Annual report of Nuclear Science Research Institute, JFY 2022

Nuclear Science Research Institute

JAEA-Review 2024-057, 178 Pages, 2025/03

JAEA-Review-2024-057.pdf:8.51MB

Nuclear Science Research Institute (NSRI) is composed of Planning and Management Department and six departments, namely Department of Operational Safety Administration, Department of Radiation Protection, Engineering Services Department, Department of Research Reactor and Tandem Accelerator, Department of Criticality and Hot Examination Technology and Department of Decommissioning and Waste Management, and each department manages facilities and develops related technologies to achieve the "Medium- to Long-term Plan" successfully and effectively. And, four research centers which are Advanced Science Research Center, Nuclear Science and Engineering Center, Nuclear Engineering Research Collaboration Center and Materials Sciences Research Center, belong to NSRI. In order to contribute the future research and development and to promote management business, this annual report summarizes information on the activities of NSRI of JFY 2022 as well as the activity on research and development carried out by Collaborative Laboratories for Advanced Decommissioning Science, Nuclear Safety Research Center and activities of Nuclear Human Resource Development Center, using facilities of NSRI.

Renovation and restart of STACY (Static Experiment Critical Facility)

Sono, Hiroki

Genshiryoku Kiko, Genken OB Kai Kaiho, (86), P. 2, 2025/01

The Static Experiment Critical Facility (STACY) was renovated from a "solution fuel reactor" to a "reactor using fuel rods and light water moderator", and restarted operation on August 2, 2024, after a hiatus of 13 years and 8 months. During that time, it took 8 years and 11 months to obtain its permission and approval, 3 years and 1 month for its construction, and 4 months for pre-operation inspections on the reactor performance. This article reports on the history of STACY from its birth to its restart of operation, as well as its future utilization.

Design policy of pilot plant for accelerator-driven system

Nishihara, Kenji; Sugawara, Takanori; Fukushima, Masahiro; Iwamoto, Hiroki; Katano, Ryota; Abe, Takumi

Proceedings of International Conference on Nuclear Fuel Cycle (GLOBAL2024) (Internet), 4 Pages, 2024/10

A pilot plant for the accelerator-driven system is proposed as a scaled-down version of a lead-bismuth cooled ADS with 800 MW thermal output for transmutation of minor actinides. In this presentation, the design policy of the pilot plant is presented.

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.

Power profile analysis of criticality accidents involving fissile solution boiling with considering evaporation

Watanabe, Tomoaki; Yamane, Yuichi

Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, 61(7), p.958 - 966, 2024/07

https://doi.org/10.1080/00223131.2023.2290711

The total fission energy released in a criticality accident involving fissile solution boiling tends to be high because the relatively high fission power continues during boiling. Simulating fission power change correctly during boiling seems essential to estimate the total fission energy. Fission power during boiling changes depending on fissile concentration and volume as the solution evaporates. In this study, we investigated the effect of concentration and volume change on estimated total fission energy for a long time of boiling. We introduced a model calculating the evaporation of fissile solution into the modified quasi-steady-state method to simulate power change during boiling. Three CRAC experiments and the Idaho Chemical Processing Plant (ICPP) criticality accident in 1959 were analyzed. As a result, the calculated energy considering concentration and volume change during boiling reproduced the measured energy well.

Preliminary study of the criticality monitoring method based on the simulation for the activity ratio of short half-life noble-gas fission products from fuel debris

Riyana, E. S.; Okumura, Keisuke; Sakamoto, Masahiro; Matsumura, Taichi; Terashima, Kenichi; Kanno, Ikuo

Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, 61(2), p.269 - 276, 2024/02

https://doi.org/10.1080/00223131.2023.2300773

Effect of fuel particle size on consequences of criticality accidents in water-moderated solid fuel particle dispersion system

Fukuda, Kodai; Yamane, Yuichi

Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, 60(12), p.1514 - 1525, 2023/12

https://doi.org/10.1080/00223131.2023.2224327

This study aims to clarify the effect of fuel particle radius on the criticality transient behavior and the total number of fissions in water-moderated solid fuel dispersion systems. Neutronics/thermal hydraulics-coupled kinetics analysis was performed in a hypothetical fuel debris system, where small fuel particles aggregate in water and become supercritical. Results showed that the number of fissions is 10 times larger when the fuel particle radius is reduced by one order of magnitude under conditions where heat transfer, i.e. from fuel to water, is emphasized. Moreover, there is a possibility that lower reactivity could give a larger number of fissions when the fuel particle size is very small. In addition, the number of fissions may be overestimated or underestimated to an unexpected extent unless appropriate fuel particle size is set on the analysis.

Criticality safety evaluation of high active liquid waste during the evaporation to dryness process at Tokai Reprocessing Plant

Miura, Takatomo; Kudo, Atsunari; Koyama, Daisuke; Obu, Tomoyuki; Samoto, Hirotaka

Proceedings of 12th International Conference on Nuclear Criticality Safety (ICNC2023) (Internet), 10 Pages, 2023/10

Tokai Reprocessing Plant (TRP) had reprocessed 1,140 tons of spent fuel discharged from commercial reactors (BWR, PWR) and Advanced Thermal Reactor "Fugen" from 1977 to 2007. TRP had entered decommissioning stage in 2018. In order to reduce the risk of High Active Liquid Waste (HALW) held at the facility, the vitrification of HALW is given top priority. HALW generated from reprocessing of spent fuel contains not only fission products (FPs) but also trace amounts of uranium (U) and plutonium (Pu) within the liquid and insoluble residues (sludge). Under normal conditions, concentrations of U and Pu in HALW are very low so that it can not reach criticality. Since FPs with high neutron absorption effect coexists in HALW, even if the cooling function is lost due to serious accident and HALW evaporates to dryness, it is considered that criticality would not been reached. In order to confirm this estimation quantitatively, criticality safety evaluations were carried out for the increase of U and Pu concentrations by evaporation of HALW to the point of dryness. In this evaluation, infinite multiplication factors were calculated for each of solution system and sludge system of HALW with respect to the concentration change through evaporation to dryness. It is confirmed it could not reach criticality. The abundance ratios of U, Pu and FPs were set conservatively based on analytical data and ORIGEN calculation results. Multiplation factors for two-layer infinite slab model of solution and sludge systems of HALW were also calculated, and it was confirmed it could not reached criticality. In conclusion, the result was gaind that there could be no criticality even in the process through evaporation to dryness of HALW in TRP.

The Development of a Multiphysics Coupled Solver for Studying the Effect of Dynamic Heterogeneous Configuration on Particulate Debris Bed Criticality and Cooling Characteristics

Li, C.-Y.; Wang, K.*; Uchibori, Akihiro; Okano, Yasushi; Pellegrini, M.*; Erkan, N.*; Takata, Takashi*; Okamoto, Koji*

Applied Sciences (Internet), 13(13), p.7705_1 - 7705_29, 2023/07

https://doi.org/10.3390/app13137705

Development of thin SiC neutron detector with high radiation resistance (Contract research); FY2020 Nuclear Energy Science & Technology and Human Resource Development Project

Collaborative Laboratories for Advanced Decommissioning Science; Kyoto University*

JAEA-Review 2022-068, 90 Pages, 2023/05

JAEA-Review-2022-068.pdf:3.55MB

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 FY2018, this report summarizes the research results of the "Development of thin SiC neutron detector with high radiation resistance" 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 the works for debris retrieval, it is required to install subcritical surveillance radiation monitors that can surely work for long time under extremely high gamma-ray radiation environment. However, there have been problems such as remote control of conventional neutron detectors is difficult because heavy radiation shields are needed.