal vectors of the planes are important to identify discontinuities. We developed an algorithm for estimation of planes based on multi-dimensional particle swarm optimization (MD PSO) from point cloud data. Point cloud data were segmented into bounding boxes and grouped into clusters by MD PSO. Planes were estimated using the least squares method for point cloud data in the respective clusters. The newly developed MD PSO algorithm was evaluated using point cloud data obtained from a gallery wall. Evaluation was carried out in comparison with the previous developed variable-box segmentation (VBS) algorithm. The MD PSO-based algorithm showed a 7% higher accuracy than that of the VBS algorithm.

Estimation of environmental releases of radioactive materials

Chino, Masamichi*; Nagai, Haruyasu

Environmental Contamination from the Fukushima Nuclear Disaster; Dispersion, Monitoring, Mitigation and Lessons Learned, p.50 - 61, 2019/00

https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108574273

Temporal variations in the amount of radionuclides released into the atmosphere during the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station accident and their atmospheric dispersion are essential to evaluate the environmental impacts and resultant radiological doses to the public. We have estimated the atmospheric releases during the accident by comparing measurements with calculations by atmospheric deposition model. UNSCEAR compared several estimated source terms and used our source term for estimating levels of radioactive material in the terrestrial environment and doses to the public. To improve our source term, we recently made detailed source term estimation by using additional monitoring data and WSPEEDI including new deposition scheme.

Dimension-reduced cross-section adjustment method based on minimum variance unbiased estimation

Yokoyama, Kenji; Yamamoto, Akio*; Kitada, Takanori*

Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, 55(3), p.319 - 334, 2018/03

https://doi.org/10.1080/00223131.2017.1397563

A new formulation of the cross-section adjustment methodology with the dimensionality reduction technique has been derived. This new formulation is proposed as the dimension reduced cross-section adjustment method (DRCA). Since the derivation of DRCA is based on the minimum variance unbiased estimation (MVUE), an assumption of normal distribution is not required. The result of DRCA depends on a user-defined matrix that determines the dimension reduced feature subspace. We have examine three variations of DRCA, namely DRCA1, DRCA2, and DRCA3. Mathematical investigation and numerical verification have revealed that DRCA2 is equivalent to the currently widely used cross-section adjustment method. Moreover, DRCA3 is found to be identical to the cross-section adjustment method based on MVUE, which has been proposed in the previous study.

Case studies of radiation dose assessment in emergency situation of nuclear facilities

Kawasaki, Masatsugu; Nakajima, Junya; Yoshida, Keisuke; Kato, Saori; Nishino, Sho; Nozaki, Teo; Nakagawa, Masahiro; Tsunoda, Junichi; Sugaya, Yuki; Hasegawa, Rie; et al.

JAEA-Data/Code 2017-004, 57 Pages, 2017/03

JAEA-Data-Code-2017-004.pdf:2.34MB

In emergency situation of nuclear facilities, we need to estimate the radiation dose due to radiation and radioactivity to grasp the influence range of the accident in the early stage. Therefore, we prepare the case studies of dose assessment for public exposure dose and personal exposure dose and contribute them to emergency procedures. This document covers about accidents of nuclear facilities in Nuclear Science Research Institute and past accident of nuclear power plant, and it can be used for inheritance of techniques of emergency dose assessment.

The Installation and the radiation protection of the optically stimulated luminescence reader with sealed beta source in the Toki Research Institute of Isotope Geology and Geochronology, Japan Atomic Energy Agency

Tokuyasu, Kayoko; Furuta, Sadaaki*; Kokubu, Yoko; Umeda, Koji

Nihon Hoshasen Anzen Kanri Gakkai-Shi, 15(1), p.80 - 87, 2016/07

http://doi.org/10.11269/jjrsm.15.80

An optically stimulated luminescence reader (Riso TL/OSL DA-20) was installed in Toki Research Institute of Isotope Geology and Geochronology (Toki-shi, Gifu Prefecture), Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) for dating the geological sample. An accumulated dose of the sample is obtained using the reader. Sealed beta source of strontium-90 is required to be mounted on the reader because repeated artificial irradiation is necessary for the accumulated dose estimation. However, there are not many introduction examples for the reader domestically, and the information as to radiation control of the reader is limited. We therefore report here the process of source loading on the reader and radiation control associated with the use of the source.

Dose estimation for reuse of material contaminated by Fukushima Daiichi NPP accident

Takeda, Seiji

Strlevern Rappot 2016:5 (Internet), p.43 - 46, 2016/04

http://www.nrpa.no/publikasjon/straalevernrapport-2016-5-regulatory-supervision-of-legacy-sites-from-recognition-to-resolution-report-of-an-international-workshop.pdf

A large volume of disaster wastes such as concrete waste, scrap metal, wood waste and so on, in the environment due to the accident at the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant has been contaminated by radioactive cesium (Cs and Cs). A large challenge has been how to handle the large volume of contaminated material. One strategy for addressing this issue would be the reuse of material from the viewpoint of both effective utilization of resources and the amount of reduction of the contaminants. This paper shows that the outline of dose estimation for some kinds of reuse applications to derive the radioactive cesium concentration in reusable materials.