The Preliminary tests of the plasma melting treatment for homogenization of low-level radioactive wastes

Nakashio, Nobuyuki*; Osugi, Takeshi; Kurosawa, Shigenobu; Ishikawa, Joji; Hemmi, Ko; Iketani, Shotaro; Yokobori, Tomohiko

JAEA-Technology 2022-016, 47 Pages, 2022/08

JAEA-Technology-2022-016.pdf:2.23MB

The Nuclear Science Research Institute (NSRI) of the Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) started operation of the Advanced Volume Reduction Facilities (AVWF) for production of waste packages for disposal of low-level radioactive solid wastes (LLW). To clarify the operating conditions for homogenization of non-metallic LLW, preliminary tests were carried out using the plasma melting furnace of the non-metal melting unit. The fluidity of molten waste influences homogenization conditions of solidified products. It was clarified that the viscosity, which is determined by the chemical composition and the melting temperature, influence the fluidity of molten waste greatly through previous literature review and the small-scale melting tests. In the preliminary tests, the simulated waste with a cold tracer loaded in 200 L drums were melted. Using the waste chemical components (basicity, iron oxide concentration) as an experimental parameter, the homogeneity of the chemical components of the solidified product was investigated and the homogenization conditions of melting tests were examined. The retention ratio of the tracer in the molten bath was also confirmed. The viscosity of the molten wastes was measured and the correlation with homogeneity was examined. In addition, the technical requirements that should be concerned in advance for future actual operation were discussed.

Ocean current data obtained by Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler across the Tsugaru Strait (Joint research)

Kawamura, Hideyuki; Hirose, Naoki*; Nakayama, Tomoharu*; Ito, Toshimichi

JAEA-Data/Code 2021-004, 34 Pages, 2021/05

JAEA-Data-Code-2021-004.pdf:3.72MB

The Japan Atomic Energy Agency measured the ocean current across the Tsugaru Strait using an Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler attached on a ferryboat from October 1999 to January 2008. The characteristics of the ocean current in the Tsugaru Strait must be understood for predicting oceanic dispersion of radioactive materials released from nuclear facilities around the strait. Furthermore, it is critical to elucidate the mechanism of the Tsugaru Warm Current from an oceanography viewpoint. The dataset obtained in this investigation consists of daily ocean current data files that record the components of the current speed in the east-west and north-south directions from the surface layer to the bottom layer. The dataset stores 2,211 daily ocean current data files, despite some data periods missing from October 1999 to January 2008. In this study, information on the dataset is described for users to analyze the dataset properly for their purposes. Section 1 provides the background and purpose of the ocean current measurement, Section 2 explains the methodology of measurement using an Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler, and Section 3 explains the record format of the daily ocean current data files and data acquisition rate and presents analysis results. Finally, Section 4 concludes this study.

Upgrading of recovery method for radioactive microparticles by heavy liquid separation aiming to volume reduction of contaminated soil (Contract research); FY2019 Nuclear Energy Science & Technology and Human Resource Development Project

Collaborative Laboratories for Advanced Decommissioning Science; University of Tsukuba*

JAEA-Review 2020-037, 53 Pages, 2020/12

JAEA-Review-2020-037.pdf:3.46MB

JAEA/CLADS had been conducting the Nuclear Energy Science & Technology and Human Resource Development Project in FY2019. Among the adopted proposals in FY2018, this report summarizes the research results of the "Upgrading of Recovery Method for Radioactive Microparticles by Heavy Liquid Separation Aiming to Volume Reduction of Contaminated Soil" conducted in FY2019.

Annual report for FY2018 on the activities of Department of Decommissioning and Waste Management (April 1, 2018 - March 31, 2019)

Department of Decommissioning and Waste Management

JAEA-Review 2020-012, 103 Pages, 2020/08

JAEA-Review-2020-012.pdf:8.17MB

This report describes the activities of Department of Decommissioning and Waste Management (DDWM) in Nuclear Science Research Institute (NSRI) in the period from April 1, 2018 to March 31, 2019. The report covers organization and missions of DDWM, outline and operation/maintenance of facilities which belong to DDWM, treatment and management of radioactive wastes, decommissioning activities, and related research and development activities which were conducted in DDWM.

Upgrading of recovery method for radioactive microparticles by heavy liquid separation aiming to volume reduction of contaminated soil (Contract research); FY2018 Center of World Intelligence Project for Nuclear Science/Technology and Human Resource Development

Collaborative Laboratories for Advanced Decommissioning Science; University of Tsukuba*

JAEA-Review 2019-023, 33 Pages, 2020/01

JAEA-Review-2019-023.pdf:1.97MB

CLADS, JAEA, had been conducting the Center of World Intelligence Project for Nuclear Science/Technology and Human Resource Development (hereafter referred to "the Project") in FY2018. The Project aims to contribute to solving problems in nuclear energy field represented by the decommissioning of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station, Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, Inc. For this purpose, intelligence was collected from all over the world, and basic research and human resource development were promoted by closely integrating/collaborating knowledge and experiences in various fields beyond the barrier of conventional organizations and research fields. The sponsor of the Project was moved from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology to JAEA since the newly adopted proposals in FY2018. On this occasion, JAEA constructed a new research system where JAEA-academia collaboration is reinforced and medium-to-long term research/development and human resource development contributing to the decommissioning are stably and consecutively implemented. Among the adopted proposals in FY2018, this report summarizes the research results of the 'Upgrading of Recovery Method for Radioactive Microparticles by Heavy Liquid Separation Aiming to Volume Reduction of Contaminated Soil'. After the accident of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station, radioactive cesium has been heterogeneously distributed in surface soil due to the existence of radioactive microparticles and clay minerals. Therefore, the selective removal of these microparticles will lead to the volume reduction of contaminated soil. The present study examines methods for selectively removing radioactive microparticles from soil. Also, in order to reduce the volume of contaminated soil, we search a possibility to practically apply the separation method that uses the difference in specific gravity of particles (heavy liquid separation method).

Particle-based simulation of heat transfer behavior in EAGLE ID1 in-pile test

Morita, Koji*; Ogawa, Ryusei*; Tokioka, Hiromi*; Liu, X.*; Liu, W.*; Kamiyama, Kenji

Proceedings of 12th International Topical Meeting on Nuclear Reactor Thermal-Hydraulics, Operation and Safety (NUTHOS-12) (USB Flash Drive), 11 Pages, 2018/10

The EAGLE in-pile ID1 test has been performed by Japan Atomic Energy Agency to demonstrate early fuel discharge from a fuel subassembly with an inner duct structure, which is named FAIDUS. It was deduced that early duct wall failure observed in the test was initiated by high heat flux from the molten pool of fuel and steel mixture. The posttest analyses suggest that molten pool-to-duct wall heat transfer might be enhanced effectively by the molten steel with large thermal conductivity in the pool without the presence of fuel crust on the duct wall. In this study, mechanisms of heat transfer from the molten pool to the duct wall was analyzed using a fully Lagrangian approach based on the finite volume particle method for multi-component, multi-phase flows. A series of pin disruption, molten pool formation and duct wall failure behaviors was simulated to investigate mixing and separation behavior of molten steel and fuel in the pool, and their effect on molten pool-to-duct wall heat transfer. The present 2D particle-based simulations demonstrated that large thermal load beyond 10 MW/m on the duct wall was caused by effective heat transfer due to direct contact of liquid fuel with nuclear heat to the duct wall.

Activities for environmental restoration in Fukushima Environmental Safety Center of JAEA; Miharu-town and Minamisoma-city

Shobu, Nobuhiro

Enerugi Rebyu, 37(10), p.21 - 22, 2017/10

After the Fukushima-Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant Accident, Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) has been carrying out research and development activities towards the environmental restoration of Fukushima. This paper describes the following representative activities in Fukushima Environmental Safety Center of JAEA, such as the development of environmental monitoring and mapping technologies, the long-term assessment of transport of radio-cesium in the environment of Fukushima, and the technology development for advancing decontamination and volume reduction technologies.

The Catalog of solidification and volume reduction technologies for the treatment of radioactive waste generated by the decommissioning of Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station

Kato, Jun; Nakagawa, Akinori; Taniguchi, Takumi; Sakakibara, Tetsuro; Nakazawa, Osamu; Meguro, Yoshihiro

JAEA-Review 2017-015, 173 Pages, 2017/07

JAEA-Review-2017-015.pdf:6.67MB

Various radioactive wastes have been generated at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station (1F). To dispose of the wastes underground, it is necessary to make a suitable waste package by the volume reduction and solidification of the wastes. To plan the future decommissioning of 1F, it is also necessary to estimate feasibility of existing treatment technology for those wastes. Therefore the document survey has been performed about volume reduction and solidification technologies that have domestic or foreign experiences of practical treatment for radioactive wastes to assist selection of suitable treatment of the wastes. This report shows the arranged results. The 1F wastes are classified into two groups, homogeneous particulate and liquid wastes and heterogeneous solid wastes. The needful items for the feasibility study such as a technology name, a fundamental principle, treatment efficiency, and characteristic of solidified waste are summarized in each group.

Physics-basis simulation of bubble pinch-off

Ito, Kei; Koizumi, Yasuo; Ohshima, Hiroyuki; Kawamura, Takumi*

Mechanical Engineering Journal (Internet), 3(3), p.15-00671_1 - 15-00671_9, 2016/06

http://doi.org/10.1299/mej.15-00671

Physics-basis simulation of bubble pinch-off

Ito, Kei; Koizumi, Yasuo*; Ohshima, Hiroyuki; Kawamura, Takumi*

Proceedings of 23rd International Conference on Nuclear Engineering (ICONE-23) (DVD-ROM), 6 Pages, 2015/05

The authors are developing a high-precision CFD code with an interface tracking method to simulate the gas entrainment (GE) phenomena in sodium-cooled fast reactors (SFRs), which might be caused by a highly-intensified free surface vortex. The GE in SFRs is characterized by an elongated interfacial dent along the vortex core and the bubble pinch-off at the tip of the dent. To simulate this complicated phenomenon, our simulation code has physics-basis algorithms which model accurately the interfacial dynamic behavior, the pressure jump condition at an interface and the surface tension. Several verification problems have been already solved and the accuracy of each individual algorithm is confirmed. In this paper, a basic experiment of the GE is simulated to validate the developed code. The simulation result of the entrained flow rate shows comparable value to the experimental data, that is, our simulation code is considered applicable to the evaluation of the GE in SFRs.