Investigations on distribution of radioactive substances owing to the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station Accident in the fiscal year 2024 (Contract research)

Group for Fukushima Mapping Project

JAEA-Technology 2025-013, 206 Pages, 2026/03

JAEA-Technology-2025-013.pdf:34.64MB

This report presents results of the investigations on the distribution-mapping project of radioactive substances conducted in FY2024. Car-borne and walk surveys, a measurement using survey meters, and an unmanned helicopter survey were carried out to obtain air dose rate data on land to create their distribution maps, and temporal changes of those air dose rates were analyzed. In order to confirm the applicability of unmanned aircraft to monitoring in mountainous areas, a basic performance of unmanned aircraft was investigated in mountainous areas. Surveys on depth profile of radiocesium and in-situ measurements as for radiocesium deposition were performed. These measurement results were published on the WEB site. Based on these measurement results, effective half-lives of the temporal changes in the air dose rates and the deposition were evaluated. Using the Bayesian hierarchical modeling approach, we obtained maps that integrated air dose rate distribution data acquired through surveys such as car-borne and walk surveys. Radiation monitoring and analysis of environmental samples owing to the comprehensive radiation monitoring plan were carried out. Representative life patterns that can be expected after the return to the evacuation-designated restricted area were set, and the cumulative exposure doses were evaluated for the local governments and residents in the area. Score maps to classify the importance of the measurement points were created, and the temporal changes in the score were analyzed. A system to report the tritium concentration level in seawater to the Nuclear Regulation Authority was operated, and the variation of tritium concentration before and after the discharge of ALPS treated water to the ocean was analyzed. Monitoring data in coastal area performed owing to the comprehensive radiation monitoring plan until FY2024 was analyzed.

Negligible tritium accumulation in Japanese flounder from treated water released from Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant; A Numerical simulation study

Ikenoue, Tsubasa; Tani, Takashi*; Kawamura, Hideyuki; Sato, Yuhi*

Environmental Science & Technology, 59(38), p.20588 - 20594, 2025/09

https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.5c04474

Since 2023, ALPS-treated water containing tritium from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (1F) accident has been released into the ocean. Monitoring of seafood collected near the Fukushima coast has shown negligible increases in the tritium concentration. However, this monitoring has limitations, including delayed data release and a limited sample size. Therefore, a predictive estimation is necessary to assess the potential for high tritium accumulation in seafood. This study estimated tritium concentrations in Japanese flounder near the Fukushima coast using numerical simulations. The estimation combined an oceanic dispersion model for tritiated water (HTO) with a tritium transfer model for the marine food web. Tritium accumulation was evaluated as organically bound tritium (OBT), the long-retaining chemical form of tritium in organisms. First, the dispersion model's ability to reproduce HTO concentrations in seawater was validated using actual measurement data from the Fukushima coast, showing good agreement. Subsequently, the OBT concentrations in flounder were estimated under the hypothetical maximum release scenario of the treated water. The estimation suggested that even within 100 km of 1F, the maximum concentration of the OBT was comparable with natural levels of tritium in environmental waters. Additionally, the maximum concentration in the flounder remained at a negligible level for internal radiation exposure through consumption.

Development of the continuous monitoring of tritium water by mid-infrared laser spectroscopy (Contract research); FY2021 Nuclear Energy Science & Technology and Human Resource Development Project

Collaborative Laboratories for Advanced Decommissioning Science; National Institutes of Natural Sciences*

JAEA-Review 2022-059, 34 Pages, 2023/01

JAEA-Review-2022-059.pdf:1.58MB

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 FY2021, this report summarizes the research results of the "Development of the continuous monitoring of tritium water by mid-infrared laser spectroscopy" conducted in FY2021. The present study aims to demonstrate the principle of short-time measurement of tritiated water at the "60 Bq/cc level" using a cavity ring-down measurement system with a mid-infrared laser. In order to achieve the above goal, (1) research on the cavity ring-down system and (2) evaluation of hydrogen isotope composition under environmental conditions and preparation of standard samples (subcontractor: Hirosaki University) were conducted this fiscal year. In (1), a mid-infrared cavity ring-down test was conducted. An optical bench (3 m 1.2 m) was set up in the laboratory, …

Feasibility study on tritium recoil barrier for neutron reflectors of research and test reactors

Kenzhina, I.*; Ishitsuka, Etsuo; Ho, H. Q.; Sakamoto, Naoki*; Okumura, Keisuke; Takemoto, Noriyuki; Chikhray, Y.*

Fusion Engineering and Design, 164, p.112181_1 - 112181_5, 2021/03

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fusengdes.2020.112181

Tritium release into the primary coolant during operation of the JMTR (Japan Materials Testing Reactor) and the JRR-3M (Japan Research Reactor-3M) had been studied. It is found that the recoil release by Li(n,)H reaction, which comes from a chain reaction of beryllium neutron reflectors, is dominant. To prevent tritium recoil release, the surface area of beryllium neutron reflectors needs to be minimum in the core design and/or be shielded with other material. In this paper, as the feasibility study of the tritium recoil barrier for the beryllium neutron reflectors, various materials such as Al, Ti, V, Ni, and Zr were evaluated from the viewpoint of the thickness of barriers, activities after long-term operations, and effects on the reactivities. From the results of evaluations, Al would be a suitable candidate as the tritium recoil barrier for the beryllium neutron reflectors.

Evaluation of tritium release into primary coolant for research and testing reactors

Kenzhina, I.*; Ishitsuka, Etsuo; Okumura, Keisuke; Ho, H. Q.; Takemoto, Noriyuki; Chikhray, Y.*

Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, 58(1), p.1 - 8, 2021/01

https://doi.org/10.1080/00223131.2020.1791760

The sources and mechanisms for the tritium release into the primary coolant in the JMTR and the JRR-3M containing beryllium reflectors are evaluated. It is found that the recoil release from chain reaction of Be is dominant and its calculation results agree well with trends derived from the measured variation of tritium concentration in the primary coolant. It also indicates that the simple calculation method used in this study for the tritium recoil release from the beryllium reflectors can be utilized for an estimation of the tritium release into the primary coolant for a research and testing reactors containing beryllium reflectors.

Modeling the processes of hydrogen isotopes interactions with solid surfaces

Chikhray, Y.*; Askerbekov, S.*; Kenzhin, Y.*; Gordienko, Y.*; Ishitsuka, Etsuo

Fusion Science and Technology, 76(4), p.494 - 502, 2020/05

https://doi.org/10.1080/15361055.2020.1718854

3.5.3 Technologies for contaminated water treatment

Uchida, Shunsuke

Genshiryoku No Ima To Ashita, p.63 - 68, 2019/03

The latest situation of contaminated water treatment in Fukushima Daiichi NPP for 8 years after its accident is reviewed. Major subjects, especially tritium treatment, to be solved related to the contaminated water and some proposal for the subjects are introduced.

Calculations of Tritium Recoil Release from Li and U Impurities in Neutron Reflectors (Joint research)

Ishitsuka, Etsuo; Kenzhina, I.*; Okumura, Keisuke; Ho, H. Q.; Takemoto, Noriyuki; Chikhray, Y.*

JAEA-Technology 2018-010, 33 Pages, 2018/11

JAEA-Technology-2018-010.pdf:2.58MB

As a part of study on the mechanism of tritium release to the primary coolant in research and testing reactors, tritium recoil release rate from Li and U impurities in the neutron reflector made by beryllium, aluminum and graphite were calculated by PHITS code. On the other hand, the tritium production from Li and U impurities in beryllium neutron reflectors for JMTR and JRR-3M were calculated by MCNP6 and ORIGEN2 code. By using both results, the amount of recoiled tritium from beryllium neutron reflectors were estimated. It is clear that the amount of recoiled tritium from Li and U impurities in beryllium neutron reflectors are negligible, and 2 and 5 orders smaller than that from beryllium itself, respectively.

Off-gas processing system operations for mercury target vessel replacement at J-PARC

Kai, Tetsuya; Uchida, Toshitsugu; Kinoshita, Hidetaka; Seki, Masakazu; Oi, Motoki; Wakui, Takashi; Haga, Katsuhiro; Kasugai, Yoshimi; Takada, Hiroshi

Journal of Physics; Conference Series, 1021(1), p.012042_1 - 012042_4, 2018/06

https://doi.org/10.1088/1742-6596/1021/1/012042

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.