Studying the impact of deuteron non-elastic breakup on Zr + d reaction cross sections measured at 28 MeV/nucleon

Chillery, T.*; Hwang, J.*; Dozono, Masanori*; Imai, Nobuaki*; Michimasa, Shinichiro*; Sumikama, Toshiyuki*; Chiga, Nobuyuki*; Ota, Shinsuke*; Nakayama, Shinsuke; 49 of others*

Progress of Theoretical and Experimental Physics (Internet), 2023(12), p.121D01_1 - 121D01_11, 2023/12

https://doi.org/10.1093/ptep/ptad139

The deuteron is a loosely bound system which can easily break up into its constituent proton and neutron whilst in the presence of Coulomb and nuclear fields. Previous experimental studies have shown that this breakup process has a significant impact on residual nucleus production from deuteron bombardment in the high energy range of 50 - 210 MeV/nucleon. However, there remains a lack of cross-section data at energies below 50 MeV/nucleon. The current study determined Zr + d reaction cross sections under inverse kinematics at approximately 28 MeV/nucleon using the BigRIPS separator, OEDO beamline, and SHARAQ spectrometer. Cross sections from this research were compared with previous measurements and theoretical calculations. The experimental results show a large enhancement of the production cross sections of residual nuclei, especially those produced from a small number of particle emissions, compared to the proton-induced reaction data at similar bombarding energy. The DEURACS calculation, which quantitatively takes deuteron-breakup effects into account, reproduces the data well. As a long-lived fission product, Zr remains a challenge for nuclear waste disposal and treatment. This study's low-energy data may assist future consideration of nuclear-waste treatment facilities, where Zr + d may feasibly transmute the waste into short-lived/stable nuclei.

Challenge to charge exchange with pure carbon foil in the J-PARC 3GeV synchrotron

Nakanoya, Takamitsu; Yoshimoto, Masahiro; Saha, P. K.; Takeda, Osamu*; Saeki, Riuji*; Muto, Masayoshi*

Proceedings of 20th Annual Meeting of Particle Accelerator Society of Japan (Internet), p.937 - 941, 2023/11

https://www.pasj.jp/web_publish/pasj2023/proceedings/PDF/FRP3/FRP38.pdf

In the J-PARC 3GeV Rapid Cycling Synchrotron (RCS), the 400MeV H beam is changed to H+ beam by a charge exchange foil and accelerated to 3GeV. So far, RCS had used two types of charge exchange foil. One is the HBC (Hybrid Boron mixed Carbon) foil and the other is the Kaneka GTF (Graphene Thin Film). HBC foil is a patented deposition method developed at KEK for the stable production of thick carbon foil. Initially, the RCS used HBC foil produced atKEK. However, in 2017, JAEA had started HBC foil production and has been using it since then. Recently, we have succeeded in depositing thick pure carbon foil, which had been considered difficult to produce by the arc deposition method. As a new challenge, this pure carbon foil was used in the user operation from March 2023. As a result, Pure carbon foils showed less deformation and more stable charge exchange performance than HBC and GTF.

Development of freezed seal valve by using test stand for LBE technology

Saito, Shigeru; Yamaguchi, Kazushi*; Yoshimoto, Hidemitsu*; Obayashi, Hironari; Sasa, Toshinobu

JAEA-Technology 2022-032, 51 Pages, 2023/03

JAEA-Technology-2022-032.pdf:4.51MB

In the Accelerator Driven System (ADS) being studied by the Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) for transmutation of long-lived radioactive waste, lead-bismuth eutectic alloy (LBE) is used as a spallation target and subcritical core coolant. A proton irradiation facility in J-PARC is considered to prepare a material irradiation database for ADS development. The proton irradiation facility is equipped with an LBE loop, which enables material irradiation tests in spallation environment under flowing LBE condition. The slow leakage of LBE is one of critical issue to use LBE safety. The slow leakage is caused by the biting slag and/or other materials at valve seal of drain valve. To solve this problem, JAEA examined the application of freeze-seal valve (FSV), which seal the piping by freezing LBE in specific position. Water-cooled and air-cooled freeze-seal valve test modules were fabricated, installed in the test section of the existing test stand for LBE technology development, and tested to confirm their operation and performance. As a result of the tests, it was confirmed that the water-cooled FSV test module worked well along to the design values. This report describes the outline and details of the test stand for LBE technology and each FSV test module, as well as the results of operation and performance verification tests.

Present status of R&D in JAEA on partitioning and transmutation technology

Nuclear Science and Engineering Center; Fuel Cycle Design Office; Plutonium Fuel Development Center; Nuclear Plant Innovation Promotion Office; Fast Reactor Cycle System Research and Development Center; J-PARC Center

JAEA-Review 2022-052, 342 Pages, 2023/02

JAEA-Review-2022-052.pdf:18.05MB

This report summarizes the current status and future plans of research and development (R&D) on partitioning and transmutation technology in Japan Atomic Energy Agency, focusing on the results during the 3rd Medium- to Long-term Plan period (FY 2015-2021). Regarding the partitioning technology, R&D of the solvent extraction method and the extraction chromatography method are described, and regarding the minor actinide containing fuel technology, R&D of the oxide fuel production using the simplified pellet method, the nitride fuel production using the external gelation method, and pyrochemical reprocessing of the nitride fuel were summarized. Regarding transmutation technology, R&D of technology using fast reactors and accelerator drive systems were summarized. Finally, the new facilities necessary for the future R&D were mentioned.

Recent usage status of charge-exchange stripper foil for 3GeV synchrotron of J-PARC

Nakanoya, Takamitsu; Yoshimoto, Masahiro; Saha, P. K.; Takeda, Osamu*; Saeki, Riuji*; Muto, Masayoshi*

Proceedings of 19th Annual Meeting of Particle Accelerator Society of Japan (Internet), p.629 - 633, 2023/01

https://ibic12.kek.jp/mirror/www.pasj.jp/web_publish/pasj2022/proceedings/PDF/WEP0/WEP042.pdf

In the J-PARC 3-GeV Rapid Cycling Synchrotron (RCS), a 400 MeV H- beam injected from the linac is exchange to an H+ beam by a charge exchange foil and accelerated to 3 GeV. The charge exchange foils mainly used in the RCS are HBC foil (Hybrid Boron mixed Carbon stripper foil), which are made by adding a small amount of boron to carbon rods and using them as electrodes by the arc deposition method. Since 2018, foils produced by JAEA have been used for user operation. So far, no major problems have occurred due to the foils. Meanwhile, the beam power of the RCS has been gradually increased from 500 kW to 830 kW since 2018. As beam power increases, the foil issues were identified to achieve the RCS design power of 1 MW. In this paper, we will report on the recent foil usage status and issue in the user operation.

Data assimilation of three-dimensional turbulent flow using lattice Boltzmann method and local ensemble transform Kalman filter (LBM-LETKF)

Hasegawa, Yuta; Onodera, Naoyuki; Asahi, Yuichi; Idomura, Yasuhiro

Dai-36-Kai Suchi Ryutai Rikigaku Shimpojiumu Koen Rombunshu (Internet), 5 Pages, 2022/12

This study implemented and tested the ensemble data assimilation (DA) of turbulent flows using the lattice Boltzmann method and the local ensemble transform Kalman filter (LBM-LETKF). The computational code was implemented fully on GPUs. The test was carried out for the 3D turbulent flow around a square cylinder with meshes and 32 ensemble members using 32 GPUs. The time interval of the DA in the test was a half of the period of the Kalman vortex shedding. The normalized mean absolute errors (NMAE) of the lift coefficient were 132%, 148%, and 13.2% for the non-DA case, the nudging case (a simpler DA algorithm), and the LETKF case, respectively. It was found that the LETKF achieved good DA accuracy even though the observation was not frequent enough for the small scale turbulence, while the nudging showed systematic delays in its solution, and could not keep the DA accurately.

A Design study on a metal fuel fast reactor core for high efficiency minor actinide transmutation by loading silicon carbide composite material

Ohgama, Kazuya; Hara, Toshiharu*; Ota, Hirokazu*; Naganuma, Masayuki; Oki, Shigeo; Iizuka, Masatoshi*

Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, 59(6), p.735 - 747, 2022/06

https://doi.org/10.1080/00223131.2021.2005702

Development of proton beam control technology for transmutation characteristic test

Takei, Hayanori

Isotope News, (779), p.11 - 15, 2022/02

The Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) has designed a Transmutation Physics Experimental Facility (TEF-P) as an experimental facility in the Japan Proton Accelerator Research Complex (J-PARC). The TEF-P is a critical assembly driven by a low-power proton beam, a maximum of 10 W, which is extracted from a high-power beam source, such as 250 kW of 400 MeV proton beam of the J-PARC Linac. To extract such a low-power proton beam from the high-power proton beam, we developed a laser charge exchange (LCE) device and employed its technique, which is one of the non-contact beam extraction techniques. For the proof of performance of the LCE device to the TEF-P, a low-power proton beam was extracted using a negative-hydrogen Linac having an energy of 3 MeV, and a bright laser. This paper summarizes the experimental results.

Electrochemical recovery of Zr and Cd from molten chloride salts for reprocessing of used nitride fuels

Murakami, Tsuyoshi*; Hayashi, Hirokazu

Journal of Nuclear Materials, 558, p.153330_1 - 153330_7, 2022/01

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnucmat.2021.153330

Excess amounts of dissolution agents, CdCl and ZrCl, are required to dissolve transuranium (TRU: Pu and minor actinides) nitrides into LiCl-KCl melts at the chemical dissolution step, which is the first step in the reprocessing of used nitride fuels. We propose an electrochemical process where the remaining Zr and Cd are recovered from the melts to be recycled as dissolution agents for the chemical dissolution step, leaving TRU in the melts. Since the initial concentration ratio of CdCl/ZrCl remaining in the melts would depend on the condition of the chemical dissolution step and would vary during the proposed electrochemical recovery process, electrochemical behaviors of Zr and Cd were investigated in LiCl-KCl melts with various concentration ratios of CdCl/ZrCl at 723 K to confirm the basic feasibility of the proposed process. Potentiostatic electrolysis was performed using a liquid Cd cathode at -1.05 V (vs. Ag/AgCl), which was a more positive potential than the redox potentials of TRU on the liquid Cd electrode. The obtained results showed that the current efficiency for recovering Zr and Cd from the melts was as high as 100% regardless of the CdCl/ZrCl concentration ratio in the melts.

Density functional study on Am(III)/Eu(III) selectivity using crown ether type ligands

Fukasawa, Yuto*; Kaneko, Masashi; Nakashima, Satoru*

Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry, 329(1), p.77 - 84, 2021/07

https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-021-07685-0

Density functional theory calculations were applied to understand the selectivity between Am and Eu ions with the crown ethers type ligands. 18C6 is predicted to form the most stable complex with Eu and show the higher stability for Am over Eu, being consistent with previously reported Am/Eu selectivity. We modeled N- and S-donor complexes by using framework of 18C6 complex and analyzed the complexation Gibbs energies, indicating that 18C6 with N-donor atoms is suitable for both complexation and higher Am stability over Eu due to the stronger covalent interaction.