Development of nuclear security technologies for a large public event (Collaboration research)

Takahashi, Tone; Mochimaru, Takanori*; Koizumi, Mitsuo; Yoshimi, Yuki*; Yamanishi, Hirokuni*; Wakabayashi, Genichiro*; Ito, Fumiaki*

JAEA-Review 2025-039, 34 Pages, 2025/11

JAEA-Review-2025-039.pdf:2.18MB

To prevent acts of terrorism involving nuclear or radioactive materials at major public events, it is required to have surveillance technologies that either prevent these materials from being brought in or detect quickly if somebody brings them in secretly. Setting radiation gate monitors to survey pedestrians and vehicles is one of the effective methods. However, considering the possibility of individuals bypassing these monitors, complementary technologies are needed to continuously survey areas inside the gates. To survey extensive areas, radiation mapping is effective. By using multiple detectors and aggregating the data, the survey becomes much more efficient. We have developed mobile detectors capable of simultaneously measuring location data and radiation levels outdoors, with the ability to aggregate measurement results via a network and immediately visualize them on a map. For indoor environments, we have developed a technology that integrates radiation measurement results with environmental mapping created using SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping) to produce 3D maps of the surveyed areas. Additionally, we have been working on the development of a source search technology using a fast neutron detector to quickly detect neutron sources, including nuclear materials. In this report, we describe a concept of the wide area survey system and report technology development results so far.

Challenge of novel hybrid-waste-solidification of mobile nuclei generated in Fukushima Nuclear Power Station and establishment of rational disposal concept and its safety assessment (Contract research); FY2023 Nuclear Energy Science & Technology and Human Resource Development Project

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

JAEA-Review 2025-016, 143 Pages, 2025/10

JAEA-Review-2025-016.pdf:10.71MB

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 FY2023. The Project aims to contribute to solving problems in the nuclear energy field represented by the decommissioning of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station (hereafter referred to "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 FY2021, this report summarizes the research results of the "Challenge of novel hybrid-waste-solidification of mobile nuclei generated in Fukushima Nuclear Power Station and establishment of rational disposal concept and its safety assessment" conducted from FY2021 to FY2023. This study aims to establish the rational waste disposal concept of various wastes generated in 1F based on the hybrid-waste-solidification by the Hot Isostatic Press (HIP) method. The ceramics form with target elements, mainly iodine, which is challenging to immobilize, and Minor Actinides such as Am, an alpha emitter and heat source, are HIPed with well-studied materials such as SUS and zircaloy, which make the long-term stability evaluation and safety assessment possible. In 2024, the project's final year, we demonstrated the effectiveness of the hybrid solidification concept by linking all the sub-themes, from waste synthesis to disposal considerations. The compatibility of various wastes, such as ALPS, AREVA sediment wastes, AgI, waste silver adsorbent, ceria adsorbent, and iodine apatite, with metals and oxide matrices was investigated. which involves investigating the HIPed hybrid wastes after exploring the compatibility of various metals and oxide matrices using the rapid sintering method, spark plasma sintering (SPS), proposed in this project. It revealed that hybrid waste solidification with SUS matrix was superior for many wastes. Furthermore, we studied waste disposal concepts based on nuclide migration calculations. Finally, we could connect the waste fabrication to safety assessment for the first time, leading to finding an appropriate waste disposal scenario for 1F decommissioning.

Study on water stopping, repair and stabilization of lower PCV by geopolymer, etc. (Contract research); FY2023 Nuclear Energy Science & Technology and Human Resource Development Project

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

JAEA-Review 2025-008, 134 Pages, 2025/09

JAEA-Review-2025-008.pdf:10.0MB

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 FY2023. 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 "Study on water stopping, repair and stabilization of lower PCV by geopolymer, etc." conducted from FY2021 to FY2023. Since the final year of this proposal was FY2023, the results for 3 fiscal years were summarized. In order to retrieve fuel debris, it is necessary to shut off the water at the bottom of the dry well and repair it in order to control the PCV water level. Therefore, in this study, we evaluated a construction method of stopping the water of the jet deflector with an improved geopolymer and repairing the lower part of the dry well by experiments and simulations. In addition, after understanding the properties of the fuel debris coated with the geopolymer, the long-term life of the waste body was evaluated. As a result, it was predicted that by utilizing geopolymers, it is possible to stop water and repair the lower part of the PCV in consideration of steps from construction to waste management.

A Simple process simulation method for radiation stability evaluation of minor actinides separation

Toigawa, Tomohiro; Tsubata, Yasuhiro; Kumagai, Yuta; Ban, Yasutoshi

Progress in Nuclear Science and Technology (Internet), 8, p.286 - 290, 2025/09

https://doi.org/10.15669/pnst.8.286

We propose a simple process simulation methodology that uses readily available information about radiation impact. A process simulation was conducted for a minor actinides (MA) separation process while considering the degradation of extraction ability by radiolysis. The simulation provided a processing limit of MA and enabled the evaluation of radiation stability.

Three-dimensional numerical simulation of shaft wall collapse and lining crack initiation in deep shafts

Maeda, Soshu*; Nago, Makito*; Aoyagi, Kazuhei; Sugawara, Kentaro*; Kodama, Junichi*

Shigen, Sozai Koenshu (Internet), 12(2), 5 Pages, 2025/09

no abstracts in English

A Proposal of hydrogen safety technology for decommissioning of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station

Tanaka, Hirohisa*; Matsumura, Daiju; 8 of others*

International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, 141, p.1317 - 1327, 2025/06

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhydene.2025.03.053

Estimation of the beam trip frequency of a proton linear accelerator for an accelerator-driven nuclear transmutation system and comparison with the allowable beam trip frequency

Takei, Hayanori

Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, 45 Pages, 2025/06

https://doi.org/10.1080/00223131.2025.2523023

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.

Desorption of cesium from Fukushima soils using a mechanochemical method

Kaneta, Yui; Kobayashi, Toru; Tsuji, Takuya; Honda, Mitsunori; Yokoyama, Keiichi; Mampuku, Yuzo*; Yaita, Tsuyoshi*

Clays and Clay Minerals, 73, p.e26_1 - e26_8, 2025/04

https://doi.org/10.1017/cmn.2025.9

The desorption behavior of stable Cs adsorbed onto weathered biotite (WB), a clay mineral abundant in Fukushima soils, was investigated using a mechanochemical (MC) method that combines physical grinding by ball impact with a wet process promoting chemical reactions. The results, oxalic acid desorbed Cs to some extent without significantly affecting the layered structure of the clay minerals; ammonium chloride, showed an exfoliation of the layer structure, resulting in a stable desorption of Cs independent of samples. Regarding the real soil samples collected in Fukushima, the MC method using ammonium chloride solution desorbed 80% of Cs. In contrast, oxalic acid did not always result in radioactive Cs made sufficiently desorbed for all the samples. Based on these findings, the MC method with ammonium chloride effectively promotes radioactive Cs desorption from interlayers due to synergistic effects from the layered structure's exfoliation and chemical interaction.

Simulation of excavation and long-term permeability test at 350 m gallery in Horonobe Underground Research Laboratory based on large-scale three-dimensional coupled analysis

Suetake, Koya*; Ogata, Sho*; Yasuhara, Hideaki*; Aoyagi, Kazuhei; Inui, Toru*; Kishida, Kiyoshi*

Dai-16-Kai Iwa No Rikigaku Kokunai Shimpojiumu Koen Rombunshu (Internet), p.304 - 309, 2025/01

It is very important to predict the extent of EDZ (excavation disturbed zone) and the behavior of hydraulic conductivity after excavation of shafts and tunnels for geological disposal of radioactive waste. In this study, we attempted to reproduce the in-situ tunnel excavation test and the subsequent permeability test at the Horonobe Underground Research Laboratory (URL) using a three-dimensional tunnel excavation simulator. As a result, similar results to the in-situ tests were obtained for the extent of EDZ propagation by excavation and the results of permeability tests. The simulator is effective in predicting the mechanical effects of excavation, coupled phenomena such as deformation and seepage, and hydraulic conductivity in deep mudstones in Japan.

Construction of a Compton camera-equipped robotic system capable of moving autonomously towards the radiation source

Sato, Yuki; Kakuto, Takeshi*; Tanaka, Takayuki*; Shimano, Hiroyuki*

European Physical Journal; Special Topics, 10 Pages, 2025/00

https://doi.org/10.1140/epjs/s11734-025-01483-5