Inspection of radioactive waste packages stored in the Waste Storage Facility L; Planning and trial operation

Kawahara, Takahiro; Suda, Shoya; Fujikura, Toshiki; Masai, Seita; Omori, Kanako; Mori, Masakazu; Kurosawa, Tsuyoshi; Ishihara, Keisuke; Hoshi, Akiko; Yokobori, Tomohiko

JAEA-Technology 2023-020, 36 Pages, 2023/12

JAEA-Technology-2023-020.pdf:2.79MB

We have been storing drums containing radioactive waste (radioactive waste packages) at waste storage facilities. We have been managing radioactive waste packages along traditional safety regulations. However, over 40 years has passed from a part of them were brought in pit-type waste storage facility L. Most of them are carbon steel 200 L drums, and surface of them are corroded. For better safety management, we started to take drums out from the pit and inspect them in FY 2019. After each inspection, we repair them or remove the contents of the drum and refill new drums if necessary. In this report, we will introduce the planning, the review of the plan, and the trial operation of this project.

Toward long-term storage of nuclear materials in MOX fuels fabrication facility

Hirooka, Shun; Nakamichi, Shinya; Matsumoto, Taku; Tsuchimochi, Ryota; Murakami, Tatsutoshi

Frontiers in Nuclear Engineering (Internet), 2, p.1119567_1 - 1119567_7, 2023/03

https://doi.org/10.3389/fnuen.2023.1119567

Storage of plutonium (Pu)-containing materials requires extremely strict attention in terms of physical safety and material accounting. Despite the emphasized importance of storage management, only a few reports are available in the public, e.g., experience in PuO storage in the UK and safety standards in the storage of Pu-containing materials in the US. Japan also stores more U-Pu mixed oxide (MOX) mostly in powder form. Adopting an appropriate storage management is necessary depending on the characteristics of MOX items such as raw powder obtained by reprocessing of spent Light Water Reactor fuels, research and development on the remains of fuel fabrication, which can contain organic materials, and dry-recycled powder during fuel fabrication. Stagnation in fuel fabrications and experience in degradation of MOX containers during extended period of storage have led to the review of the storage method in the Plutonium Fuel Development Center in Japan Atomic Energy Agency. The present work discusses the various nuclear materials, storage methods, experience in degradation of containers that occur during storage, and strategies for future long-term storage.

Analysis of debris samples of Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station (Translated document)

Task Force on Research Strategy for Debris of Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station

JAEA-Review 2020-055, 171 Pages, 2020/12

JAEA-Review-2020-055.pdf:5.66MB

Design, planning and control of debris-related processes, namely retrieval, storage management, processing and disposal of the debris, are required for the safe and steady decommissioning of Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station (1F). Status inside primary containment vessel of 1F must be known by the PCV investigation and fuel debris sample analysis. Continuous updating and improvement of the process design are important through ascertainment of the cause of the accident. The roadmap for the 1F decommissioning have shown the milestone of commencement of trial retrieval of fuels debris within 2021, which indicates the analysis of fuel debris sample begin in earnest. This report recommends required debris analysis in relation with issues for the retrieval, storage management, processing and disposal, and ascertainment of the cause of the 1F accident. Practical analysis plan is expected to be prepared based on this report.

Basis for handling of nuclear fuel materials (Second edition)

Task Force on Writing Textbook of Nuclear Fuel Materials

JAEA-Review 2020-007, 165 Pages, 2020/07

JAEA-Review-2020-007.pdf:6.63MB

The present textbook was written by Task Force on Writing Textbook of Nuclear Fuel Materials at the Nuclear Science Research Institute in order to improve technological abilities of engineers and researchers who handle nuclear fuel materials. The taskforce consists of young and middle class engineers each having certification for chief engineer of nuclear fuel. The present textbook mainly deals with uranium and plutonium, and shows their nuclear properties, physical and chemical properties, and radiation effects on materials and human body. It also presents basic matters for safety handling of nuclear fuel materials, such as handling of nuclear fuel materials with hood and glovebox, important points in storage and transportation of nuclear fuel materials, radioactive waste management, radiation safety management, and emergency management. Furthermore, incident cases at domestic and foreign nuclear fuel materials facilities are compiled to learn from the past.

Technical design of the pressure-resistant chamber for open inspections of the storage containers of nuclear fuel materials

Marufuji, Takato; Sato, Takumi; Ito, Hideaki; Suzuki, Hisashi; Fujishima, Tadatsune; Nakano, Tomoyuki

JAEA-Technology 2019-006, 22 Pages, 2019/05

JAEA-Technology-2019-006.pdf:2.84MB

Radioactive contamination incident occurred at Plutonium Fuel Research Facility (PFRF) in Oarai Research and Development Institute, Japan Atomic Energy Agency on June 6, 2017. During inspection work of storage container containing nuclear fuel materials, the PVC bag packaging in the storage container ruptured when a worker opened the lid in the hood, and a part of contents was spattered over the room. The cause of the increase of internal pressure of the storage container was gas generation by alpha radiolysis of the epoxy resin mixed with nuclear fuel materials. Opening inspection of about 70 similar containers stored in PFRF has been planned to confirm the condition of the contents and to stabilize the stored materials containing organic compounds. For safe and reliable open inspection of the storage containers with high internal pressure in the glove box, it is necessary to develop a pressure-resistant chamber in which the storage containers are opened and the contents are inspected under gastight condition. This report summarizes the concerns and countermeasures of the chamber design and the design results of the chamber.

Level 1 PRA for external vessel storage tank of Japan sodium-cooled fast reactor in whole core refueling

Yamano, Hidemasa; Kurisaka, Kenichi; Nishino, Hiroyuki; Okano, Yasushi; Naruto, Kenichi*

Proceedings of 12th International Topical Meeting on Nuclear Reactor Thermal-Hydraulics, Operation and Safety (NUTHOS-12) (USB Flash Drive), 15 Pages, 2018/10

Spent fuels are transferred from a reactor core to a spent fuel pool through an external vessel storage tank (EVST) filled with sodium in sodium-cooled fast reactors in Japan. This paper describes identification of dominant accident sequences leading to fuel failure, which was achieved through probabilistic risk assessment for the EVST designed for a next sodium-cooled fast reactor plant system in Japan to improve the EVST design. The safety strategy for the EVST involves whole core refueling (early transfer of all core fuel assemblies into the EVST) assuming a severe situation that results in sodium level reduction leading finally to the top of the reactor core fuel assemblies in a long time. This study introduces the success criteria mitigation along the decay heat decrease over time. Based on the design information, this study has carried out identification of initiating events, event and fault tree analyses, a probability analysis for human error, and quantification of accident sequences. The fuel damage frequency of the EVST was evaluated to be approx. 10/year. The dominant accident sequence resulted from the static failure and human error for the switching from the stand-by to operation mode in the three stand-by cooling circuits after loss of one circuit for refueling heat removal operation as an initiating phase.

Proceedings of the Research Conference on Cementitious Composites in Decommissioning and Waste Management (RCWM2017); June 20th and 21st, 2017, Tomioka Town Art&Media Center, Tomioka, Futaba, Fukushima, Japan

Sano, Yuichi; Ashida, Takashi

JAEA-Review 2017-021, 180 Pages, 2017/11

JAEA-Review-2017-021.pdf:86.98MB

Collaborative Laboratories for Advanced Decommissioning Science (CLADS) is responsible to promote international cooperation in the R&D activities on the decommissioning of Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station and to develop the necessary human resources. CLADS held the Research Conference on Cementitious Composites in Decommissioning and Waste Management (RCWM2017) on 20th and 21st June, 2017. This report compiles the abstracts and the presentation materials in the above conference.

Proceedings of the Research Conference on Post-accident Waste Management Safety (RCWM2016) and the Technical Seminar on Safety Research for Radioactive Waste Storage; November 7th and 8th 2016, LATOV, Iwaki, Fukushima, Japan

Motooka, Takafumi; Yamagishi, Isao

JAEA-Review 2017-004, 157 Pages, 2017/03

JAEA-Review-2017-004.pdf:48.18MB

Collaborative Laboratories for Advanced Decommissioning Science (CLADS) is responsible to promote international cooperation in the R&D activities on the decommissioning of Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station and to develop the necessary human resources. CLADS held the Research Conference on Post-accident Waste Management Safety (RCWM2016) was held on November 7th, 2016 and the Technical Seminar on Safety Research for Radioactive Waste Storage was held on November 8th, 2016. This report compiles the abstracts and the presentation materials in the above conference and seminar.

In-situ dismantling of the liquid waste storage tank in the decommissioning program of the JRTF

Mimura, Ryuji; Muraguchi, Yoshinori; Nakashio, Nobuyuki; Nemoto, Koichi; Shiraishi, Kunio

Proceedings of 23rd International Conference on Nuclear Engineering (ICONE-23) (DVD-ROM), 5 Pages, 2015/05

The JAERI's Reprocessing Test Facility (JRTF) was the first engineering-scale reprocessing facility constructed in Japan. The JRTF was operated from 1968 to 1969 to reprocess spent fuels from the Japan Research Reactor No.3 (JRR-3). As a result of the operation (total 3 runs) by PUREX process, 200 g of highly purified plutonium (Pu) were extracted. In this operation, about 70 m of liquid waste was generated and part of this waste, which including Pu, with relatively high radioactivity, was stored in six large tanks. After shutdown of the facility, the JRTF decommissioning program was started in 1990 to develop decommissioning technologies and to obtain experiences and data on dismantling of fuel cycle facilities. Liquid waste in the tanks was treated from 1982 to 1998. Dismantling of tanks started in 2002. The tanks were installed in narrow concrete cells and inside of the cell was high dose area. Dismantling method for the tank is important factor to decide manpower and time for dismantlement. In this paper, in-situ dismantling of the liquid waste storage tank and its preparation work are discussed.

RBPO(R=Ca, Sr)-based storage phosphors for neutron detection

Sakasai, Kaoru; Katagiri, Masaki; Matsubayashi, Masahito; Nakamura, Tatsuya; Kondo, Yasuhiro*

IEEE Transactions on Nuclear Science, 52(5), p.1856 - 1859, 2005/10

https://doi.org/10.1109/TNS.2005.856617

Storage characteristics of RBPO(R=Ca, Sr) based phosphors have been investigated for neutron detection. To increase the photostimulated luminescence (PSL) yields of CaBPO:Ce and SrBPO:Ce phosphors, fluorine atoms were introduced and the molar ratio of the fluorine atoms was optimized for the PSL yields. In addition, the authors found that the PSL yields of SrBPO:Eu phosphors were significantly increased by adding LiBO, though introducing fluorine and brome atoms in the phosphor was not effective for the PSL yields. These phosphors will be usable as new neutron storage phosphors with low -ray sensitivity because they consist of light materials.