Residual stress relief effect in gradient structural steel and remaining life evaluation under stochastic fatigue loads

Qin, T. Y.*; Hu, F. F.*; Xu, P. G.; Zhang, R.*; Su, Y. H.; Ao, N.*; Li, Z. W.*; Shinohara, Takenao; Shobu, Takahisa; Wu, S. C.*

International Journal of Fatigue, 202, p.109233_1 - 109233_16, 2026/01

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijfatigue.2025.109233

Effect of grain refinement on cracks occurring in SUS304L stainless steel under nuclear reactor operating conditions

Hirota, Noriaki; Takeda, Ryoma; Ide, Hiroshi; Tsuchiya, Kunihiko; Kobayashi, Yoshinao*

Nuclear Materials and Energy (Internet), 45, p.102009_1 - 402009_10, 2025/12

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nme.2025.102009

Using SUS304L stainless steel, which is employed in reactor structural components, the effects of grain refinement on stress corrosion cracking occurring under nuclear reactor operating conditions were investigated. As a result, after conducting slow strain rate testing (SSRT) in air and nuclear reactor operating environments, a comparison of the tensile properties of SUS304L with the same grain size revealed that elongation significantly decreased with increasing grain size under nuclear reactor operating conditions. In SSRT conducted in air, the -value obtained from the Hall-Petch relationship was lower than the conventional values. Observations showed the absence of cracks on SUS304L with 0.59 and 1.52 m grains; however, SUS304L with larger grains exhibited rougher fracture surfaces and side cracks. Thin oxide films were formed on SUS304L with 0.59 m and 1.52 m grains, while SUS304L with coarse grains of 28.4 m or larger enabled the formation of oxide films with over 2 m thickness. CrO films were formed on SUS304L with 0.59 m, 1.52 m, and 28.4 m, while CrO and Fe based oxides were formed on SUS304L with 39.5 m and 68.6 m. Crystal orientation analysis revealed linear surface layers without cracks in the -phase for SUS304L with 0.59 m and 1.52 m. In materials with Larger grain sizes, surface irregularities and cracks were observed in the -phase. In fine-grained SUS304L, lattice diffusion caused uniform O diffusion in the -phase, resulting in the formation of a thin CrO layer that suppressed cracks. In coarse-grained SUS304L, grain boundary diffusion caused Fe oxide formation at the grain boundaries, weakening them, and supersaturated O led to the formation of thick films comprising CrO and Fe-based oxides, resulting in peeling and cracking.

Development and evaluation of a real-time 3D positioning embedded system combining wireless UWB and camera image analysis (Contract research); FY2023 Nuclear Energy Science & Technology and Human Resource Development Project

Collaborative Laboratories for Advanced Decommissioning Science; Tokai National Higher Education and Research System*

JAEA-Review 2025-023, 63 Pages, 2025/11

JAEA-Review-2025-023.pdf:5.74MB

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 FY2022, this report summarizes the research results of the "Development and evaluation of a real-time 3D positioning embedded system combining wireless UWB and camera image analysis" conducted in FY2023. The present study aims to realize an embedded system that combines two of the latest popular technologies, "wireless UWB (Ultra Width Band)" and "multi-camera object recognition" with the goal of simple real-time 3D positioning with less than 10 cm accuracy by a human or robot for measuring air doses in nuclear reactor buildings. In this research, Gifu Univ. and National Institute of Technology, Fukushima College have developed an embedded system with camera shooting function, camera analysis function, and wireless communication function, in order to realize real-time 3D positioning based on the analysis of camera images by using these multiple devices. The Univ. of Tokyo and LocationMind Inc. will apply UWB real-time positioning technology to the inside of nuclear reactor buildings and attempt to develop technology to improve stability. Nagoya Univ. will be in charge of verifying wireless UWB stability from the hardware side by using electromagnetic wave absorbing materials. The radiation resistance evaluation will be conducted in cooperation with the JAEA and National Institute of Technology, Fukushima College.

Gamma-ray spectral deconvolution using an unsupervised deep learning model for radioisotope identification with CsI(Tl) spectrometer for field use

Kimura, Yoshiki; Yamaguchi, Tomoki

Radioisotopes, 74(3), p.251 - 264, 2025/11

https://doi.org/10.3769/radioisotopes.740301

Radioisotope identification (RIID) by gamma-ray spectral analysis has been widely used, and accurate identification of radioisotopes is an important issue in various fields. Handheld instruments are commonly used for on-site RIID but often suffer from limited performance. This paper proposes a spectral deconvolution using unsupervised neural network models for RIID with handheld instruments in field use. This approach allows optimization of the neural network for deconvolution based on a measured spectrum combined with an energy-broadening matrix, and it does not require extensive training datasets or the precise modeling of the detector and measurement conditions. The performance of the proposed approach was examined in simulated and measured spectra, assuming the measurements of several radioisotopes with CsI(Tl) spectrometers. It was demonstrated that the unsupervised neural network models can improve the peak resolution more significantly compared to conventional deconvolution algorithms and contribute to RIID performance in the low energy resolution spectra.

Development of passive wireless communication systems operatable under inferior-wireless environment with obstacles (Contract research); FY2023 Nuclear Energy Science & Technology and Human Resource Development Project

Collaborative Laboratories for Advanced Decommissioning Science; Yokohama National University*

JAEA-Review 2025-025, 90 Pages, 2025/10

JAEA-Review-2025-025.pdf:5.59MB

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 FY2022, this report summarizes the research results of the "Development of passive wireless communication systems operatable under inferior-wireless environment with obstacles" conducted in FY2023. This study aims to develop a wireless communication system for obstacle-dense environments by designing base stations, sensor nodes (SN), positioning algorithms, and wireless area formation methods for electromagnetic wave-shielded regions. Key outcomes are as follows: For direction-finding with high-performance antennas, triangulation positioning accuracy was evaluated, and a sensor information demodulation system was built. SNs with frequency-scanning analog and frequency-fixed digital methods achieved communication distances of 6-8 meters and wireless charging of 1-2 V in 3-15 minutes at 6 meters. Diode characteristics remained unchanged after 1,000 Gy radiation. Positioning algorithms using multipath tomography were validated with a high-resolution measurement system in the lab. Simulations with reactor building CAD diagrams optimized node numbers and arrangements. Wireless coverage in electromagnetic wave-shielded regions was tested using a composite antenna (patch array and waveguide), achieving a range of approximately 1.5 meters.

Establishment of characterization method for small fuel debris using the world's first isotope micro imaging apparatus (Contract research); FY2023 Nuclear Energy Science & Technology and Human Resource Development Project

Collaborative Laboratories for Advanced Decommissioning Science; Kogakuin University*

JAEA-Review 2025-013, 111 Pages, 2025/10

JAEA-Review-2025-013.pdf:7.49MB

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 "Establishment of characterization method for small fuel debris using the world's first isotope micro imaging apparatus" conducted from FY2021 to FY2023. The present study aims to obtain, for the first time in the world, the important data necessary for clarifying the retrieval of small amounts of fuel debris, and to evaluate and examine them. The isotope microimaging apparatus (developed by Kogakuin University) introduced at the JAEA Fuel Monitoring Facility (FMF) can obtain local quantitative data such as isotope composition while processing cross-sections of radioactive micro-samples, which can be used to determine the properties of fuel debris. In FY2021, we improved the isotope microimaging apparatus introduced to the JAEA FMF to accommodate high radiation dose samples. In FY2022, we maintained the isotope microimaging apparatus at the JAEA FMF and succeeded in analyzing real particles containing uranium. In FY2023, we completed development to automate and remotely perform analysis routines using a prototype machine at Kogakuin University. At the JAEA FMF, although manual operations were involved, we succeeded in analyzing each Cs isotope from real particles by resonance ionization. In Nagoya University, we improved the RIMS apparatus to investigate the difference in electronic state caused by ion beam sputtering. And we succeeded in obtaining resonance ionization signals from neutral particles generated by ion beam sputtering. At the JAEA CLADS, they investigated the ionization scheme for important nuclides Nd and Gd. Those proposed ionization schemes were examined at Kogakuin University.

Weathering promotes the sorption of radiocesium in mafic minerals of river sediments in the Fukushima Prefecture, Japan

Hagiwara, Hiroki; Watanabe, Yusuke; Konishi, Hiromi*; Funaki, Hironori; Fujiwara, Kenso; Iijima, Kazuki

Applied Geochemistry, 190, p.106490_1 - 106490_10, 2025/10

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apgeochem.2025.106490

Oxygen potential and oxygen diffusion data for guiding the manufacture of MOX fuel for fast neutron reactors

Vauchy, R.; Horii, Yuta; Hirooka, Shun; Akashi, Masatoshi; Sunaoshi, Takeo*; Nakamichi, Shinya; Saito, Kosuke

Journal of Nuclear Materials, 616, p.156115_1 - 156115_16, 2025/10

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnucmat.2025.156115

Neutron emission during fission and its impact on fission-fragment mass distribution studied by a Langevin model

Takagi, Shinya*; Harada, Sota*; Aritomo, Yoshihiro*; Hirose, Kentaro; Nishio, Katsuhisa

Physical Review C, 112(4), p.044607_1 - 044607_9, 2025/10

https://journals.aps.org/prc/abstract/10.1103/ml4c-3k8t

Novel mechanical manipulator for efficient fuel debris retrieval (Contract research); FY2023 Nuclear Energy Science & Technology and Human Resource Development Project

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

JAEA-Review 2025-014, 86 Pages, 2025/09

JAEA-Review-2025-014.pdf:9.38MB

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 "Novel mechanical manipulator for efficient fuel debris retrieval" conducted from FY2021 to FY2023. The present study aims to the development of a collision-tolerant robotic manipulator with the 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 conducting an investigation in the area deep inside the aperture, which has been difficult with conventional investigations, we aim to recover pebble-shaped fuel debris at the bottom of the pedestal using a gripper at the tip of the manipulator. We will establish a manipulator mechanism and remote-control system to cope with the environmental constraints inside the pedestal. This year focused on developing a manipulator navigation algorithm, evaluating control performance, and conducting on-site scenario demonstration experiments. Studies included building a driving model, designing a control algorithm, and assessing manipulator control performance, with comparisons to simulation models. Demonstration experiments were conducted at facilities like the JAEA Naraha Center for Remote Control Technology Development. The research was promoted in close collaboration with the UK team and external advisors, including bi-weekly meetings. At the end of the fiscal year, an oral presentation introducing the project was given at an international workshop organized by the University of Tokyo and Technical University of Munich (TUM).