Long-term simulation of Cs behavior in the ocean around Fukushima considering multiphase interaction processes

Ikenoue, Tsubasa; Nakanishi, Takahiro; Kawamura, Hideyuki

Marine Pollution Bulletin, 232, p.120110_1 - 120110_9, 2026/11

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2026.120110

The accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant caused a large-scale migration of radionuclides, including cesium-137 (Cs), into the marine environment. Cesium-137 in the ocean exists in four phases (dissolved, suspended, seabed sediment, and biota), and the interactions between these phases have a great impact on its long-term behavior. Therefore, this study developed an oceanic dispersion model considering multiphase behavior and evaluated the impact of interphase interactions on the long-term behavior of Cs during the decade after the accident. The model sufficiently reproduced the oceanographic conditions and the behavior of planktons, suspended particles, and Cs. The results were consistent with previous studies, suggesting that the dissolved phase and seabed sediment phase played a central role in the Cs behavior within the first three months after the accident and thereafter, respectively. Within 10 years after the accident, the concentrations of all phases in offshore waters (deeper than 25 m) returned to pre-accident levels, but those in coastal waters (shallower than 25 m) were still at high levels due to the long-term source from seabed sediment to other phases, which is attributed to the retention of high concentrations in the seabed sediment phase. The quantitative analysis of interphase interactions made it possible to confirm that this retention was caused by a large proportion of fine-grained particles (bay area), riverine inputs (northern Fukushima), and high accumulation in the surface layers in the early stage of the accident and vigorous vertical mixing (southern Fukushima).

Development of a high-resolution imaging camera for alpha dust and high-dose rate monitor (Contract research); FY2024 Nuclear Energy Science & Technology and Human Resource Development Project

Collaborative Laboratories for Advanced Decommissioning Science; Tohoku University*

JAEA-Review 2026-016, 64 Pages, 2026/06

JAEA-Review-2026-016.pdf:3.06MB

The Collaborative Laboratories for Advanced Decommissioning Science (CLADS), Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA), has been conducting the Nuclear Energy Science & Technology and Human Resource Development Project (hereafter referred to "the Project") from FY2019. The Project aims to contribute to solving problems in the nuclear energy field represented by the decommissioning of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station, Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, Inc. (TEPCO). 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 FY2022, this report summarizes the research results of the "Development of a high-resolution imaging camera for alpha dust and high-dose rate monitor" conducted from FY2022 to FY2024. The present study aims to develop a high-resolution imaging camera for alpha dust and a high-dose rate monitor. To realize the high-resolution imaging camera for alpha dust, we have developed novel scintillation materials with emission bands of 500-800 nm. Moreover, we have prepared several materials for the camera and software. We have also developed novel scintillation materials with emission bands of 650-1,000 nm, and simulation studies have been conducted for the high-dose-rate monitor system consisting of optical fiber. In addition, we demonstrated this monitoring system, and the dose-rate dynamic range was found to be 10 mSv/h to 1 kSv/h.

Validation of underwater radiation monitoring detector

Ji, W.*; Lee, E.*; Ji, Y.-Y.*; Ochi, Kotaro; Yoshimura, Kazuya; Funaki, Hironori; Sanada, Yukihisa

Nuclear Engineering and Technology, 58(2), p.103933_1 - 103933_6, 2026/02

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.net.2025.103933

We aimed to validate the performance of an in situ underwater radiation detector, MARK-U1 (Monitoring of Ambient Radiation of KAERI - Underwater), was used to estimate Cs activity concentration in river and reservoir sediment at predicted sites of contamination. Additionally, underwater core samples were collected to measure the radioactivity using a high-purity germanium (HPGe) detector. To estimate radioactivity, a conversion factor was derived by comparing the measured spectrum and Cs activity in the sample. A Monte Carlo N-Particle (MCNP) simulation was conducted to determine the effective source geometry for in situ measurement. The simulation results correlated well with the on-site MARK-U1 monitoring results, with a deviation of 31.62%. These findings validate the performance of the in situ detector. This device can therefore be used to estimate Cs activity concentration in the underwater sediment via on-site monitoring, without requiring sample collection.

Steam Explosion Simulation Code JASMINE v.3 User's Guide; Revised for code version 3.3c

Iwasawa, Yuzuru; Matsumoto, Toshinori; Moriyama, Kiyofumi*

JAEA-Data/Code 2025-001, 199 Pages, 2025/06

JAEA-Data-Code-2025-001.pdf:9.71MB

A steam explosion is defined as a phenomenon that occurs when a hot liquid comes into contact with a low-temperature cold liquid with volatile properties. The rapid transfer of heat from the hot liquid to the cold liquid results in a chain reaction of the explosive vaporization of the cold liquid and fine fragmentation of the hot liquid. The explosive vaporization of the cold liquid initiates the propagation of shock waves in the cold liquid. The expansion of the hot and cold liquid mixture exerts mechanical forces on the surrounding structures. In severe accidents of light water reactors, the molten core (melt) is displaced into the coolant water, resulting in fuel-coolant interactions (FCIs). The explosive FCI, referred to as a steam explosion, has been identified as a significant safety assessment issue as it can compromise the integrity of the primary containment vessel. The JASMINE code is an analytical tool developed to evaluate the mechanical forces imposed by steam explosions in nuclear reactors. It performs numerical simulations of steam explosions in a mechanistic manner. The present report describes modeling concepts, basic equations, numerical solutions, and example simulations, as well as instructions for input preparation, code execution, and the use of supporting tools for practical purpose. The present report is the updated version of the "Steam Explosion Simulation Code JASMINE v.3 User's Guide, JAEA-Data/ Code 2008-014". The present report was compiled and updated based on the latest version of the code, JASMINE 3.3c, with corrections for minor errors of the distributed code JASMINE 3.3b, and conformance to recently widely used compilers on UNIX-like environments such as the GNU compiler. The numerical simulations described in the present report were obtained using the latest version JASMINE 3.3c. The latest parameter adjustment method for a model parameter proposed by the previous study is employed to conduct the numerical simulations.

Development of a high-resolution imaging camera for alpha dust and high-dose rate monitor (Contract research); FY2022 Nuclear Energy Science & Technology and Human Resource Development Project

Collaborative Laboratories for Advanced Decommissioning Science; Tohoku University*

JAEA-Review 2024-016, 61 Pages, 2024/12

JAEA-Review-2024-016.pdf:2.88MB

The Collaborative Laboratories for Advanced Decommissioning Science (CLADS), Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA), had been conducting the Nuclear Energy Science & Technology and Human Resource Development Project (hereafter referred to "the Project") in FY2022. The Project aims to contribute to solving problems in the nuclear energy field represented by the decommissioning of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station, Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, Inc. (TEPCO). 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 FY2022, this report summarizes the research results of the "Development of a high-resolution imaging camera for alpha dust and high-dose rate monitor" conducted in FY2022. The present study aims to develop a high-resolution imaging camera for alpha dust and a high-dose rate monitor. To realize the high-resolution imaging camera for alpha dust, we have developed novel scintillation materials with emission bands of 500-800 nm. Moreover, we have prepared several materials for the camera and software. We have also developed novel scintillation materials with emission bands of 650-1,000 nm, and simulation studies have been conducted for the high-dose-rate monitor system consisting of optical fiber.

Fuel debris criticality analysis technology using non-contact measurement method (Contract research); FY2022 Nuclear Energy Science & Technology and Human Resource Development Project

Collaborative Laboratories for Advanced Decommissioning Science; Tokyo Institute of Technology*

JAEA-Review 2024-013, 48 Pages, 2024/07

JAEA-Review-2024-013.pdf:1.99MB

The Collaborative Laboratories for Advanced Decommissioning Science (CLADS), Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA), had been conducting the Nuclear Energy Science & Technology and Human Resource Development Project (hereafter referred to "the Project") in FY2022. The Project aims to contribute to solving problems in the nuclear energy field represented by the decommissioning of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station, Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, Inc. (TEPCO). 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 FY2021, this report summarizes the research results of the "Fuel debris criticality analysis technology using non-contact measurement method" conducted in FY2022. The purpose of research was to improve the fuel debris criticality analysis technology using non-contact measurement method by the development of the fuel debris criticality characteristics measurement system and the multi-region integral kinetic analysis code. It was performed by Tokyo Institute of Technology, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, and Nagaoka University of Technology as the second year of three years research project.

Fuel debris criticality analysis technology using non-contact measurement method (Contract research); FY2021 Nuclear Energy Science & Technology and Human Resource Development Project

Collaborative Laboratories for Advanced Decommissioning Science; Tokyo Institute of Technology*

JAEA-Review 2022-043, 52 Pages, 2023/01

JAEA-Review-2022-043.pdf:3.48MB

The Collaborative Laboratories for Advanced Decommissioning Science (CLADS), Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA), had been conducting the Nuclear Energy Science & Technology and Human Resource Development Project (hereafter referred to "the Project") in FY2021. The Project aims to contribute to solving problems in the nuclear energy field represented by the decommissioning of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station, Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, Inc. (TEPCO). 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 FY2021, this report summarizes the research results of the "Fuel debris criticality analysis technology using non-contact measurement method" conducted in FY2021. The purpose of research was to improve the fuel debris criticality analysis technology using non-contact measurement method by the development of the fuel debris criticality characteristics measurement system and the multi-region integral kinetic analysis code. It was performed by Tokyo Institute of Technology (Tokyo Tech), National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), and National Research Nuclear University (MEPhI) as the first year of four years research project. For the criticality characteristic measurement systems to be developed by the Japanese and Russian sides, …

Quantitative analysis of radioactivity distribution by imaging of high radiation field environment using gamma-ray imaging spectroscopy (Contract research); FY2020 Nuclear Energy Science & Technology and Human Resource Development Project

Collaborative Laboratories for Advanced Decommissioning Science; Kyoto University*

JAEA-Review 2022-027, 85 Pages, 2022/11

JAEA-Review-2022-027.pdf:5.72MB

The Collaborative Laboratories for Advanced Decommissioning Science (CLADS), Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA), had been conducting the Nuclear Energy Science & Technology and Human Resource Development Project (hereafter referred to "the Project") in FY2020. The Project aims to contribute to solving problems in the nuclear energy field represented by the decommissioning of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station (1F), Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, Inc. (TEPCO). 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 "Quantitative analysis of radioactivity distribution by imaging of high radiation field environment using gamma-ray imaging spectroscopy" conducted from FY2018 to FY2021 (this contract was extended to FY2021). Since the final year of this proposal was FY2021, the results for four fiscal years were summarized. In this study, ETCC, a gamma-ray imaging system, was modified to be a portable device that can be used in 1F decommissioning project and can operate in high-dose environments. ETCC is the world's first gamma-ray camera capable of complete bijective imaging, the same as an optical camera. Therefore, ETCC can make general quantitative image analysis methods applicable to radiation, …

Quantitative evaluation of long-term state changes of contaminated reinforced concrete considering the actual environments for rational disposal (Contract research); FY2020 Nuclear Energy Science & Technology and Human Resource Development Project

Collaborative Laboratories for Advanced Decommissioning Science; The University of Tokyo*

JAEA-Review 2021-047, 127 Pages, 2022/01

JAEA-Review-2021-047.pdf:5.57MB

The Collaborative Laboratories for Advanced Decommissioning Science (CLADS), Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA), had been conducting the Nuclear Energy Science & Technology and Human Resource Development Project (hereafter referred to "the Project") in FY2020. The Project aims to contribute to solving problems in the nuclear energy field represented by the decommissioning of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station, Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, Inc. (TEPCO). 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 FY2020, this report summarizes the research results of the "Quantitative evaluation of long-term state changes of contaminated reinforced concrete considering the actual environments for rational disposal" conducted in FY2020. The present study aims to construct a database for quantitative prediction of contaminated reinforced concrete inside the reactor building. In FY2020, in chapter 3.1, in order to obtain the data for the evaluation of mesoscale cracking behavior, the equipment for the making and the measurement of the test specimens were prepared, the evaluation method was confirmed, and preliminary experiments were carried out.

A 3D particle-based analysis of molten pool-to-structural wall heat transfer in a simulated fuel subassembly

Zhang, T.*; Morita, Koji*; Liu, X.*; Liu, W.*; Kamiyama, Kenji

Extended abstracts of the 2nd Asian Conference on Thermal Sciences (Internet), 2 Pages, 2021/10

For the Japanese sodium cooled fast reactor, a fuel subassembly with an inner duct structure (FAIDUS) was designed to avoid the re-criticality by preventing the large-scale pool formation. In the present study, using the finite volume particle method, the EAGLE ID1 test which was an in-pile test performed to demonstrate the effectiveness of FAIDUS was numerically simulated and the thermal-hydraulic mechanisms underlying the heat transfer process were analyzed.