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Meigo, Shinichiro; Iwamoto, Hiroki; Sugihara, Kenta*; Hirano, Yukinori*; Tsutsumi, Kazuyoshi*; Saito, Shigeru; Maekawa, Fujio
JAEA-Technology 2024-026, 123 Pages, 2025/03
Based on the design of the ADS Target Test Facility (TEF-T) at the J-PARC Transmutation Experimental Facility, a conceptual study was conducted on the J-PARC proton beam irradiation facility. This research was carried out based on the recommendations of the Nuclear Transmutation Technology Evaluation Task Force of the MEXT. The recommendations state that it is desirable to consider facility specifications that can make the most of the benefits of using the existing J-PARC proton accelerator while also solving the engineering issues of the ADS. We considered facilities that could respond to a variety of needs while reducing the facilities that were not needed in the TEF-T design. In order to clarify these diverse needs, we investigated the usage status of representative accelerator facilities around the world. As a result, it became clear that the main purposes of these facilities were (1) Material irradiation, (2) Soft error testing of semiconductor devices using spallation neutrons, (3) Production of RI for medical use, and (4) Proton beam use, and we investigated the facilities necessary for these purposes. In considering the facility concept, we assumed a user community in 2022 and reflected user opinions in the facility design. This report summarizes the results of the conceptual study of the proton irradiation facility, various needs and responses to them, the roadmap for facility construction, and future issues.
Nagata, Hiroshi; Kochiyama, Mami; Chinone, Marina; Sugaya, Naoto; Nishimura, Arashi; Ishikawa, Joji; Sakai, Akihiro; Ide, Hiroshi
JAEA-Data/Code 2024-016, 44 Pages, 2025/03
The elemental composition of the structural materials of nuclear reactor facilities is used as one of the important parameters in activation calculations that are evaluated when formulating decommissioning plans. Regarding the elemental composition of aluminum alloys and other materials used as structural materials for test and research reactors, sufficient data is not available regarding elements other than the major elements. For this reason, samples were collected from aluminum alloy, beryllium, hafnium, and other materials that have been used as the main structural materials of JMTR (Japan Materials Testing Reactor), and their elemental compositions were analyzed. This report summarizes the elemental composition data of 78 elements obtained in FY2023.
Ono, Hirokazu; Takayama, Yusuke*
Geomechanics for Energy and the Environment, 41, p.100636_1 - 100636_14, 2025/03
Times Cited Count:0 Percentile:0.00(Energy & Fuels)Kim, M.*; Lee, C.*; Sugita, Yutaka; Kim, J.-S.*; Jeon, M.-K.*
Geomechanics for Energy and the Environment, 41, p.100628_1 - 100628_9, 2025/03
Times Cited Count:0 Percentile:0.00(Energy & Fuels)This study investigates the impact of primary variables selection on the modeling of non-isothermal two-phase flow, by using the numerical work on the full-scale Engineered Barrier System (EBS) experiment conducted at Horonobe URL as part of the DECOVALEX-2023 project. A validated numerical model is employed to simulate the coupled thermo-hydrological behavior of heterogeneous porous media within the EBS. Two different primary variable schemes are compared in discretizing the governing equations, revealing significant difference in results.
Tsukimori, Kazuyuki; Yada, Hiroki
Journal of Pressure Vessel Technology, 147, p.031901_1 - 031901_9, 2025/00
After the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, very strict safety measures were implemented for nuclear power plants in Japan. It thus becomes a crucial issue if the safety of a plant is maintained or not at beyond design basis events. In this study, head plates and bellows were examined as components that compose the parts of the boundary of vessels that contain the primary coolant of a prototype fast breeder reactor. The behaviors of buckling, post-buckling deformation, and penetration failure, that is, loss of boundary function of these components with increasing pressure were investigated. The series of this research program started in FY2013 and the research proceeded step by step. The new result in this paper is the application of the proposed criteria to head plates and bellows, and a conservative estimation of penetration failure of these components is obtained.
Endo, Akira
Annals of the ICRP, 52(4), p.5 - 7, 2024/12
In its Publication 155, International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) has developed data on the Specific Absorbed Fraction (SAF) for reference males and females at ages of newborn, 1 year, 5 years, 10 years, and 15 years. The SAF represents the fraction of energy emitted within a source region which is absorbed in a target region per mass of the target region and is essential for calculating absorbed doses in organs or tissues for internal exposure. By combining the data of Publication 155 with the SAF data for reference adult males and females already published as Publication 133, an SAF dataset for the calculation of age-dependent dose coefficients for members of the public for environmental intakes of radionuclides has been completed. This, together with revised biokinetic models and nuclear decay data, means that the key building blocks for calculating new dose coefficients are in place. The outcome will soon be available in a series of ICRP Publications of Dose Coefficients for Intakes of Radionuclides by Members of the Public.
Ono, Hirokazu
Genshiryoku Bakkuendo Kenkyu (CD-ROM), 31(2), p.140 - 143, 2024/12
In the geological disposal of high-level radioactive waste, after emplacement of an EBS, the near-field environment is affected by processes such as heat release from the waste, groundwater infiltration into the EBS, swelling and deformation of the buffer material, and chemical reactions between groundwater and minerals. It is crucial to develop simulation codes to evaluate such coupled thermal-hydraulic-stress-chemical (THMC) processes for safety assessment of geological disposal. The full-scale vertical-emplacement EBS experiment (Horonobe EBS experiment) has been undertaken in the 350 m gallery of the Horonobe Underground Research Laboratory (URL) with the Horonobe geological environment. In the Horonobe EBS experiment, various sensors were installed in the buffer and backfill material to obtain the data required to evaluate coupled THMC processes in near-field. In Task C of the Horonobe International Project (HIP), the dismantling experiment of the Horonobe EBS experiment will be carried out and the data obtained from this experiment will be used to understand the coupled processes and to evaluate the simulation code.
Sonehara, Masateru; Okano, Yasushi; Uchibori, Akihiro; Oki, Hiroshi*
Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, 12 Pages, 2024/12
Times Cited Count:0 Percentile:0.00(Nuclear Science & Technology)For sodium-cooled fast reactors, understanding sodium combustion behaviour is crucial for managing sodium leakage accidents. In this study, we perform benchmark analyses of the Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) T3 experiment using the multi-dimensional thermal hydraulic code AQUA-SF. Conducted in an enclosed space with a large vessel volume of 100 m and a sodium mass flow rate of 1 kg/s, the experiment highlighted the multi-dimensional effects of local temperature increase shortly after sodium injection. This study aims to extend the capabilities of AQUA-SF by focusing on the simulation of these multi-dimensional temperature variations, in particular the formation of high temperature regions at the bottom of the vessel. The proposed models include the temporary stopping of sodium droplet ignition and spray combustion of sodium splash on the floor. Furthermore, it has been shown that additional heat source near the floor is essential to enhance the reproduction of the high temperature region at the bottom. Therefore, case studies including sensitivity analyses of spray cone angle and prolonged combustion of droplets on the floor are conducted. This comprehensive approach provides valuable insights into the dynamics of sodium combustion and safety measures in sodium-cooled fast reactors.
Teshigawara, Makoto; Lee, Y.*; Tatsumoto, Hideki*; Hartl, M.*; Aso, Tomokazu; Iverson, E. B.*; Ariyoshi, Gen; Ikeda, Yujiro*; Hasegawa, Takumi*
Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research B, 557, p.165534_1 - 165534_10, 2024/12
Times Cited Count:0 Percentile:0.00(Instruments & Instrumentation)At Japanese Spallation Neutron Source in J-PARC, the para-hydrogen fraction was measured by using Raman spectroscopy in-situ for an integrated beam power of 9.4 MWh at 1 MW operation, to evaluate the functionality of the ferric oxyhydroxide catalyst. This result showed that full functionality of the catalyst was retained up to the 1 MW operation. We attempted to study the effect of neutron scattering driven para to ortho-hydrogen back-conversion rate in the absence of the catalyst effect with a bypass line without catalyst. The measured increase of ortho-hydrogen fraction was 0.44% for an integrated beam power of 2.4 MW
h at 500 kW operation, however, which was considered to be due to not only to neutron collisions in cold moderators but also to the high ortho-hydrogen fraction of initially static liquid hydrogen in the bypass line and passive exudation of quasi-static hydrogen in the catalyst vessel to the main loop.
Nakayama, Masashi
JAEA-Review 2024-042, 111 Pages, 2024/11
The Horonobe Underground Research Laboratory (URL) Project is being pursued by the Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) to enhance the reliability of relevant technologies for geological disposal of high-level radioactive waste through investigating the deep geological environment within the host sedimentary rocks at Horonobe Town in Hokkaido, north Japan. In the fiscal year 2023, we continued R&D on "Study on near-field system performance in geological environment", "Demonstration of repository design options", and "Understanding of buffering behaviour of sedimentary rock to natural perturbations". These are identified as key R&D on challenges to be tackled in the Horonobe underground research plan for the fiscal year 2020 onwards. Specifically, "full-scale engineered barrier system (EBS) performance experiment" and "solute transport experiment with model testing" were carried out as part of "Study on nearfield system performance in geological environment". "Demonstration of engineering feasibility of repository technology" and "evaluation of EBS behaviour over 100C" were addressed for "Demonstration of repository design options". The validation of a method for assessing permeability using the Ductility Index and a method for estimating the state of in-situ ground pressure from hydraulic perturbation tests were investigated as part of the study "Understanding of buffering behaviour of sedimentary rock to natural perturbations". In FY2023, we resumed construction of the subsurface facilities, 3 new tunnels in the 350 m gallery and resumed excavation of the East Access Shaft and the Ventilation Shaft. By the end of FY2023, the 350 m gallery extension (tunnel extension 66 m) had been completed, and the depths of the East Access Shaft and Ventilation Shaft were GL-424 m and GL-393 m respectively.
Materials Sciences Research Center
JAEA-Review 2024-037, 141 Pages, 2024/11
Fifteen neutron beam experimental instruments managed by JAEA are installed in JRR-3 (Japan Research Reactor No.3) and are available for internal use including upgrading of instruments and for external users to produce various research results. This report summarizes the progress of internal application research and technical development such as upgrading of neutron beam instruments in the fiscal years 2021 and 2022 after the restart of operation.
Collaborative Laboratories for Advanced Decommissioning Science; Tokai National Higher Education and Research System*
JAEA-Review 2024-027, 77 Pages, 2024/11
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 and evaluation of a real-time 3D positioning embedded system combining wireless UWB and camera image analysis" conducted in FY2022. The present study aims to realize an embedded system that combines two of the latest popular technologies, "wireless UWB (Ultra Width Band)" and "multi-camera object recognition," with the goal of simple realtime 3D positioning with less than 10 cm accuracy by a human or robot for measuring air doses in nuclear reactor buildings.
Okita, Shoichiro; Aoki, Takeshi; Fukaya, Yuji; Tachibana, Yukio
Proceedings of 31st International Conference on Nuclear Engineering (ICONE31) (Internet), 5 Pages, 2024/11
Aoyagi, Kazuhei; Ozaki, Yusuke; Tamura, Tomonori; Ishii, Eiichi
Proceedings of 4th International Conference on Coupled Processes in Fractured Geological Media; Observation, Modeling, and Application (CouFrac2024) (Internet), 10 Pages, 2024/11
In high-level radioactive waste disposal, it is crucial to estimate the transmissivity of gallery excavation-induced fractures, i.e., excavation damaged zone (EDZ) fractures, because EDZ fractures can be a radionuclide migration pathway after the backfilling of the facility is completed. From previous research, the transmissivity of the fracture can be estimated through the empirical equation using the parameter ductility index (DI), which corresponds to the effective mean stress normalized to the tensile strength of the rock. In this research, we performed a hydromechanical coupling analysis of a gallery excavation at the Horonobe Underground Research Laboratory to estimate the transmissivity of the EDZ fracture before the excavation. At first, we simulated the gallery excavation at 350 m and showed that the measured transmissivity was within the range of the estimated transmissivity using the DI. After that, we also predicted the excavation of a gallery at 500 m by setting the hydromechanical parameters acquired from the laboratory tests before the excavation. The estimated transmissivity at 500 m was one order of magnitude less than that at 350 m. This result might be related to the closure of the fracture under high-stress conditions and low rock strength.
Yee-Rendon, B.; Kondo, Yasuhiro; Tamura, Jun; Maekawa, Fujio; Meigo, Shinichiro
Proceedings of 21st Annual Meeting of Particle Accelerator Society of Japan (Internet), p.205 - 209, 2024/10
The Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) designs a 30-MW CW proton linear accelerator (linac) as a key component for the accelerator-driven subcritical system (ADS) project, aimed at nuclear waste management. The low energy beam transport (LEBT) in JAEA-ADS uses charge neutralization to minimize space-charge effects, which are the primary cause of beam loss in high-power accelerators. During commissioning and power ramp-up, precise control of the duty cycle is required for safety and machine protection; thus, a chopper system will be installed to manage the beam power. The chopper is located at the LEBT, to facilitate the disposal of the excess beam power, but its operation will affect the charge neutralization producing beam transients that could lead to beam loss. To shed light on this, we created a beam optics model for the chopper using an analytic approach to determine the required characteristics like voltage and dimensions, which was confirmed through TraceWin simulations. Subsequently, we analyzed the chopper's impact on space-charge compensation to evaluate the beam transients in the LEBT. This study reports the design of the chopper and its effects on beam performance for the JAEA-ADS LEBT.
Yee-Rendon, B.; Kondo, Yasuhiro; Tamura, Jun; Maekawa, Fujio; Meigo, Shinichiro
Proceedings of 32nd Linear Accelerator Conference (LINAC 2024) (Internet), p.488 - 491, 2024/10
The Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) is designing a 30-MW CW proton linear accelerator (linac) for nuclear waste transmutation. Space-charge is the primary challenge in achieving low losses and high beam quality for high-power accelerators, especially at low energy levels where space-charge forces are greater. To counteract the space-charge effects, the low-energy beam transport (LEBT) uses a magnetostatic design to enable the neutralization of the beam charge, the so-called space charge compensation. The neutralization is an accumulation process that reaches a charge balance between the main beam and the opposite ionized particles. However, this equilibrium is destroyed by the chopper system used during beam ramping. During those transient regimes, the beam optics conditions are not optimal for the beam, producing considerable degradation that can end in serious damage to the accelerator. Thus, analysis of beam behavior at these periods is essential to develop a robust design and an efficient operation of the JAEA-ADS linac. This study presents the beam dynamics of neutralization build-up and chopper operation for the JAEA-ADS LEBT.
Iwata, Yoshihiro; Miyabe, Masabumi; Wells, S. R.*; Yamamoto, Yuta*; Hasegawa, Shuichi*
Proceedings of International Topical Workshop on Fukushima Decommissioning Research 2024 (FDR2024) (Internet), 4 Pages, 2024/10
In this study, triple and double resonance ionization schemes of atomic Ca were developed, aiming for the separation of odd isotopes by (i) laser polarization-dependent selection rules, and (ii) large isotope shifts of odd Ca isotopes in the Rydberg levels. Separation of odd isotopes was confirmed under the orthogonal condition. Suppression of non-resonant ionization of Ca by the electric field in the ionization region could further improve the optical isotope selectivity of
Ca.
Nakayama, Masashi
JAEA-Review 2024-033, 64 Pages, 2024/09
The Horonobe Underground Research Laboratory Project is being pursued by the Japan Atomic Energy Agency to enhance the reliability of relevant technologies for geological disposal of high-level radioactive waste through investigating the deep geological environment within the host sedimentary rocks at Horonobe Town in Hokkaido, north Japan. In the fiscal year 2024, we continue R&D on "Study on near-field system performance in geological environment", "Demonstration of repository design options", and "Understanding of buffering behaviour of sedimentary rocks to natural perturbations". These are identified as key R&D challenges to be tackled in the Horonobe underground research plan for the fiscal year 2020 onwards. In the "Study on near-field system performance in geological environment", we continue to obtain data from the full-scale engineered barrier system performance experiment, and work on the specifics of the full-scale engineered barrier system dismantling experiment. We summarise the solute transport experiments for the excavation damaged zone and the effects of organic matter, micro-organisms and colloids, and develop the assessment methodology. We summarise the evaluation methodology using the deep Wakkanai Formation as a case study for block-scale solute transport experiments. As for "Demonstration of repository design options", we summarise the results of investigations and experiments on changes in the geological environment after tunnel excavation and closure, and summarise the applicability and technical challenges of the closure technology for boreholes excavated from tunnels. The systematic integration of technologies towards EBS emplacement, including the organisation of investigation and evaluation methods and analysis, will be promoted. Experiments to confirm the performance of the engineered barrier system under critical conditions, such as high temperatures (100
C), continue the in-situ tests started in 2023.
Collaborative Laboratories for Advanced Decommissioning Science; Tohoku University*
JAEA-Review 2024-019, 102 Pages, 2024/09
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 FY2020, this report summarizes the research results of the "Development of a new corrosion mitigation technology using nanobubbles toward corrosion mitigation in PCV system under the influence of /
/
-rays radiolysis" conducted from FY2020 to FY2022. The present study aims to corrosion, which is considered to be an important factor in the aging degradation of confinement functions (PCV, negative pressure maintenance system, etc.) during the fuel debris removal process. If the chemical species (especially H
O
) generated by radiolysis become locally concentrated in the areas where short-range
- and
-radiation emitting nuclides come into contact, the corrosion of steels may be greatly accelerated in those areas.
Teshigawara, Makoto; Ikeda, Yujiro*; Muramatsu, Kazuo*; Sutani, Koichi*; Fukuzumi, Masafumi*; Noda, Yohei*; Koizumi, Satoshi*; Saruta, Koichi; Otake, Yoshie*
Journal of Neutron Research, 26(2-3), p.69 - 74, 2024/09
Slow neutrons, such as cold neutrons, are important non-destructive probes not only for basic physics but also for the structural genomics advancements in the life sciences and the battery technology advancements needed for the transition to a hydrogen society. Neutron-based science is also known as high-neutron-intensity-dependent science. A new unique method focusing on nanosized particle aggregation has been proposed to increase neutron intensity in that energy region. The method is based on intensity enhancement by multiple coherent scatterings with nanosized particle aggregation. The aggregation of nanosized particles matches the wavelength of below cold neutrons, causing a similar effect to coherent scattering, so-called Bragg scattering, leading to neutron intensity enhancement by several orders of magnitude. Nanodiamonds and magnesium hydride have recently been studied numerically and experimentally. The major challenge with nanodiamonds in practical applications is the molding method. Another carbon structure, graphene is focused on to find a solution to this problem. It is hypothesized that nanosized graphene could aid coherent neutron scattering under particle size conditions similar to nanodiamonds. We report the potential of nanosized graphene as a reflector material below cold neutrons, together with experimental results.