Temperature effect on radiolytically generated hydrogen yield from a plutonium nitric acid aqueous solution

Toigawa, Tomohiro; Hotoku, Shinobu; Kumagai, Yuta; Abe, Yuma*; Oyama, Kanichi*; Fukaya, Hiroyuki; Ban, Yasutoshi; Kida, Takashi; Hasegawa, Satoshi*; Nakano, Masanao*; et al.

Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, 63(3), p.322 - 327, 2026/03

https://doi.org/10.1080/00223131.2025.2541067

The effect of temperature on hydrogen production generated from radiolysis was investigated to determine the associated implications for nuclear fuel reprocessing safety. The hydrogen yield from radiolysis of plutonium nitric acid solution was measured at temperatures up to the boiling temperature of the solution. The results showed no notable temperature dependence even under boiling conditions. The impact of solution agitation on hydrogen production was also assessed, which revealed minor differences in the hydrogen yield between static and agitated conditions at room temperature. These findings suggest that high temperatures or boiling the solution do not considerably enhance hydrogen generation, and provide crucial information for accurately modeling hydrogen risks under severe accidents.

A Novel kinetic model for dissolution and precipitation of oxide on stainless-steel surface in stagnant liquid sodium

Kawaguchi, Munemichi*; Ikeda, Asuka; Saito, Junichi

Annals of Nuclear Energy, 226, p.111880_1 - 111880_9, 2026/02

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anucene.2025.111880

Study of pion-induced phi-meson production on the proton at incident pion momenta below 2.4 GeV/c

Ishikawa, Takatsugu*; Hosaka, Atsushi; Gubler, P.; Sako, Hiroyuki; Tanida, Kiyoshi; 33 of others*

Proceedings of Science (Internet), 500, p.225_1 - 225_5, 2026/01

https://doi.org/10.22323/1.500.0225

Research and development of remote optical measurement technology for PCV gas-phase leakage location and leakage volume estimation (Contract research); FY2023 Nuclear Energy Science & Technology and Human Resource Development Project

Collaborative Laboratories for Advanced Decommissioning Science; Chiba University*

JAEA-Review 2025-038, 84 Pages, 2025/12

JAEA-Review-2025-038.pdf:6.08MB

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 FY2023, this report summarizes the research results of the "Research and development of remote optical measurement technology for PCV gas-phase leakage location and leakage volume estimation" conducted in FY2023. The present study aims to locate leakage points using a remote optical measurement system including Lidar, and to develop a visualization method for leakage at those points. The Lidar can be distance-resolved in the line-of-sight direction and can separate and observe signals from walls and pipes in the building and surrounding gas-phase molecules (nitrogen N, water vapor HO, etc.) and suspended particles (aerosols). In addition, flash Lidar, which combines a laser beam with a high-sensitivity imaging sensor, and high-sensitivity shearography, which uses interference of light waves, are used to image and visualize the leakage location and to estimate the amount of leakage. Through comparison of these methods, we will clarify the positional resolution in locating the leakage point and the lower detection limit of the leakage amount that can be visualized.

Assessment of caesium-137 detections at CTBTO radionuclide monitoring stations in East Asia and their relationship to Asian dust dispersion

Furuno, Akiko; Omori, Ryuta*; Tateoka, Hisanori*; Minakawa, Yuya*; Kurihara, Toshiyuki; Yamamoto, Yoichi; Tomita, Yutaka

Pure and Applied Geophysics, 182(12), p.5175 - 5188, 2025/12

https://doi.org/10.1007/s00024-024-03620-y

The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO) Okinawa radionuclide monitoring station (JPP37) is located on a hill facing the East China Sea at the center of the main island of Okinawa. It occasionally detects Cs-137, although no nuclear facilities are located on the island. This study focused on the detection of Cs-137 at JPP37 and examined the ratio of simultaneous detections at nearby stations of the International Monitoring System (IMS) of the CTBTO and the relationship with Asian dust from inland East Asia. The detection of Cs-137 in JPP37 from 2020 to 2023, which motivated this study, was high in spring. Among the nine IMS radionuclide stations in East Asia, the detections in Beijing, Lanzhou, and Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, were also high in spring. This suggested a high association with the detection of Asian dust in East Asia. Thus, we confirmed the detection of Cs-137 at nine nearby IMS stations when Asian dust was observed at any of the sites in Japan. In addition, we observed that the detection rates were high in Takasaki, Beijing, Lanzhou, and Ulaanbaatar. It can be inferred that the Cs-137 observed mainly in spring at the IMS particulate radionuclide stations in the East Asian region around Japan were likely to pick up the effects of global fallout conveyed by Asian dust. Thereafter, we conducted a preliminary source estimation analysis for Asian dust arrival near Japan. Atmospheric dispersion simulations explained the detection of Cs-137 at nearby IMS particulate radionuclide stations, assuming that Cs-137 was emitted from the desert, the source of the Asian dust.

Investigation of effects of nano interfacial phenomena on dissolution aggregation of alpha nanoparticles by using micro nano technologies (Contract research); FY2023 Nuclear Energy Science & Technology and Human Resource Development Project

Collaborative Laboratories for Advanced Decommissioning Science; Institute of Science Tokyo*

JAEA-Review 2025-026, 72 Pages, 2025/11

JAEA-Review-2025-026.pdf:7.97MB

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 "Investigation of effects of nano interfacial phenomena on dissolution aggregation of alpha nanoparticles by using micro nano technologies" conducted in FY2023. To ensure the safety of retrieval and storage management of nuclear fuel debris generated by the Fukushima-Daiichi Nuclear Power Station accident, understanding of dissolution-denaturation behavior of the fuel debris alpha particles is one of the most crucial issues. This research aims to create novel microfluidic real-time measurement device for elucidating dissolution, aggregation, and denaturation processes of metal oxide nanoparticles under various solution environments, and clarify their nano-size and interfacial effects. In this year, we conducted bulk and micro dissolution tests of simulated fuel debris particles (UO mechanical-treated nanoparticles, UO chemical-treated nanoparticles, and (U,Zr)O nanoparticles), and successfully clarified that the effects of particle sizes, reaction times, and HO concentrations on the dissolution behavior of each nanoparticle. In particular, it was found that (U,Zr)O nanoparticles have different degrees of Zr catalytic reactions depending on HO concentrations, resulting in the generation of different amounts of gas and U. Moreover, we developed a new microfluidic device which enables to instantly react the nanoparticles with HO solutions, and determined dynamic aggregation and dissolution rates of the nanoparticles. The research was carried out in close collaboration with UK researchers, and achieved the expected goal of this year.

Development of elemental technologies of hand-foot-cloth monitors for -contamination visualization (Contract research); FY2023 Nuclear Energy Science & Technology and Human Resource Development Project

Collaborative Laboratories for Advanced Decommissioning Science; Hokkaido University*

JAEA-Review 2025-021, 63 Pages, 2025/10

JAEA-Review-2025-021.pdf:5.71MB

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 elemental technologies of hand-foot-cloth monitors for -contamination visualization" conducted in FY2023. The present study aims to develop hand-foot-monitors for -contamination visualization and cloth monitors for /-contamination visualization consisting of a portable phoswich detector. ZnS(Ag) thick films by AD method and rare earth complexes have been studied for development of -ray scintillator materials. The scintillator properties of the newly prepared ZnS(Ag) thick films were improved from those prepared in 2022. A rare earth complex shows strong emission intensity under -ray irradiation, which was 12.5 times higher than that of a commercially available plastic scintillator (Saint-Gobain, BC400). By optimizing the manufacturing process conditions (molding die, sintering conditions, cutting process, annealing conditions, grinding/polishing processes) for La-GPS polycrystalline thin plates, the preparing process for 50 mm square La-GPS was established. The prepared La-GPS provided excellent performance for -ray scintillators. The cloth monitors for /-contamination visualization were also improved for the reflection of the actual situation. Furthermore, the basic performance of the prototype cloth monitors was evaluated, and alpha-ray energy and position distribution information were obtained. In an evaluation test of the phoswich detector, a precise discrimination between - and -rays was achieved.

Application study of adaptive mesh refinement method on unsteady wake vortex analysis

Alzahrani, H.*; Matsushita, Kentaro; Sakai, Takaaki*; Ezure, Toshiki; Tanaka, Masaaki

Nuclear Technology, 211(10), p.2446 - 2458, 2025/10

https://doi.org/10.1080/00295450.2025.2472582

Development of evaluation method for cover gas entrainment by vortices generated at free surface in upper plenum of sodium-cooled fast reactor is required, and an evaluation method by predicting vortices from flow velocity distribution obtained by CFD analysis is developed. In this study, Adaptive Mesh Refinement (AMR) method is examined to improve efficiency of CFD analysis. Initial mesh was refined with two indexes: the first index (Index-1) is when the second invariant of velocity gradient tensor, Q, is negative and the second one (Index-2) is pressure gradient index added to Index-1. As a result of applying AMR method to unsteady vortices system with a flat plate and performing transient analyses with refined meshes, the result of pressure distribution and velocity around the flat plate in mesh using Index-2 was similar to the result of all refined mesh. It was also confirmed that vortices generation and growth was better simulated by refining meshes around separation area.

Research on radioactive aerosol control and decontamination at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station Decommissioning (Contract research); FY2023 Nuclear Energy Science & Technology and Human Resource Development Project

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

JAEA-Review 2025-015, 73 Pages, 2025/09

JAEA-Review-2025-015.pdf:5.9MB

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 "Research on radioactive aerosol control and decontamination at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station decommissioning" conducted from FY2021 to FY2023. The present study aims to develop a safe laser decontamination system that integrates advanced particle detection and characterization systems with aerosol dispersion control, in collaboration with UK researchers. For aerosol dispersion control, new containment methods ranging from simple mechanical containment hoods to optical laser shields are jointly investigated. The Japanese team will develop a radioactive dispersion control method based on the use of water mist and water spray to reduce radiation risks during laser cutting and decontamination applications. Based on data on aerosol particles provided by the UK team, the potential to enhance aerosol scrubbing efficiency will be explored. Additionally, the effect of charge enhancement will be evaluated. The UK team will develop laser-based aerosol containment methods and conducting experiments to improve the condensation of aerosol particles and mist in spray scrubbing. The development of aerosol removal technologies and strategies will be carried out through comprehensive experimental and computational studies. Experiments will be conducted at UTARTS facility to verify simultaneous operations such as laser decontamination, cutting, and spray operations. Aerosol measurements will also be performed to obtain high spatial resolution data that can better validate CFD models. In the final year, mock-up tests will be conducted to verify the system's operation and decontamination performance at full scale, evaluating the decontamination system developed through this research.

Unveiling the local effects of PTL passivation in PEM Electrolyzers through gas and current mapping using operando neutron radiography and polarized neutron imaging

Karimi, V.*; Qvistgaard, C. H.*; Schmidt, S.*; Wolfertz, A.*; Parker, J. D.*; Kai, Tetsuya; Hayashida, Hirotoshi*; Shinohara, Takenao; Angelis, S. D.*; Tengattini, A.*; et al.

ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, 17(36), p.50742 - 50752, 2025/08

https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.5c11706