Improvement in automated particle measurement using micromanipulation and large geometry secondary ion mass spectrometry to remove the particle mixing effect of uranium particles

Tomita, Ryohei; Tomita, Jumpei; Suzuki, Daisuke; Miyamoto, Yutaka; Yasuda, Kenichiro

Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, 10 Pages, 2025/05

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00223131.2025.2512812

A new automated particle measurement (APM) combined with micromanipulation using large geometry secondary ion mass spectrometry instrument was proposed and demonstrated to remove the particle mixing effect, which indicated that the aggregation of uranium particles was detected as a single uranium particle, from APM results. The results showed that the new APM method was more effective than the traditional APM method in removing the particle mixing effect from the APM results and determining the existence of minor uranium isotopes in the samples.

Decommissioning report for Wastewater Treatment Facility (Part 2); Chapter on contamination inspection section

Yamamoto, Keisuke; Nakagawa, Takuya; Shimojo, Hiroto; Kijima, Jun; Miura, Daiya; Onose, Yoshihiko*; Namba, Koji*; Uchida, Hiroaki*; Sakamoto, Kazuhiko*; Ono, Chika*; et al.

JAEA-Technology 2024-019, 211 Pages, 2025/02

JAEA-Technology-2024-019.pdf:35.35MB

The uranium enrichment facilities at the Nuclear Fuel Cycle Engineering Laboratories of Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) were constructed sequentially to develop uranium enrichment technology with centrifugal separation method. The developed technologies were transferred to Japan Nuclear Fuel Limited until 2001. And the original purpose has been achieved. Wastewater Treatment Facility, one of the uranium enrichment facilities, was constructed in 1976 to treat radioactive liquid waste generated at the facilities, and it finished the role in 2008. In accordance with the Medium/Long-Term Management Plan of JAEA Facilities, interior equipment installed in this facility had been dismantled and removed since November 2021 to August 2023. This report summarizes the findings obtained through the work related to the contamination inspection methods cancellation the controlled area of Wastewater Treatment Facility from September 2023 to March 2024.

Dissolution behavior of UO, FeUO, and UO-Zr-stainless steel system samples generated in an oxidative atmosphere in the presence of malonic acid

Tonna, Ryutaro*; Sasaki, Takayuki*; Okamoto, Yoshihiro; Kobayashi, Taishi*

Journal of Nuclear Materials, 605, p.155561_1 - 155561_9, 2025/02

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnucmat.2024.155561

Chemical interaction of CsOH vapor with UO and Fe-Zr melt

Nakajima, Kunihisa; Takano, Masahide

Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, 62(1), p.78 - 85, 2025/01

https://doi.org/10.1080/00223131.2024.2389153

At TEPCO's Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station, it is estimated that considerable amounts of cesium still remain in the reactors from the analysis results using the severe accident analysis codes and the reverse analysis from contaminated water. Since cesium is known to form stable compounds with uranium and zirconium, chemisorption experiments with uranium dioxide pellets and iron-zirconium melts for cesium hydroxide vapor were carried out. As the results, formations of cesium uranate, CsUO, and cesium zirconate, CsZrO, were confirmed, indicating that cesium was chemisorbed on both of the uranium dioxide pellets and the iron-zirconium melts in an Ar-H-HO flow and an Ar-H flow, respectively. Therefore, it was considered that cesium released from fuel might be trapped by chemisorption with fuels and/or iron-zirconium melts during light water reactor severe accidents.

Current status of uranium enrichment in Iran

Shimizu, Ryo

Dai-45-Kai Nihon Kaku Busshitsu Kanri Gakkai Nenji Taikai Kaigi Rombunshu (Internet), 4 Pages, 2024/11

no abstracts in English

Characterization of mineral composition using PIXE and EXAFS analyses to elucidate the Barium adsorption mechanism

Oguri, Kaori; Hagura, Naoto*; Yamaguchi, Akiko; Okumura, Masahiko; Matsuura, Haruaki*; Tsunashima, Yasumichi; Aoki, Katsumi; Arai, Yoichi; Watanabe, So

Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research B, 556, p.165516_1 - 165516_8, 2024/11

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nimb.2024.165516

Ningyo-toge is the uranium mine that has been operated in Japan. Various radioactive elements such as Uranium (U), and Radium (Ra) are still present in the mine ground water with very small amount, and behavior of those elements is not fully understood. In this study, we investigated the composition of metal oxides and clay minerals in a soil of slag deposit at the mine, and systematics of adsorption structure of various ions were examined. Identifying the composition and chemical forms of minerals present in the soil of slag can provide useful information for the safety assessment and evaluation of influence on the surrounding environment.

Application of deep metric learning model to microscope image analysis for the determination of UOC samples in nuclear forensics analysis

Kimura, Yoshiki; Matsumoto, Tetsuya*; Yamaguchi, Tomoki

Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry, 333(7), p.3541 - 3551, 2024/07

https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-023-09300-w

Analysis of particles containing alpha emitters in stagnant water in Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station's Unit 3 reactor building

Yomogida, Takumi; Ouchi, Kazuki; Morii, Shiori; Oka, Toshitaka; Kitatsuji, Yoshihiro; Koma, Yoshikazu; Konno, Katsuhiro*

Scientific Reports (Internet), 14, p.14945_1 - 14945_11, 2024/06

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-65522-2

Particles containing alpha () nuclides were identified from sediment in stagnant water in the Unit 3 reactor building of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station (FDiNPS). We analyzed different concentrations of alpha nuclides samples collected at two sampling sites, torus room and Main steam isolation valve (MSIV) room. Most of the -nuclides in the stagnant water samples of the torus room and the MSIV room were present in particle fractions larger than 10 m. We detected uranium-bearing particles in m-size by scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive X-Ray (SEM-EDX) observation. Other short lived -nuclides were detected by alpha track detection. The -nuclide-containing particles with several tens to several hundred m in size were mainly comprised iron (Fe) by SEM-EDX analysis. This study clarifies that the morphologies of U and other -nuclides in the sediment of stagnant water in the FDiNPS's Unit 3 reactor building.

Dissolution behavior and aging of iron-uranium oxide

Tonna, Ryutaro*; Sasaki, Takayuki*; Okamoto, Yoshihiro; Kobayashi, Taishi*; Akiyama, Daisuke*; Kirishima, Akira*; Sato, Nobuaki*

Journal of Nuclear Materials, 589, p.154862_1 - 154862_10, 2024/02

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnucmat.2023.154862

The dissolution behavior of FeUO compounds formed by a high-temperature reaction of UO with iron, a stainless-steel component of reactor structural materials, was investigated under atmospheric conditions. The compounds were prepared in an electric furnace using UO and FeO as starting materials, and their solid states were analyzed using X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy. The concentration of nuclides dissolved in water was examined by performing static leaching tests of FeUO compounds for up to three months. A redox reaction was proposed to occur between trivalent Fe and pentavalent U ions in the early stage of FeUO dissolution. It was thermodynamically deduced that the reduced divalent Fe ion was finally oxidized into a trivalent ion in the presence of dissolved oxygen, and iron hydroxide limited the solubility of Fe. Meanwhile, the concentration of hexavalent U (i.e., uranyl ion) was limited owing to the presence of secondary minerals such as metaschoepite and sodium uranate and subsequently decreased, possibly owing to sorption on Fe oxides, for example. The concentrations of multivalent ions of fission products, such as Ru and Ce, also decreased, likely for the reason above. By contrast, the concentration of soluble Cs ions did not decrease. The validity of this interpretation was supported by comparing the results with the dissolution behavior of a reference sample (Fe-free UO).

Research on technical process for achieving denuclearization, 1; Disposal and verification of weapon grade HEU

Nakatani, Takayoshi; Shimizu, Ryo; Tazaki, Makiko; Kimura, Takashi; Hori, Masato

Dai-44-Kai Nihon Kaku Busshitsu Kanri Gakkai Nenji Taikai Kaigi Rombunshu (Internet), 3 Pages, 2023/11

no abstracts in English