Horonobe Underground Research Laboratory Project Investigation Report for the 2023 Fiscal Year

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 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.

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.

11th International Workshop on Sample Environment

Kawamura, Seiko

Neutron News, 34(2), p.2 - 3, 2023/04

https://doi.org/10.1080/10448632.2023.2190708

Improvement of critical safety technology in fuel debris retrieval (Contract research); FY2020 Nuclear Energy Science & Technology and Human Resource Development Project

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

JAEA-Review 2021-037, 61 Pages, 2022/01

JAEA-Review-2021-037.pdf:4.24MB

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 (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 FY2019, this report summarizes the research results of the "Improvement of critical safety technology in fuel debris retrieval" conducted in FY2019 and FY2020. Since the final year of this proposal was FY2020, the results for two fiscal years were summarized. The purpose of research was to improve the criticality safety analysis methods in the case of fuel debris removal with the collaboration with Russian university, which has a lot of experiences in the criticality analysis. This research has been performed as two fiscal years project in FY 2019 and FY 2020 by Tokyo Institute of Technology (Tokyo Tech) and Tokyo City University (TCU) as the Japanese side, and National Research Nuclear University MEPhI as the Russian side.

Outline of Regional Workshops held in 2006 - 2017 by the International Atomic Energy Agency in the proposal of Nuclear Emergency Preparedness Group of the Asian Nuclear Safety Network

Okuno, Hiroshi; Yamamoto, Kazuya

JAEA-Review 2020-066, 32 Pages, 2021/02

JAEA-Review-2020-066.pdf:3.01MB

The International Atomic Energy Agency (abbreviated as IAEA) has been implementing the Asian Nuclear Safety Network (abbreviated as ANSN) activities since 2002. As part of this effort, Topical Group on Emergency Preparedness and Response (abbreviated as EPRTG) for nuclear or radiation disasters was established in 2006 under the umbrella of the ANSN. Based on the EPRTG proposal, the IAEA conducted 23 Asian regional workshops in the 12 years from 2006 to 2017. Typical topical fields of the regional workshops were nuclear emergency drills, emergency medical care, long-term response after nuclear/radiological emergency, international cooperation, national nuclear disaster prevention system. The Japan Atomic Energy Agency has produced coordinators for EPRTG since its establishment and has led its activities since then. This report summarizes the Asian regional workshops conducted by the IAEA based on the recommendations of the EPRTG.

Registration and related activities of the Japan Atomic Energy Agency for the response and assistance network of the International Atomic Energy Agency

Togawa, Orihiko; Hayakawa, Tsuyoshi; Tanaka, Tadao; Yamamoto, Kazuya; Okuno, Hiroshi

JAEA-Review 2020-017, 36 Pages, 2020/09

JAEA-Review-2020-017.pdf:2.24MB

In 2010, the government of Japan joined the Response and Assistance Network (RANET) of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), in order to contribute to offering international assistance in the case of a nuclear accident or radiological emergency. At that occasion, the Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) was registered as the National Assistance Capability (NAC) having resources capable of the External Based Support (EBS) in the following seven areas: (1) aerial survey, (2) radiation monitoring, (3) environmental measurements, (4) assessment and advice, (5) internal dose assessment, (6) bioassay and (7) dose reconstruction. After the registration, three inquiries were directed to the JAEA about a possibility of its support. However, the JAEA's assistance has not eventually been realized. On the other hand, the JAEA participated almost every year in the international Convention Exercise (ConvEx) carried out by the IAEA in connection with RANET. This report describes an outline of the RANET and related activities of the JAEA for RANET registration and participation in the ConvEx.

Memoirs; The Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDE) for Japan

Kunii, Katsuhiko; Itabashi, Keizo; Yonezawa, Minoru

JAEA-Review 2019-002, 237 Pages, 2019/03

JAEA-Review-2019-002.pdf:8.2MB

From 1987 to 2014, the Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDE) Program under the auspices of the International Energy Agency (IEA) had been carried out successfully with fruitful outcomes. ETDE had been able to be an excellent database for use in the general field of application of energy, including nuclear energy. ETDE could have deserved it, by extensively collecting the literature and providing the metadata worldwide, as well as by delivering and disseminating the bibliographic data, first to member countries, next additionally to the developing countries free of charge and finally all the world through the Internet free of charge as well. During all the days of ETDE Program Then ETDE had been very close and strong ties and cooperation with the International Nuclear Information System (INIS) Program under the auspices of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), e.g., by sharing and complementing many elements and parts of each database mutually. A portal site, the ETDE World Energy Base (ETDEWEB), for the database of ETDE, had been available for use to deliver and disseminate the valuable information of bibliography of ETDE, containing directions to the full text data, dedicated to satisfying the interest of end users worldwide. As of today, even if the addition of bibliographic data to ETDE has ceased since 2014, ETDEWEB itself has been available as before, maintained in great help of the Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI) of the Department of Energy (DOE), US, while OSTI had been praised as the Operating Agent (OA) of ETDE Program from the commencement to the ceasing. This is a report containing several historical documents in regard with the ETDE activities worldwide kept and remained in Japan as records (minutes etc) at the side of JAERI.

The Advisory Committee of International Nuclear Information System (INIS) for Japan

Kunii, Katsuhiko; Itabashi, Keizo

JAEA-Review 2016-021, 130 Pages, 2016/10

JAEA-Review-2016-021.pdf:2.2MB

Under the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the International Nuclear Information System (INIS) Programme commenced in 1970 and ever since INIS has been acting as a database system available worldwide through information networks each time providing bibliographic information then full text documents of literature, technical reports, etc. on peaceful use of nuclear science and technology, thoroughly supported and maintained by INIS Secretariat in Vienna, on the other hand the inputs for INIS are provided by Member States and Organizations in their own boundaries. As for the INIS activity in Japan, while, the Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute (JAERI), then succeeded as the Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) as of today, the both have been responsible with the INIS activity in Japan as the INIS National Centre for Japan based on the request of the "former" Science and Technology Agency of the Japanese Government, an advisory committee had have a very important role for the INIS activity in Japan by enthusiastically advising the whole related to the activity from advanced and comprehensive viewpoints of expertise. This report describes about it, the Advisory Committee of International Nuclear Information System (INIS) for Japan, successfully been held 34 times from Oct. 1970 to Mar 2005. Included are the history and its records, change of the member and topics of the Advisory Committee, and the minutes.

Japanese research activities for Fukushima-Daiichi decommissioning

Okamoto, Koji; Ogawa, Toru

Proceedings of 2016 EFCOG Nuclear & Facility Safety Workshop (Internet), 3 Pages, 2016/09

The decommissioning of the Fukushima-Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant has required and will continue to demand conducting many challenging activities, many of which do not have prior experience in the nuclear industry. International decommissioning knowledge and technology advances will be required to support the challenging work. The Collaborative Laboratories for Advanced Decommissioning Science (CLADS) was established by the Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) in April 2015. The main objectives of CLADS are the management, research and development for decommissioning at the Fukushima-Daiichi site. Not only is the coordination of research and development important to effective decommissioning, but also the management of research activities around the world. A status of the CLADS program will be provided. The CLADS central research office will be located at Tomioka Town, near the Fukushima site, in April 2017.

Summary of ICRP Symposium on Radiological Protection Dosimetry

Endo, Akira; Hamada, Nobuyuki*

Isotope News, (745), p.42 - 43, 2016/06

http://www.jrias.or.jp/books/pdf/201606_MONITORING_ENDO_HAMADA.pdf

ICRP Symposium on Radiological Protection Dosimetry was held in Hongo campus, the University of Tokyo on February 18, 2016. Committee 2 of the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) is engaged in the development of dose coefficients for the assessment of internal and external radiation exposures; development of reference biokinetic and dosimetric models, and reference data for workers and members of the public. The symposium aimed at reviewing the current work of ICRP and discussing research needed for the ICRP System of radiological protection dosimetry. This article reviews the presentations and discussion in the symposium.