Review and evaluation on the surface area of vitrified products of high-level waste; Surface area increase factors due to fracturing and their bases for the performance assessment of geological disposal

Igarashi, Hiroshi

JAEA-Review 2020-006, 261 Pages, 2020/09

JAEA-Review-2020-006.pdf:4.42MB

A literature review was conducted on the increase in surface area of vitrified products of HLW due to the fracturing caused by cooling during glass pouring process and by mechanical impact, from the perspective of a parameter of the radionuclide release model in the performance assessment of geological disposal system studied overseas. The review was focused on the value of surface area increase factor set as a parameter in the model, the experimental work to evaluate an increase in surface area, and how the parameters on surface area were determined based on the experimental results. The surface area obtained from the experiments executed in Japan was also discussed in comparison with the overseas studies. On the basis of the investigation, the effects of various conditions on the surface area were studied, such as a diameter of vitrified product, cooling condition during and after the glass pouring, impact on vitrified products during their handling, environment after the closure of disposal facility, and others. The causes of fracturing are associated with the phenomena or events in the waste management process such as production, transport, storage, and disposal. The surface area increase factors set in the nuclide release model of the glass and their bases were reviewed. In addition, the measured values and the experimental methods for surface increase factors published so far were compared. Accordingly, the methods for measuring surface area as the bases were identified for these factors set in the models. The causes of fracturing and features of these factors were studied with respect to the relation with the waste management process. The results from the review and assessment can contribute to the expanding the knowledge for the conservative and realistic application of these factors to performance assessment, and to the developing and upgrading of safety case as a consequence.

Numerical simulation of two-phase flow in 44 simulated bundle

Ono, Ayako; Yamashita, Susumu; Suzuki, Takayuki*; Yoshida, Hiroyuki

Mechanical Engineering Journal (Internet), 7(3), p.19-00583_1 - 19-00583_12, 2020/06

https://doi.org/10.1299/mej.19-00583

JAEA is implementing the 3D detailed nuclear-thermal-coupled analysis code to analyze the transition state of the core and to reduce the likelihood of the design. In the development plan, the computational fluid dynamics code based on the VOF method, JUPITER, is applied for TH part of the 3D detailed nuclear-thermal-coupled analysis code.

Single crystal growth and unique electronic states of cubic chiral EuPtSi and related compounds

Onuki, Yoshichika*; Kakihana, Masashi*; Iha, Wataru*; Nakaima, Kenri*; Aoki, Dai*; Nakamura, Ai*; Honda, Fuminori*; Nakashima, Miho*; Amako, Yasushi*; Gochi, Jun*; et al.

JPS Conference Proceedings (Internet), 29, p.012001_1 - 012001_9, 2020/02

https://doi.org/10.7566/JPSCP.29.012001

Study on effects of coupled phenomenon on long-term behavior for crystalline rock in fiscal year 2017 and 2018 (Joint research)

Ichikawa, Yasuaki*; Kimoto, Kazushi*; Matsui, Hiroya

JAEA-Research 2019-005, 32 Pages, 2019/10

JAEA-Research-2019-005.pdf:6.13MB

It is important to evaluate the mechanical stability around the geological repository for high-level radioactive waste, during not only the design, construction and operation phases, but also the post-closure period over several millennia. The rock mass around the tunnels could be deformed in response to time dependent behaviors such as creep and stress relaxation. Therefore, this study has started as a joint research with Okayama University from 2016. This report summarize the results of the joint research performed in fiscal year 2017 and 2018. Based on the research results obtained in fiscal year 2016, automatic measurement system was developed, which can collect very large data on surface elastic wave propagation in a short time, also the applicability of various kinds of parameters derived from measured elastic wave data was examined.

Current status and issues of clearance, 3; Guideline for taking out something contaminated with radioactive materials and concept of clearance

Hashimoto, Makoto

Nippon Genshiryoku Gakkai-Shi, 61(7), p.525 - 528, 2019/07

https://doi.org/10.3327/jaesjb.61.7_525

no abstracts in English

Development of the unmanned surface vehicle for radiation monitoring at seabed; Observation of temporal change of radiocesium concentration in the sea bottom sediment at coastal zone of Fukushima

Sanada, Yukihisa; Miyamoto, Kenji*; Ochi, Kotaro; Matsuzaki, Koji*; Ogawa, Toshihiro*; Senga, Yasuhiro*

Kaiyo Riko Gakkai-Shi, 24(2), p.9 - 18, 2018/12

https://doi.org/10.14928/amstec.24.2_9

Seven years passed since Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Station accident which was caused large amount of radionuclide release to the sea. Elucidation of behavior mechanism of radiocesium in the seabed is required for restarting fishing industry. We developed radiation detection system using the unmanned surface vehicle for in-situ measurement of radiocesium concentration in seabed sediment. This system is able to automatically navigate to measurement point and obtain the radiation data on the bottom sediment. The detector was calibrated by comparing the actual sediment samples. The periodical measurement off-shore the Fukushima Prefecture was performed using developed this system. As these results, distribution of radiocesium concentration was changed due to oceanographic condition. However, radiocesium inventory was tendency to decrease according to radiocesium half-life in measurement area. This system is effective for elucidation of behavior mechanism of radiocesium because it can easily measure the radiocesium concentration in the bottom sediment.

Evaluation of melting and solidification processes by laser irradiations using a computational science simulation code SPLICE

Muramatsu, Toshiharu

Dai-89-Kai Reza Kako Gakkai Koen Rombunshu, p.115 - 119, 2018/05

no abstracts in English

Corrosion test of Fugen pressure tube (Zr-2.5wt%Nb alloy) under the sub-surface disposal environment, 2; Examination of long-term corrosion rate by 5 years keeping sample

Sugaya, Toshikatsu; Nakatani, Takayoshi; Sakai, Akihiro

JAEA-Technology 2017-032, 21 Pages, 2018/01

[The article has been found to have a problem about reliability of the corrosion data acquisition, and thus it is unavailable to download the full text in accordance with authors' intentions to retract the report.] For the purpose of the setting of the rate of nuclide elution necessary to safety assessment, we planned the gas-accumulating type corrosion test on Zr-2.5wt%Nb alloy in order to obtain long-term corrosion rate under low temperature, low oxygen and alkaline conditions assuming the disposal environment. A corrosion rate over a testing period of 5 years is acquired with the aim to grasp a long-term corrosion rate behavior in this report. This corrosion rate is compared with the same data that was previously acquired over a testing period of 2 years. As a result, it is confirmed that an evaluation method that is proportional to the minus cubic root of corrosion time squared can be applicable to the corrosion rate behavior acquired this time over a testing period of 5 years, which is the same result in evaluating the corrosion rate behavior acquired over a testing period of 2 years.

Role of soil-to-leaf tritium transfer in controlling leaf tritium dynamics; Comparison of experimental garden and tritium-transfer model results

Ota, Masakazu; Kwamena, N.-O. A.*; Mihok, S.*; Korolevych, V.*

Journal of Environmental Radioactivity, 178-179, p.212 - 231, 2017/11

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvrad.2017.09.002

Environmental transfer models assume that organically-bound tritium (OBT) is formed directly from tissue-free water tritium (TFWT) in environmental compartments. Nevertheless, studies in the literature have shown that measured OBT/TFWT ratios are variable. The importance of soil-to-leaf HTO transfer pathway in controlling the leaf tritium dynamics is not well understood. A model inter-comparison of two tritium transfer models (CTEM-CLASS-TT and SOLVEG-II) was carried out with measured environmental samples from an experimental garden plot set up next to a tritium-processing facility. The garden plot received one of three different irrigation treatments - no external irrigation, irrigation with low tritium water and irrigation with high tritium water. The contrast between the results obtained with the different irrigation treatments provided insights into the impact of soil-to-leaf HTO transfer on the leaf tritium dynamics. Concentrations of TFWT and OBT in the garden plots that were not irrigated or irrigated with low tritium water were variable, responding to the arrival of the HTO-plume from the tritium-processing facility. In contrast, for the plants irrigated with high tritium water, the TFWT concentration remained elevated due to a continuous source of high HTO in the soil. Calculated concentrations of OBT in the leaves showed an initial increase followed by quasi-equilibration with the TFWT concentration. In this quasi-equilibrium state, concentrations of OBT remained elevated and unchanged despite the arrivals of the plume. These results from the model inter-comparison demonstrate that soil-to-leaf HTO transfer significantly affects OBT/TFWT ratio in the leaf regardless of the atmospheric HTO concentration, only if there is elevated HTO concentrations in the soil. The results of this work indicate that assessment models should be refined to consider the importance of soil-to-leaf HTO transfer to ensure that dose estimates are accurate and conservative.

Remaining fatigue lives of similar surface flaws in accordance with combination rules

Lu, K.; Li, Y.; Hasegawa, Kunio*; Lacroix, V.*

Journal of Pressure Vessel Technology, 139(2), p.021407_1 - 021407_6, 2017/04

https://doi.org/10.1115/1.4035317