Acquisition of saltwater infiltration behavior data in unsaturated compacted bentonite

Sato, Hisashi*; Takayama, Yusuke; Suzuki, Hideaki*; Sato, Daisuke*

JAEA-Data/Code 2023-010, 47 Pages, 2023/09

JAEA-Data-Code-2023-010.pdf:1.45MB

When a high-level radioactive waste repository is constructed in a coastal area, it is necessary to fully evaluate the impact of seawater-based groundwater on engineered barriers, including buffer materials. In this report, one-dimensional saltwater infiltration tests were conducted to obtain data to understand the impact of seawater-based groundwater on the migration phenomena of water and solutes in the buffer material during the transient period. As a result, it was confirmed that the infiltration rate increased as the NaCl concentration in the infiltration solution increased. And it was confirmed that the water content ratio distribution changed as the NaCl concentration in the infiltration solution increased. As a result of analysis of the chloride ion concentration of the post-test specimens confirmed that chloride ion enrichment was occurred with infiltration. As a result of verifying the mechanism by which chloride ion enrichment occurs, it was confirmed that the phenomenon of chloride ion enrichment due to infiltration depends on the initial water content ratio.

Tritium inventory and its temporal variation in Fukushima Front Sea Area; Comparison between coastal and offshore tritium inventories and 1f treated water and operational target values for discharge per year

Machida, Masahiko; Iwata, Ayako; Yamada, Susumu; Otosaka, Shigeyoshi*; Kobayashi, Takuya; Funasaka, Hideyuki*; Morita, Takami*

Nihon Genshiryoku Gakkai Wabun Rombunshi (Internet), 22(1), p.12 - 24, 2023/01

https://doi.org/10.3327/taesj.J22.001

We estimate inventory of tritium in two sea areas corresponding to coastal and offshore ones around Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (1F) based on the measurement results of sea-water tritium concentration monitored constantly from 2013 to Jan. 2021 by using Voronoi tessellation scheme. The obtained results show that the offshore area inventory and its temporal variation amount correspond to approximately 1/5 and 1/40 of that of the treated-water accumulated inside 1F, respectively. These results just suggest that the presence of tritium already included in sea-water as the background is non negligible in evaluating the environmental impact by releasing the accumulated treated-water into the sea region. We also estimate the offshore area inventory before 1F accident and find that it had exceeded over 1F stored inventory over about 30 years from 1960s to 1980s with approximately 4 times larger in the peak decade, 1960s. This fact means that we had already experienced more contaminated situation over 30 years in the past compared to the conservative case appeared by just releasing whole the present 1F inventory. Here, it should be also emphasized that the past contaminated situation was shared by the entire world. We further extend the estimation region into a wider region including an offshore area from Miyagi to Chiba prefectures and find that the area average inventory is now comparable to a half of the present 1F one. Finally, we estimate internal dose per year via ingesting fishes caught inside the area when 1F inventory is just added inside the area and kept for a year. The result indicates that it approximately corresponds to 1.0 of the dose from natural radiation sources. From these estimation results, it is found that all the tritium inventory stored inside 1F never contribute to significant dose increment even when it is instantly released into the area.

Estimation of temporal variation of discharged tritium from port of Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant; Analysis of the temporal variation and comparison with released tritium from Japan and major nuclear facilities worldwide

Machida, Masahiko; Iwata, Ayako; Yamada, Susumu; Otosaka, Shigeyoshi*; Kobayashi, Takuya; Funasaka, Hideyuki*; Morita, Takami*

Nihon Genshiryoku Gakkai Wabun Rombunshi, 21(1), p.33 - 49, 2022/03

https://doi.org/10.3327/taesj.J20.036

We estimate monthly discharge inventory of tritium from the port of Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (1F) from Jun 2013 to Mar 2020 by using the Voronoi tessellation scheme, following that the tritium monitoring inside the port has started since Jun 2013. As for the missing period from the initial month, Apr 2011 to May 2013, we calculate it by utilizing the concentration ratio of tritium to that of Cs in stagnant contaminant water during the initial direct discharged period to Jun 2011 and the discharge inventory correlation between tritium and Cs for the next-unknown continuously-discharged period up to May 2013. From the all- estimated results over 9 years, we find that the monthly discharge inventory sharply dropped just after closing the sea-side impermeable sea-wall in Oct. 2015 and subsequently coincided well with the sum of those of drainage and subdrain. By comparing the estimated results with those in the normal operation period before the accident, we point out that the discharge inventory from 1F port is not so large compared to those during the normal operation. Even the estimated one in year 2011 is found to be comparable to the maximum of operating pressurized water reactors discharging relatively large inventory in the order. In the nation level, the whole Japan domestic discharge inventory significantly decreased after the accident due to operation shutdown of most plants. Furthermore, 1F and even Japanese total discharge inventory are found to be entirely minor when comparing those of nuclear reprocessing plants and heavy-water reactors in world-wide level. From the above, we suggest that various scenarios can be openly discussed on the management in tritium stored inside 1F with help of the present estimated data and its comparison with the past discharge inventory.

Development of MIG2DF Version 2

Takai, Shizuka; Kimura, Hideo*; Uchikoshi, Emiko*; Munakata, Masahiro; Takeda, Seiji

JAEA-Data/Code 2020-007, 174 Pages, 2020/09

JAEA-Data-Code-2020-007.pdf:4.23MB

The MIG2DF computer code is a computer program that simulates groundwater flow and radionuclide transport in porous media for the safety assessment of radioactive waste disposal. The original version of MIG2DF was released in 1992. The original code employs a two-dimensional (vertical or horizontal cross-section, or an axisymmetric configuration) finite-element method to approximate the governing equations for density-dependent saturated-unsaturated groundwater flow and radionuclide transport. Meanwhile, for geological disposal of radioactive wastes, landscape evolution such as uplift and erosion needs to be assessed as a long-term geological and climate events, considering site conditions. In coastal areas, the impact to groundwater flow by change of salinity distribution to sea level change also needs to be considered. To deal with these events in the assessment, we have revised the original version of MIG2DF and developed the external program which enables MIG2DF to consider unsteady landscape evolution. In these developments, this report describes an upgrade of MIG2DF (Version 2) and presents the configuration, equations, methods, and verification. This reports also give the explanation external programs of MIG2DF: PASS-TRAC (the particle tracking code), PASS-PRE (the code for dataset preparation), and PASS-POST (the post-processing visualization system).

Seven-year temporal variation of caesium-137 discharge inventory from the port of Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant; Continuous monthly estimation of caesium-137 discharge in the period from April 2011 to June 2018

Machida, Masahiko; Yamada, Susumu; Iwata, Ayako; Otosaka, Shigeyoshi; Kobayashi, Takuya; Watanabe, Masahisa; Funasaka, Hideyuki; Morita, Takami*

Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, 57(8), p.939 - 950, 2020/08

https://doi.org/10.1080/00223131.2020.1740809

After direct discharges of highly contaminated water of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (1F) from April to May 2011, Kanda suggested that relatively small amounts of run-off of radionuclides from the 1F port into the Fukushima coastal region subsequently continued by his estimation method. However, the estimation period was limited to up to September 2012. Therefore, this paper estimates the discharge inventory up to June 2018. In the missing period, the Japanese government and Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings have continued efforts to stop the discharge, and consequently, the radionuclide concentration in seawater inside the 1F port has gradually diminished. We show the monthly discharge inventory of Cs up to June 2018 by two methods, i.e., Kanda method partially improved by the authors and a more sophisticated method using Voronoi tessellation reflecting the increase in the number of monitoring points inside the 1 F port. The results show that the former always yields overestimated results compared with the latter, but the ratio of the former to the latter is less than one order of magnitude. Using these results, we evaluate the impact of the discharge inventory from the 1F port into the coastal area and radiation dose upon fish ingestion.

Vertical distribution of I released from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in the Kuroshio and Oyashio current areas

Suzuki, Takashi; Otosaka, Shigeyoshi; Kuwabara, Jun; Kawamura, Hideyuki; Kobayashi, Takuya

Marine Chemistry, 204, p.163 - 171, 2018/08

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marchem.2018.07.007

To investigate the penetration of radionuclides released from Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP), depth profiles were revealed at Kuroshio current, transition, and Oyashio current areas. The FDNPP-derived I was found in surface layer at Oyashio current and transition areas and in sub-surface layer at Kuroshio current area. Moreover, it was found that the FDNPP-derived I/Cs ratios in the Oyashio current and transition areas were higher than that in the FDNPP reactor. The higher FDNPP-derived I/Cs ratios suggest three potential mechanisms for the migration of radionuclides in the environment: (1) radioiodine was released more easily than radiocesium by the FDNPP accident, (2) I was supplied from the atmosphere by re-emitted I from contaminated areas around Fukushima, (3) leaked water that removed radiocesium reached the sampling stations. The FDNPP-derived I in sub-surface layer would be transported by the meander of the Kuroshio Extension current.

Modern Radiation Chemistry (Applications), 26; Evolution of water radiolysis studies for measures against post-severe accidents

Nagaishi, Ryuji

Radioisotopes, 66(11), p.601 - 610, 2017/11

https://doi.org/10.3769/radioisotopes.66.601

no abstracts in English

Radiolysis of mixed solutions of Cl and Br and its effect on corrosion of a low-alloy steel

Hata, Kuniki; Inoue, Hiroyuki*; Kojima, Takao*; Kasahara, Shigeki; Hanawa, Satoshi; Ueno, Fumiyoshi; Tsukada, Takashi; Iwase, Akihiro*

Proceedings of Symposium on Water Chemistry and Corrosion in Nuclear Power Plants in Asia 2017 (AWC 2017) (USB Flash Drive), p.304 - 314, 2017/09

A model simulation of radiolysis of mixed solutions of NaCl and NaBr was carried out. The simulation result agreed well with the experimental result, and Br played an important role in determining the amounts of products from water radiolysis. The simulation result also showed that, in highly pure NaCl solutions, the steady-state concentration of a radolytic product, HO, was mainly controlled by three reactions (Cl + OH ClOH, ClOH Cl + OH, and ClOH + H Cl + HO), which indicated that accurate evaluation of the rate constants of these reactions was very important in improving the radiolysis simulation of solutions containing Cl. An immersion test using a low-alloy steel, SQV2A, in the mixed solutions was also carried out under irradiation. The corrosion rate increased or decreased depending on the pH or the concentrations of the halide ions in a similar way to the change in concentration of HO produced from water radiolysis, which is affected by the presence of Cl and Br. However, at high pH values (12), the corrosion rate was almost zero even though the concentration of HO was high. This could be attributed to enhancement of the passivity of test specimens at higher pH values.

Study on fundamental process of seawater pool nucleate boiling heat transfer

Uesawa, Shinichiro; Koizumi, Yasuo; Shibata, Mitsuhiko; Yoshida, Hiroyuki

Dai-54-Kai Nihon Dennetsu Shimpojiumu Koen Rombunshu (CD-ROM), 8 Pages, 2017/05

no abstracts in English

Dissolved radiocaesium in seawater off the coast of Fukushima during 2013-2015

Fukuda, Miho*; Aono, Tatsuo*; Yamazaki, Shinnosuke*; Nishikawa, Jun*; Otosaka, Shigeyoshi; Ishimaru, Takashi*; Kanda, Jota*

Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry, 311(2), p.1479 - 1484, 2017/02

https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-016-5009-9

In order to investigate processes affecting distribution of radiocaesium in seawater in the adjacent region of Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP), relationships between Cs activity in seawater and physical properties of seawater (salinity, temperature, and potential density) were observed in seven stations within 10 km radius from the FDNPP. As a whole, Cs concentrations in seawater were higher in the vicinity of the FDNPP, and were negatively correlated with potential density. From these results, it can be considered that river water discharge or export of seawater from the FDNPP's harbor has affected the higher activity levels of Cs in seawater. It was also observed that the Cs-elevated seawater can be advected to the 2050 m depths.