Records of the riverine discharge of I in riverbank sediment after the Fukushima accident

Nakanishi, Takahiro; Sakuma, Kazuyuki; Oyama, Takuya; Hagiwara, Hiroki; Suzuki, Takashi

Environmental Pollution, 355, p.124213_1 - 124213_7, 2024/08

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2024.124213

This study investigated the transport behavior of I by riverbank surveys conducted from 2013 to 2015 in a watershed where the I/Cs activity ratio is low in the mountainous area and high in the plain as of 2011. Until 2015, the I/Cs activity ratio of the levee crown in the studied watershed was similar to that of the surrounding area in 2011. However, the I/Cs ratios of the surface riverbank sediments were all low, indicating that radionuclides transported from the mountainous area were deposited on the riverbank in the plain. The vertical distribution of the I/Cs ratio in the riverbank sediments indicated that some I and Cs deposited during the accident remained in the lower layers, but most were eroded immediately after the accident. Based on the I/Cs ratios of sediments deposited on the riverbank, which remained constant until 2015 after the accident, the amount of I discharged to the ocean was determined from the previously evaluated Cs discharge. It was calculated that 1.810 Bq and 1.210 Bq of I were discharged with sediment from the studied watershed and the contaminated river watersheds (Abukuma River and Fukushima coastal rivers, including the study river), respectively. The results of this study indicate that the continuous I discharge from the river contribute little to their amount in the seafloor sediments along the Fukushima coast.

Novel mechanical manipulator for efficient fuel debris retrieval (Contract research); FY2022 Nuclear Energy Science & Technology and Human Resource Development Project

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

JAEA-Review 2024-017, 55 Pages, 2024/07

JAEA-Review-2024-017.pdf:2.6MB

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 "Novel mechanical manipulator for efficient fuel debris retrieval" conducted in FY2022. The present study aims to the development of a collision-tolerant robotic manipulator with mechanical variable impedance actuators in an unknown environment. Another research target is the system architecture of an artificial intelligence-based control method for efficient exploration and decommissioning. In addition to investigating the area deep inside the aperture, which has been difficult with conventional investigations, we aim to retrieve pebble-shaped fuel debris at the bottom of the pedestal using a gripper at the tip of the manipulator.

Radiation tolerant rapid criticality monitoring with radiation-hardened FPGAs (Contract research); FY2021 Nuclear Energy Science & Technology and Human Resource Development Project

Collaborative Laboratories for Advanced Decommissioning Science; Okayama University*

JAEA-Review 2024-008, 59 Pages, 2024/07

JAEA-Review-2024-008.pdf:3.34MB

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 FY2019, this report summarizes the research results of the "Radiation tolerant rapid criticality monitoring with radiation-hardened FPGAs" conducted from FY2019 to FY2021. The present study aims to be developing a radiation-hardened optoelectronic FPGA with a 1 Grad total-ionizing-dose tolerance on which optical technologies are introduced onto a semiconductor technology and a radiation hardened FPGA with a 200 Mrad total-ionizing-dose tolerance not using any optical component. Moreover, Japanese research group will support hardware acceleration on FPGAs used for neutron-detection system developed by UK team. Finally, we will provide our radiation-hardened FPGA for the UK neutron-detection system.

An Experimental feasibility study of a 4 gamma-ray imager using detector response patterns

Kitayama, Yoshiharu; Nogami, Mitsuhiro*; Hitomi, Keitaro*

Japanese Journal of Applied Physics, 63(7), p.076502_1 - 076502_8, 2024/07

https://doi.org/10.35848/1347-4065/ad5ba0

We constructed a gamma-ray imager that estimates the distribution of gamma-ray sources based on the response patterns of multiple gamma-ray detectors randomly positioned in three-dimensional space. The Coded Cube Camera for Gamma-ray (C3G), comprising eight GAGG (Ce) scintillator and eighteen lead cubes is housed in a cubical casing with an 86 mm edge length and weighs approximately 600 g. Results of the 4 imaging experiment confirmed the feasibility of imaging a 10 MBq Cs source located 3 m away with an angular uncertainty of 5 within a 10 min measurement. C3G operates with only eight channels, instead of the hundreds needed by a typical imager, offering a simplified circuit and reconstruction algorithm, thereby achieving a cost-effective and reliable system. With its compact and lightweight design, 4 field of view, and high angular uncertainty, this technology is expected to find extensive applications in astronomy, medicine, nuclear security, and decommissioning projects.

Investigation of the influence of the magnitude of camera vibration on 3D reconstruction results by photogrammetry based on simulation

Nakamura, Keita*; Hanari, Toshihide; Imabuchi, Takashi; Kawabata, Kuniaki

Proceedings of 2024 IEEE/ASME International Conference on Advanced Intelligent Mechatronics (AIM 2024), p.7 - 8, 2024/07

Photogrammetry is a technique for 3D reconstruction of target objects from multiple images shot of the object. In the case of actual photography, the object may not be reconstructed due to the inability to shoot images suitable for photogrammetry because of vibration in the camera's angle of view of the object. Therefore, we implement this vibration by using random numbers and verify the influence of the magnitude of the vibration on the reconstruction result obtained by photogrammetry. The verification results show the relationship between the magnitude of the vibration and the success rate of 3D reconstruction.

Development of elemental technologies of hand-foot-cloth monitors for -contamination visualization (Contract research); FY2022 Nuclear Energy Science & Technology and Human Resource Development Project

Collaborative Laboratories for Advanced Decommissioning Science; Hokkaido University*

JAEA-Review 2024-006, 54 Pages, 2024/06

JAEA-Review-2024-006.pdf:2.21MB

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 (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 FY2022, this report summarizes the research results of the "Development of elemental technologies of hand-foot-cloth monitors for -contamination visualization" conducted in FY2022. The present study aims to develop hand-foot-monitors for -contamination visualization and cloth monitors for /-contamination visualization consisting of a portable phoswich detector for measuring /-contamination distribution and energy to ensure the safety and security of workers involved in the decommissioning project of the 1F. The possibility of practical application of new scintillator materials and devices was examined with the goal of developing such new instruments.

Rapid analysis of radioisotopes using inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry and future developments

Matsueda, Makoto; Takagai, Yoshitaka*

Bunseki (Internet), 2024(6), p.195 - 200, 2024/06

The analytical demand for radioisotopes (RI) contained in radioactive waste from the decommissioning of nuclear power plants, research activities and nuclear accidents is increasing. However, traditional analytical methods of RI are mostly complicated and time-consuming, it is necessary to be rapid, simple and automatic methods. This paper describes the rapid analytical techniques of inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry in recent years, which current technology, challenges and perspective for the future.

Statistical evaluation of individual external exposure dose of outdoor worker and ambient dose rate at evacuation ordered zones after the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station Accident

Saisu, Motofumi*; Ando, Tadahiko*; Uchiyama, Keizo*; Ueno, Toshihiro*; Takizawa, Koichi*; Endo, Yuji*; Yoshimura, Kazuya; Sanada, Yukihisa

Journal of Radiological Protection, 44(2), p.021518_1 - 021518_16, 2024/06

https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6498/ad4b26

MAAP code analysis for the in-vessel phase of Fukushima-Daiichi Nuclear Power Station Unit 1 and comparison of the results among Units 1 to 3

Sato, Ikken; Yoshikawa, Shinji; Yamashita, Takuya; Shimomura, Kenta; Cibula, M.*; Mizokami, Shinya*

Nuclear Engineering and Design, 422, p.113088_1 - 113088_24, 2024/06

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nucengdes.2024.113088

Analysis of particles containing alpha emitters in stagnant water in Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station's Unit 3 reactor building

Yomogida, Takumi; Ouchi, Kazuki; Morii, Shiori; Oka, Toshitaka; Kitatsuji, Yoshihiro; Koma, Yoshikazu; Konno, Katsuhiro*

Scientific Reports (Internet), 14, p.14945_1 - 14945_11, 2024/06

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-65522-2

Particles containing alpha () nuclides were identified from sediment in stagnant water in the Unit 3 reactor building of the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Station (FDiNPS). We analyzed different concentrations of alpha nuclides samples collected at two sampling sites, torus room and Main steam isolation valve (MSIV) room. Most of the -nuclides in the stagnant water samples of the torus room and the MSIV room were present in particle fractions larger than 10 m. We detected uranium-bearing particles in m-size by scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive X-Ray (SEM-EDX) observation. Other short lived -nuclides were detected by alpha track detection. The -nuclide-containing particles with several tens to several hundred m in size were mainly comprised iron (Fe) by SEM-EDX analysis. This study clarifies that the morphologies of U and other -nuclides in the sediment of stagnant water in the FDiNPS's Unit 3 reactor building.