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Yoshida, Kazuo; Hiyama, Mina*; Tamaki, Hitoshi
JAEA-Research 2025-003, 24 Pages, 2025/06
JAEA-Research-2025-003.pdf:2.06MB
An accident of evaporation to dryness by boiling of high-level radioactive liquid waste (HLLW) is postulated as one of the severe accidents caused by the loss of cooling function at a fuel reprocessing plant. In this case, volatile radioactive materials, such as ruthenium (RuO
) are released from the tanks with water and nitric-acid mixed vapor into the atmosphere. Accurate quantitative estimation of released Ru is one of the important issues for risk assessment of those facilities. RuO is expected to be absorbed chemically into water dissolving nitrous acid. Condensation of mixed vapor plays an important role for Ru transporting behavior in the facility building. The thermal-hydraulic behavior in the facility building is simulated with MELCOR code. The latent heat, which is a governing factor for vapor condensing behavior, has almost same value for nitric acid and water at the temperature range under 120 centigrade. Considering this thermal characteristic, it is assumed that the amount of nitric acid is substituted with mole-equivalent water in MELCOR simulation. Compensating modeling induced deviation by this assumption have been assembled with control function features of MELCOR. The comparison results have been described conducted between original simulation and modified simulation with compensating model in this report. It has been revealed that the total amount of pool water in the facility was as same as both simulations.
Yanagisawa, Hiroshi; Motome, Yuiko
JAEA-Research 2025-001, 99 Pages, 2025/06
JAEA-Research-2025-001.pdf:1.98MB
The detailed computational models for nuclear criticality analyses on the first startup cores of NSRR (Nuclear Safety Research Reactor), which is categorized as a TRIGA-ACPR (Annular Core Pulse Reactor), were created for the purposes of deeper understandings of safety inspection data on the neutron absorber rod worths of reactivity and improvement of determination technique of the reactivity worths. The uncertainties in effective neutron multiplication factor (k
) propagated from errors in the geometry, material, and operation data for the present models were evaluated in detail by using the MVP version 3 code with the latest Japanese nuclear data library, JENDL-5, and the previous versions of JENDL libraries. As a result, the overall uncertainties in k for the present models were evaluated to be in the range of 0.0027 to 0.0029 
k. It is expected that the present models will be utilized as the benchmark on k for TRIGA-ACPR. Moreover, it is confirmed that the overall uncertainties were sufficiently smaller than the values of absorber rod worths determined in NSRR. Thus, it is also considered that the present models are applicable to further analyses on the absorber rod worths in NSRR.
Sugita, Yutaka; Ono, Hirokazu; Beese, S.*; Pan, P.*; Kim, M.*; Lee, C.*; Jove-Colon, C.*; Lopez, C. M.*; Liang, S.-Y.*
Geomechanics for Energy and the Environment, 42, p.100668_1 - 100668_21, 2025/06
Times Cited Count：1 Percentile：0.00(Energy & Fuels)The international cooperative project DECOVALEX 2023 focused on the Horonobe EBS experiment in the Task D, which was undertaken to study, using numerical analyses, the thermo-hydro-mechanical (or thermo-hydro) interactions in bentonite based engineered barriers. One full-scale in-situ experiment and four laboratory experiments, largely complementary, were selected for modelling. The Horonobe EBS experiment is a temperature-controlled non-isothermal experiment combined with artificial groundwater injection. The Horonobe EBS experiment consists of the heating and cooling phases. Six research teams performed the THM or TH (depended on research team approach) numerical analyses using a variety of computer codes, formulations and constitutive laws.
sp. nov., a novel hydrogen-producing bacterium isolated from a deep diatomaceous shale formationUeno, Akio*; Sato, Kiyoshi*; Tamamura, Shuji*; Murakami, Takuma*; Inomata, Hidenori*; Tamazawa, Satoshi*; Amano, Yuki; Miyakawa, Kazuya; Naganuma, Takeshi*; Igarashi, Toshifumi*
International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology, 75(6), p.006802_1 - 006802_11, 2025/06
no abstracts in English
Takei, Hayanori
Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, 45 Pages, 2025/06
The Japan Atomic Energy Agency is working on the research and development of an accelerator-driven nuclear transmutation system (ADS) for transmuting minor actinides. This system combines a subcritical nuclear reactor with a high-power superconducting proton linear accelerator (JADS-linac). One of the factors limiting the advancement of the JADS-linac is beam trips, which often induce thermal cycle fatigue, thereby damaging the components in the subcritical core. The average beam current of the JADS-linac is 32 times higher than that of the linear accelerator (linac) of the Japan Proton Accelerator Research Complex (J-PARC). Therefore, according to the development stage, comparing the beam trip frequency of the JADS-linac with the allowable beam trip frequency (ABTF) is necessary. Herein the beam trip frequency of the JADS-linac was estimated through a Monte Carlo program using the reliability functions based on the operational data of the J-PARC linac. The Monte Carlo program afforded the distribution of the beam trip duration, which cannot be obtained using traditional analytical methods. Results show that the frequency of the beam trips with a duration exceeding 5 min must be reduced to 27% of the current J-PARC linac level to be below the ABTF.
Aoyagi, Kazuhei; Ozaki, Yusuke; Hayano, Akira; Ono, Hirokazu; Tachi, Yukio
Nihon Genshiryoku Gakkai-Shi ATOMO
, 67(6), p.354 - 358, 2025/06
Japan Atomic Energy Agency launched the Horonobe International Project (HIP) utilizing the Horonobe Underground Research Laboratory. The main objectives of this project are to develop and demonstrate advanced technologies to be used in repository design, operation and closure and a realistic safety assessment in deep geological disposal, and to encourage and train the next generation of engineers and researchers. In this review, an overview of the HIP is presented.
Wilson, J.*; Sasamoto, Hiroshi; Tachi, Yukio; Kawama, Daisuke*
Applied Clay Science, 275, p.107862_1 - 107862_15, 2025/05
Times Cited Count：0High-Level Radioactive Waste (HLW) repositories include iron or steel-based containers/overpack and bentonite buffers. Over the last 25 years or so, research efforts have attempted to elucidate the nature of iron-bentonite interactions, especially the potential for the deleterious alteration of the swelling clay component (smectite), to iron-rich layer silicates, some of which lack the capacity for intracrystalline swelling. This could result in a reduction or loss in swelling pressure in the bentonite buffer which is designed to protect waste containers from shear forces and also acts to restrict water and solute transport, as part of an engineered barrier system. Most data on iron-bentonite interactions come from experimental and geochemical modelling studies, as natural analogue data are lacking. The data suggests that there is the potential for the development of an iron-rich bentonite alteration zone with smectite (generally present as the aluminous montmorillonite type) undergoing alteration to iron-rich solids, including layer silicates and steel corrosion products such as green rust or magnetite. The evidence available is complex, arguably incomplete, with many potential complex couplings. Many uncertainties remain despite efforts taken over the last 25 years, but plausible scenarios for iron-bentonite interactions have been identified and possible implications for buffer properties have been suggested.
Sonehara, Masateru; Okano, Yasushi; Uchibori, Akihiro; Oki, Hiroshi*
Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, 62(5), p.403 - 414, 2025/05
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.
Takahatake, Yoko; Watanabe, So; Watanabe, Masayuki; Sano, Yuichi; Takeuchi, Masayuki
Progress in Nuclear Science and Technology (Internet), 7, p.195 - 198, 2025/05
Extraction chromatgraphy technology for trivalent minor actinide (MA(III) ; Am(III) and Cm(III)) recovery from the solution generated by an extraction process in reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel has been developed. A fine particle is generated in the solution. The fine particle must be removed before MA recovery operation, because that leads clogging of the extraction chlomatography column. In order to prevent clogging the column, filtration system utilizing porous silica beads packed column has been designed. In this study, a fine particle trapping system was developed and particle removal performance of the system was experimentally evaluated using alumina particles as simulated fine particle. Column experiments revealed that the fine particle with the particle size from 0.12 to 15 
m is cause of clogging of the filtration column. Since simulated fine particles were trapped on filtration experiments, a filtration system using the porous silica beads column is practical,
Meigo, Shinichiro; Iwamoto, Hiroki; Sugihara, Kenta*; Hirano, Yukinori*; Tsutsumi, Kazuyoshi*; Saito, Shigeru; Maekawa, Fujio
JAEA-Technology 2024-026, 123 Pages, 2025/03
JAEA-Technology-2024-026.pdf:14.22MB
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
JAEA-Data-Code-2024-016.pdf:3.54MB
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：1 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：1 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
Times Cited Count：0 Percentile：0.00(Engineering, Mechanical)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.
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：1 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 MW
h 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 MWh 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
JAEA-Review-2024-042.pdf:7.83MB
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 100
C" 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
JAEA-Review-2024-037.pdf:13.08MB
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
JAEA-Review-2024-027.pdf:6.0MB
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.
