Report on research and development of neutron beam utilization at JRR-3 for internal use in FY2021 and FY2022

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.

Performance study of a new LiCAF:Ce detector developed for high-efficient neutron detection in intense -ray fields

Kaburagi, Masaaki; Kamada, Kei*; Ishii, Junya*; Matsumoto, Tetsuro*; Manabe, Seiya*; Masuda, Akihiko*; Harano, Hideki*; Kato, Masahiro*; Shimazoe, Kenji*

Journal of Instrumentation (Internet), 19(11), p.P11019_1 - P11019_17, 2024/11

https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-0221/19/11/P11019

Development of the versatile reactor analysis code system, MARBLE3

Yokoyama, Kenji; Hazama, Taira; Taninaka, Hiroshi; Oki, Shigeo

JAEA-Data/Code 2024-007, 41 Pages, 2024/10

JAEA-Data-Code-2024-007.pdf:1.1MB

The third version of the versatile reactor analysis code system, MARBLE3, has been developed. In the development of the former version of MARBLE, object-oriented scripting language Python (Python2) had been used and then the latest version of Python (Python3) was released. However, due to its backward incompatibility, MARBLE no longer worked with Python3. For this reason, MARBLE3 has been fully modified and maintained to work with Python3. In MARBLE3, newly developed analysis codes and newly proposed calculation methods were incorporated, and the user interface was extended and solvers were reimplemented for maintainability, extensibility, and flexibility. In MARBLE3, the three-dimensional hexagonal/triangular transport code MINISTRI Ver.7 (MINISTRI7) and the three-dimensional hexagonal/triangular diffusion code D-MINISTRI are available as the new analysis codes. These codes can be used in the neutronics analysis system SCHEME and the fast reactor burnup analysis system OPRHEUS, which are the subsystems of MARBLE. In addition, the user interface of CBG, a core analysis system embedded in MARBLE, was extended so that the diffusion and transport calculation solvers for the 2-dimensional RZ system of CBG can be used on SCHEME. On the other hand, MARBLE3 has extended the functionality of the burnup calculation solver so that it can use the numerical methods proposed in the papers on the improvement of the Chebyshev rational function approximation method and the minimax polynomial approximation method. From the viewpoint of maintainability, the point reactor kinetics solver POINTKINETICS, which was introduced in MARBLE2, has been newly reworked as the KINETICS solver in MARBLE3.

Effect of neutron beam properties on dose distributions in a water phantom for boron neutron capture therapy

Ishikawa, Akihisa; Tanaka, Hiroki*; Nakamura, Satoshi*; Kumada, Hiroaki*; Sakurai, Yoshinori*; Watanabe, Kenichi*; Yoshihashi, Sachiko*; Tanagami, Yuki*; Uritani, Akira*; Kiyanagi, Yoshiaki*

Journal of Radiation Research (Internet), 11 Pages, 2024/10

https://doi.org/10.1093/jrr/rrae076

Research and development of the sample-return technique for fuel debris using the unmanned underwater vehicle (Contract research); FY2022 Nuclear Energy Science & Technology and Human Resource Development Project

Collaborative Laboratories for Advanced Decommissioning Science; National Institute of Maritime, Port and Aviation Technology*

JAEA-Review 2024-020, 77 Pages, 2024/09

JAEA-Review-2024-020.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 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 FY2020, this report summarizes the research results of the "Research and development of the sample-return technique for fuel debris using the unmanned underwater vehicle" conducted from FY2020 to FY2022. The present study aims to develop a fuel debris sampling device that comprises a neutron detector with radiation resistance and enhanced neutron detection efficiency, an end-effector with powerful cutting and collection capabilities, and a manipulator under the Japan-UK joint research team. We will also develop a fuel debris sampling system that can be mounted on an unmanned vehicle.

Demonstration of shape analysis of neutron resonance transmission spectrum measured with a laser-driven neutron source

Koizumi, Mitsuo; Ito, Fumiaki*; Lee, J.; Hironaka, Kota; Takahashi, Tone; Suzuki, Satoshi*; Arikawa, Yasunobu*; Abe, Yuki*; Lan, Z.*; Wei, T.*; et al.

Scientific Reports (Internet), 14, p.21916_1 - 21916_9, 2024/09

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-72836-8

Manuals for resonance analysis code for neutron IMaging "RAIM"

Hasemi, Hiroyuki; Kai, Tetsuya

JAEA-Testing 2024-001, 39 Pages, 2024/08

JAEA-Testing-2024-001.pdf:1.4MB

RAIM is an analysis code that analyzes resonance absorption spectra measured at pulsed neutron sources such as the Materials and Life Science Experimental Facility (MLF) at the Japan Proton Accelerator Research Complex (J-PARC) to obtain information on nuclear densities and temperatures. By calculating the convolution of the pulse functions of neutron beam and the resonance capture function that is based on the nuclear cross section data, RAIM reproduces the resonance absorption spectrum measured by a pulsed neutron source. Then, RAIM determines the density and temperature of specific nuclides in a sample by performing spectral fitting on the resonance absorption spectrum data. In addition, RAIM is developed to facilitate the analysis of resonance imaging data by minimizing the number of parameters for calculation setup and by providing scripts for processing many resonance absorption spectra measured by a two-dimensional detector at once. This manual explains how to install RAIM on a computer and how to simulate resonance absorption spectra and fit them to measured data.

Analysis of the relationship between ambient dose, ambient dose equivalent and effective dose in operational neutron spectra

Endo, Akira

Radiation Protection Dosimetry, 200(13), p.1266 - 1273, 2024/08

https://doi.org/10.1093/rpd/ncae157

This study examines the relationship between ambient dose , ambient dose equivalent , and effective dose for external neutron irradiation over 163 operational spectra from different workplaces. The results show that provides a reasonable estimate with a controlled margin, even if overestimated, to assess effective dose compared with , which can lead to a significant overestimation or underestimation of effective dose depending on the neutron spectra. The results highlight the limitations of and the superiority of in estimating effective dose according to the requirements of the operational quantity, especially in environments with high-energy neutrons.

Thermal stability of retained austenite with heterogeneous composition and size in austempered Fe-2Mn-1.5Si-0.4C alloy

Watanabe, Miku*; Miyamoto, Goro*; Zhang, Y.*; Morooka, Satoshi; Harjo, S.; Kobayashi, Yasuhiro*; Furuhara, Tadashi*

ISIJ International, 64(9), p.1464 - 1476, 2024/07

https://doi.org/10.2355/isijinternational.ISIJINT-2024-044

Mechanical properties of base metal and heat-affected zone in friction-stir-welded AA6061-T6 at ultra-low temperature of 20 K

Nguyen, T.-D.*; Singh, C.*; Kim, Y. S.*; Han, J. H. *; Lee, D.-H.*; Lee, K.*; Harjo, S.; Lee, S. Y.*

Journal of Materials Research and Technology, 31, p.1547 - 1556, 2024/07

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmrt.2024.06.165