Long-term changes in the chemical, microstructural, and transport properties of a low-pH cement shotcrete during operation of the Horonobe Underground Research Laboratory, Japan

望月 陽人; 松井 裕哉; 中山 雅; 坂本 亮*; 柴田 真仁*; 本島 貴之*; 城 まゆみ*

Case Studies in Construction Materials, 22, p.e04648_1 - e04648_20, 2025/07

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cscm.2025.e04648

放射性廃棄物の地層処分で使用される低アルカリ性セメントは、長期にわたる処分場の操業期間中に大気中の二酸化炭素による炭酸化や地下水との接触によってその特性が変化する可能性がある。本研究では、フライアッシュとシリカヒュームを混合した低アルカリ性セメント(HFSC)を用いた吹付けコンクリートの化学的特性、微細構造ならびに輸送特性に対して大気中での炭酸化および地下水との接触が与える影響を、幌延の地下研究施設において16年間にわたり調査した。HFSC吹付けコンクリートの炭酸化領域と溶出領域のいずれにおいても、直径約300nm未満の細孔の毛細管空隙率が増加し、全空隙率は非変質領域よりも高くなった。これらの空隙構造の変化は、ケイ酸カルシウム水和物(C-S-H)の脱灰とエトリンガイトの分解に関連していると考えられる。このような変化は、OPC吹付けコンクリートの変質領域では軽微であったことから、本研究の調査条件下において、HFSC吹付けコンクリートは炭酸化や地下水溶出に対する抵抗性が相対的に低いことが示された。しかしながら、HFSCの透水係数は、地層処分に用いられる低pHセメントに求められる機能要件を満たす程度に低かった。

Analysis of spectral modification in nuclei using the PHSD transport approach

市川 真也; Gubler, P.; 成木 恵; 四日市 悟*

Journal of Subatomic Particles and Cosmology (Internet), 3, p.100018_1 - 100018_5, 2025/06

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jspc.2024.100018

It is important to measure the hadron spectrum at finite density to explore the origin of hadron masses. At the KEK-PS E325 experiment, mesons inside and outside nuclei were measured by using 12GeV pA reactions and significant spectral modification was observed. In order to accurately estimate the density that the mesons felt during the reaction, a PHSD transport calculation of the respective reaction is currently ongoing. In this paper, PHSD and the current status of its implementation are reported.

Experimental investigation of phase transformations in steel using X-ray and neutron diffraction

友田 陽*; Harjo, S.; 徐 平光; 諸岡 聡; Gong, W.; Wang, Y.*

Metals, 15(6), p.610_1 - 610_19, 2025/05

https://doi.org/10.3390/met15060610

Lattice parameters of product and matrix phases in steels have been measured using in situ X-ray and neutron diffraction during forward and reverse transformations. These parameters are influenced by temperature, transformation-induced internal stresses, alloying element partitioning, crystal defects, and magnetic strains. Disentangling these contributions is essential for understanding lattice behavior. This review explores internal strain (stress) associated with ferrite, pearlite, bainite, martensite, and reverse austenite transformations, emphasizing the distinction between diffusional and displacive mechanisms. It also examines how plastic deformation of austenite affects subsequent bainite or martensite formation. The roles of dislocations and vacancies are identified as critical areas for further research.

Built-in physics models and proton-induced nuclear data validation using MCNP, PHITS, and FLUKA; Impact on the shielding design for proton accelerator facilities

elik, Y.*; Stankovskiy, A.*; 岩元 大樹; 岩元 洋介; Van den Eynde, G.*

Annals of Nuclear Energy, 212, p.111048_1 - 111048_12, 2025/03

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anucene.2024.111048

The MCNP, PHITS, and FLUKA are general-purpose Monte Carlo radiation transport codes that are widely used for many real-world shielding problems at accelerator facilities around the world. For high beam energy and high beam current accelerator applications, neutron emission through the vacuum pipe along the reverse direction of incident proton beam is an important factor for a shielding design in order to correctly assess the dose rates for workers and the structural materials of the accelerator and handle with the waste activated by the backscattered neutron fluxes. In this work, neutron-production cross sections and thick target yield predictions from MC codes relying on physics models and nuclear data libraries are benchmarked against the experimental data, in order to assess their accuracy in predicting neutron emission and furthermore to assess the corresponding impact on shielding design. The results of this study demonstrate that the nuclear data libraries and physics models, which are not expected to give good results at lower energies ( MeV) but are used anyhow when there is no nuclear data available or above the energy range where the data tables end in the so-called "mix-and-match" strategy, need further improvements. Among the investigated proton induced nuclear data libraries, JENDL-4.0/HE produces the most satisfactory agreement to experimental data for all target materials, but may still benefit from refinement. Concerning the physics models of the codes, FLUKA V4-4.0 has the best performance in terms of reproducibility of the experimental values. It is also shown that all discrepancies between the calculations and the experiments for the energy range MeV are up to factor of two. This might be considered as an acceptable figure as it is equivalent to a normal safety margin () considered in shielding calculations of accelerator facilities around the world.

Comparative analysis of primary variables selection in modeling non-isothermal two-phase flow; Insights from EBS experiment at Horonobe URL

Kim, M.*; Lee, C.*; 杉田 裕; Kim, J.-S.*; Jeon, M.-K.*

Geomechanics for Energy and the Environment, 41, p.100628_1 - 100628_9, 2025/03

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gete.2024.100628

この研究では、DECOVALEX-2023プロジェクトの一環として幌延の地下研究施設で実施された実規模大の人工バリア試験の数値解析を使用して、非等温二相流のモデリングに対する主要変数の選択の影響を調査した。検証済みの数値モデルを使用して、人工バリアシステム内の不均質多孔質媒体の熱-水連成挙動を解析した。支配方程式を離散化する際の2つの異なる主要変数スキームを比較したところ、結果に大きな違いがあることが明らかになった。

Production and in-medium modification of mesons in proton-nucleus reactions from a transport approach

Gubler, P.; 市川 真也; Song, T.*; Bratkovskaya, E.*

Physical Review C, 111(3), p.034908_1 - 034908_12, 2025/03

https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevC.111.034908

Production and in-medium modification of hidden strange mesons are studied in proton-nucleus reactions: p+C, p+Cu, and p+Pb at 12 GeV/c, partially measured by the KEK E325 Collaboration via the dilepton decay mode. This work is based on the off-shell microscopic parton-hadron-string dynamics transport approach, and especially makes it possible to simulate in-medium off-shell dynamics of the meson in the reactions studied. Different in-medium scenarios for the modification of the meson spectral function in nuclear matter are investigated: (i) dropping pole mass, (ii) collisional broadening, and (iii) simultaneous dropping pole mass and collisional broadening. Even though the meson production in p+A reactions occurs only at densities around or below normal nuclear matter density , we find visible modifications of the generated dilepton spectra for the in-medium scenarios compared to the vacuum distribution.

Germanene reformation from oxidized germanene on Ag(111)/Ge(111) by vacuum annealing

鈴木 誠也; 勝部 大樹*; 矢野 雅大; 津田 泰孝; 寺澤 知潮; 小澤 孝拓*; 福谷 克之; Kim, Y.*; 朝岡 秀人; 柚原 淳司*; et al.

Small Methods, 9(3), p.2400863_1 - 2400863_9, 2025/03

https://doi.org/10.1002/smtd.202400863

For group 14 monoelemental two-dimensional materials, such as silicene, germanene, and stanene, oxidation is a severe problem that alters or degrades their physical properties. This study shows that the oxidized germanene on Ag(111)/Ge(111) can be reformed to germanene by simple heating around 500 C in a vacuum. The key reaction in reforming germanene is the desorption of GeO and GeO during heating around 350 C. After removing surface oxygen, Ge further segregates to the surface, resulting in germanene. The reformed germanene has the same crystal structure, a (7 7) R19.1 supercell with respect to Ag(111), and has equivalent high quality to that of as-grown germanene on Ag(111)/Ge(111). Even after air oxidation, germanene can be reformed by annealing in a vacuum. On the other hand, the desorption of GeO and GeO at high temperatures was not suppressed even in the O backfilling atmosphere. This instability of oxidized germanene/Ag(111)/Ge(111) at high temperatures contributes to the ease of germanene reformation without oxygen. In other words, the present germanene reformation, as well as the segregation of germanene on Ag(111)/Ge(111), is a highly robust process as a synthesis method of germanene.

Characterization of neutrons emitted by an expected small amount of fuel debris in a trial retrieval from Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station

松村 太伊知; 奥村 啓介; 坂本 雅洋; 寺島 顕一; Riyana E. S.; 近藤 千博*

Nuclear Engineering and Design, 432, p.113791_1 - 113791_9, 2025/02

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nucengdes.2024.113791

Retrieving objects with a small amount of fuel debris, such as a few grams, will begin soon at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station (1F) at the start of decommissioning. Objects retrieved from the primary containment vessel are not necessarily fuel debris; fuel debris is an object from which neutrons are emitted because it contains nuclear-fuel material. However, the characteristics of the neutrons emitted by fuel debris are unknown. Fuel debris was categorized into five types according to the elapsed time from the accident, burnup, and fuel type (UO or mixed oxide). The number and energy spectra of (, ) and spontaneous fission neutrons emitted from 1 g of each fuel debris type were estimated using the SOURCES 4C code to obtain the neutron characteristics. The results showed that the average neutron energy is approximately 2.1 MeV, regardless of the type of fuel debris. However, the intensities of neutrons emitted from the fuel debris in 1F Units 2 and 3 varied by four orders of magnitude according to the fuel debris type.

In-situ detection of high-energy beta ray emitter Sr/Y inside the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station Unit 3 reactor building using a liquid light guide Cherenkov counter

寺阪 祐太; 佐藤 優樹; 古田 禄大*; 久保 信*; 一場 雄太*

Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research A, 1070, Part 2 , p.170021_1 - 170021_9, 2025/01

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nima.2024.170021

We have developed a method to directly detect Sr/Y under a high gamma ray background using a liquid light guide Cherenkov counter. Cherenkov radiation has the characteristic that the angle of radiation varies depending on the energy of the charged particles. Using this feature, we have developed a surface contamination detector capable of discriminating between 662 keV gamma rays from Cs and beta rays from Sr/Y through time-of-flight analysis of the Cherenkov radiation generated inside the liquid light guide. With this detector, we conducted a measurement test of Sr/Y inside the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station Unit 3 reactor building and achieved the first in-situ detection of Sr/Y under a high gamma-ray background.

革新的アルファダスト撮像装置と高線量率場モニタの実用化とその応用(委託研究); 令和4年度英知を結集した原子力科学技術・人材育成推進事業

廃炉環境国際共同研究センター; 東北大学*

JAEA-Review 2024-016, 61 Pages, 2024/12

JAEA-Review-2024-016.pdf:2.88MB

日本原子力研究開発機構(JAEA)廃炉環境国際共同研究センター(CLADS)では、令和4年度英知を結集した原子力科学技術・人材育成推進事業(以下、「本事業」という。)を実施している。本事業は、東京電力ホールディングス株式会社福島第一原子力発電所の廃炉等をはじめとした原子力分野の課題解決に貢献するため、国内外の英知を結集し、様々な分野の知見や経験を、従前の機関や分野の壁を越えて緊密に融合・連携させた基礎的・基盤的研究および人材育成を推進することを目的としている。平成30年度の新規採択課題から実施主体を文部科学省からJAEAに移行することで、JAEAとアカデミアとの連携を強化し、廃炉に資する中長期的な研究開発・人材育成をより安定的かつ継続的に実施する体制を構築した。本研究は、令和4年度に採択された研究課題のうち、「革新的アルファダスト撮像装置と高線量率場モニタの実用化とその応用」の令和4年度分の研究成果について取りまとめたものである。ここでは、2つの検出器の開発を実施している。1つ目は、作業員の安全の確保のための線核種の炉内の分布を明らかにする技術の実現を目指し、スミヤろ紙上に付着するより細かい線核種を含む微細なダストの詳細な分布を可視化することを可能にする技術の開発である。初年度にあたることから研究開始時は資材等の準備から始まり優れた位置分解能、高感度化を目指した検出素子などの材料開発、光検出器などのハードおよびソフトウェアといった準備を順調に行うことができた。令和4年度末までに発光波長が500-800nmの目標値の中に入る材料の開発などを実施することができた。2つ目の検出器は、光ファイバーを用いた超高線量率場での線量率モニタの開発である。こちらについても、高感度化を目指した検出素子などの材料開発およびシミュレーション体系の構築といった準備を順調に行うことができた。そして目標発光波長である650-1,000nmを満たす当該材料の開発を行うことができた。加えて、モニタとしての実証試験も実施して、80mSv/h未満から1kSv/h以上までの線量のダイナミックレンジを有することが分かり、現場適用に対応可能な検出器の開発が進められた。