Initialising ...
Initialising ...
Initialising ...
Initialising ...
Initialising ...
Initialising ...
Initialising ...
Metcalfe, R.*; Benbow, S. J.*; Kawama, Daisuke*; Tachi, Yukio
Science of the Total Environment, 958, p.177690_1 - 177690_17, 2025/01
Uplifting fractured granitic rocks occur in substantial areas of countries such as Japan. A repository site would be selected in such an area only if it is possible to make a safety case, accounting for the changing conditions during uplift. The safety case must include robust arguments that chemical processes in the rocks around the repository will contribute sufficiently to minimise radiological doses to biosphere receptors. To provide confidence in the safety arguments, numerical models need to be sufficiently realistic, but also parameterised conservatively (pessimistically). However, model development is challenging because uplift involves many complex couplings between groundwater flow, chemical reactions between water and rock, and changing rock properties. The couplings would affect radionuclide mobilisation and retardation, by influencing diffusive radionuclide fluxes between groundwater flowing in fractures and effectively immobile porewater in the rock matrix and radionuclide partitioning between water and solid phases, via: (i) mineral precipitation/dissolution; (ii) mineral alteration; and (iii) sorption/desorption. It is difficult to represent all this complexity in numerical models while showing that they are parameterised conservatively. Here we present a modelling approach, illustrated by simulation cases for some exemplar radioelements, to identify realistically conservative process conceptualisations and model parameterisations.
Metcalfe, R.*; Tachi, Yukio; Sasao, Eiji; Kawama, Daisuke*
Science of the Total Environment, 957, p.177375_1 - 177375_17, 2024/12
A safety case for an underground radioactive waste repository must show that groundwater will not in future transport radionuclides from the repository to the near-surface environment (the biosphere) in harmful quantities. Safety cases are developed step-wise throughout a programme to site and develop a repository. At early stages, before a site is selected, safety cases are generic and based on simplified safety assessment models of the disposal system that have conservative parameter values. Later, when site-specific conditions are known, more realistic models are needed for the long-term geo-environmental evolution and their impacts on radionuclide migration/retention. Uplift is one such environmental change, which may be particularly important in countries near active tectonic plate boundaries, such as Japan. Here we review the state of knowledge about how the properties of fractured granitic rocks evolve during uplift, based on studies in Japan. Hence, we present conceptual models and a generic scenario for mass transport and retardation processes in uplifting granitic rocks as a basis for realistic numerical models to underpin safety assessment.
Nakayama, Masashi
JAEA-Review 2024-042, 111 Pages, 2024/11
The Horonobe Underground Research Laboratory (URL) Project is being pursued by the Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) to enhance the reliability of relevant technologies for geological disposal of high-level radioactive waste through investigating the deep geological environment within the host sedimentary rocks at Horonobe Town in Hokkaido, north Japan. In the fiscal year 2023, we continued R&D on "Study on near-field system performance in geological environment", "Demonstration of repository design options", and "Understanding of buffering behaviour of sedimentary rock to natural perturbations". These are identified as key R&D on challenges to be tackled in the Horonobe underground research plan for the fiscal year 2020 onwards. Specifically, "full-scale engineered barrier system (EBS) performance experiment" and "solute transport experiment with model testing" were carried out as part of "Study on nearfield system performance in geological environment". "Demonstration of engineering feasibility of repository technology" and "evaluation of EBS behaviour over 100C" were addressed for "Demonstration of repository design options". The validation of a method for assessing permeability using the Ductility Index and a method for estimating the state of in-situ ground pressure from hydraulic perturbation tests were investigated as part of the study "Understanding of buffering behaviour of sedimentary rock to natural perturbations". In FY2023, we resumed construction of the subsurface facilities, 3 new tunnels in the 350 m gallery and resumed excavation of the East Access Shaft and the Ventilation Shaft. By the end of FY2023, the 350 m gallery extension (tunnel extension 66 m) had been completed, and the depths of the East Access Shaft and Ventilation Shaft were GL-424 m and GL-393 m respectively.
Nakayama, Masashi
JAEA-Review 2024-033, 64 Pages, 2024/09
The Horonobe Underground Research Laboratory Project is being pursued by the Japan Atomic Energy Agency to enhance the reliability of relevant technologies for geological disposal of high-level radioactive waste through investigating the deep geological environment within the host sedimentary rocks at Horonobe Town in Hokkaido, north Japan. In the fiscal year 2024, we continue R&D on "Study on near-field system performance in geological environment", "Demonstration of repository design options", and "Understanding of buffering behaviour of sedimentary rocks to natural perturbations". These are identified as key R&D challenges to be tackled in the Horonobe underground research plan for the fiscal year 2020 onwards. In the "Study on near-field system performance in geological environment", we continue to obtain data from the full-scale engineered barrier system performance experiment, and work on the specifics of the full-scale engineered barrier system dismantling experiment. We summarise the solute transport experiments for the excavation damaged zone and the effects of organic matter, micro-organisms and colloids, and develop the assessment methodology. We summarise the evaluation methodology using the deep Wakkanai Formation as a case study for block-scale solute transport experiments. As for "Demonstration of repository design options", we summarise the results of investigations and experiments on changes in the geological environment after tunnel excavation and closure, and summarise the applicability and technical challenges of the closure technology for boreholes excavated from tunnels. The systematic integration of technologies towards EBS emplacement, including the organisation of investigation and evaluation methods and analysis, will be promoted. Experiments to confirm the performance of the engineered barrier system under critical conditions, such as high temperatures (100
C), continue the in-situ tests started in 2023.
Arai, Yoichi; Watanabe, So; Watanabe, Masayuki; Arai, Tsuyoshi*; Katsuki, Kenta*; Agou, Tomohiro*; Fujikawa, Hisaharu*; Takeda, Keisuke*; Fukumoto, Hiroki*; Hoshina, Hiroyuki*; et al.
Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research B, 554, p.165448_1 - 165448_10, 2024/09
Times Cited Count:0 Percentile:0.00(Instruments & Instrumentation)Yoshida, Kazuo; Hiyama, Mina*; Tamaki, Hitoshi
JAEA-Research 2024-007, 24 Pages, 2024/08
An accident of evaporation to dryness by boiling of high-level radioactive liquid waste (HLLW) is postulated as one of the severe accidents caused by the loss of cooling function at a fuel reprocessing plant. In this case, volatile radioactive materials, such as ruthenium (Ru) are released from the tanks with water and nitric-acid mixed vapor into the atmosphere. Accurate quantitative estimation of released Ru is one of the important issues for risk assessment of those facilities. It has been observed experimentally that volatility of RuO is suppressed by HNO
generated by HNO
radiolysis. The analysis of chemical reactions of NO
including HNO
and HNO
in the waste tank is essential to simulate of these phenomena. To resolve this issue, an analytical approach has been attempted to couple dynamically two computer codes SHAWED and SCHERN. The simulation of boiling behavior in the tank is conducted with SHAWED. SCHERN simulates chemical behaviors of HNO
, HNO
and NO
in the tank. A programmatic coupling algorithm and a trial simulation of the accident are presented in this report.
Department of Decommissioning and Waste Management
JAEA-Review 2024-004, 124 Pages, 2024/07
This report describes the activities of Department of Decommissioning and Waste Management (DDWM) in Nuclear Science Research Institute (NSRI) in the period from April 1, 2022 to March 31, 2023. The report covers organization and missions of DDWM, outline and operation/maintenance of facilities which belong to DDWM, treatment and management of radioactive wastes, decommissioning activities, and related research and development activities which were conducted in DDWM. In FY2022 radioactive wastes generated from R&D activities in NSRI were treated safely. They were about 262 m of combustible solid wastes and 113 m
of noncombustible solid wastes and 203 m
of liquid wastes. After adequate treatment, 527 waste packages (in 200 L-drum equivalent) were generated. The total amounts of accumulated waste packages were 122,925 as of the end of FY2022 due to efforts of the restitution of waste packages to the Japan Radioisotope Association and volume reduction treatments of the stored waste packages. Decommissioning activities were carried out for the JAEA's Reprocessing Test Facility (JRTF). As for the R&D activities, studies on radiochemical analyses of wastes for disposal were continued. In order to pass the conformity review on the New Regulatory Requirements for waste management facilities, the Approval of the design and construction method was applied sequentially for the Nuclear Regulation Authority. The ministry of the Environment and Tokai-mura office requested JAEA to dispose of the contaminated soil generated by the accident of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station. The monitoring work at the playground was conducted during this period.
Arai, Yoichi; Hasegawa, Kenta; Watanabe, So; Watanabe, Masayuki; Minowa, Kazuki*; Matsuura, Haruaki*; Hagura, Naoto*; Katsuki, Kenta*; Arai, Tsuyoshi*; Konishi, Yasuhiro*
Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry, 333(7), p.3585 - 3593, 2024/07
Times Cited Count:1 Percentile:34.39(Chemistry, Analytical)Aono, Ryuji; Haraga, Tomoko; Kameo, Yutaka
JAEA-Technology 2024-006, 48 Pages, 2024/06
In the future, radioactive waste which generated from nuclear research facilities in Japan Atomic Energy Agency are planning to be buried for the near surface disposal. It is necessary to establish the method to evaluate the radioactivity concentrations of the radioactive wastes. In this work, we studied the evaluation methodology of the radioactivity concentrations in concrete waste generated from JPDR. In order to construct the evaluation methodology of the radioactivity concentration, the validity of the evaluation methods was confirmed by mainly theoretical calculation and using the result of radiochemical analysis. Correcting the theoretical calculations using results of nuclide analysis, it is possible to evaluate the radioactivity concentrations of nuclides preliminary selected.
Yamashita, Kiyoto; Maki, Shota; Yokosuka, Kazuhiro; Fukui, Masahiro; Iemura, Keisuke
JAEA-Technology 2023-023, 97 Pages, 2024/03
The incinerator adopted to incineration room, Plutonium Waste Treatment Facility had been demonstrated since 2002 for developing technologies to reduce the volume of fire-resistant wastes such as vinyl chloride (represented by Polyvinyl chloride bags) and rubber gloves for Radio Isotope among radioactive solid wastes generated by the production of mixed oxide fuels. The incinerator, cooling tower, and processing pipes were replaced with a suspension period from 2018 to 2022, which fireproof materials on the inner wall of the incinerator was cracked and grown caused by hydrogen chloride generated when disposing of fire-resistant wastes. This facility consists of the waste feed process, the incineration process, the waste gas treatment process, and the ash removal process. We replaced the cooling tower in the waste gas treatment process from March 2020 to March 2021, and the incinerator in the incineration process from January 2021 to February 2022. In addition, samples were collected from the incinerator and the cooling tower during the removing and dismantling of the replaced devices, observed by Scanning Electron Microscope and X-ray microanalyzer, and analyzed by X-ray diffraction to investigate the corrosion and deterioration of them. This report describes the method of setting up the green house, the procedure for replacing them, and the results from analysis in corrosion and deterioration of the cooling tower and incinerator.
Nakayama, Masashi
JAEA-Review 2023-032, 159 Pages, 2024/02
The Horonobe Underground Research Laboratory (URL) Project is being pursued by the Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) to enhance the reliability of relevant technologies for geological disposal of high-level radioactive waste through investigating the deep geological environment within the host sedimentary rocks at Horonobe Town in Hokkaido, north Japan. In the fiscal year 2022, we continued R&D on "Study on near-field system performance in geological environment", "Demonstration of repository design options", and "Understanding of buffering behaviour of sedimentary rock to natural perturbations". These are identified as key R&D on challenges to be tackled in the Horonobe underground research plan for the fiscal year 2020 onwards. Specifically, "full-scale engineered barrier system (EBS) performance experiment" and "solute transport experiment with model testing" were carried out as part of "Study on near- field system performance in geological environment". "Demonstration of engineering feasibility of repository technology" and "evaluation of EBS behaviour over 100C" were addressed for "Demonstration of repository design options". A study on "Understanding of buffering behaviour of sedimentary rock to natural perturbations" was also implemented in two areas, "evaluation of intrinsic buffering against endogenic and exogenic processes" and "development of techniques for evaluating excavation damaged zone (EDZ) self-sealing behaviour after backfilling". The Horonobe International Project (HIP) was initiated in February 2023 to promote research and development in collaboration with national and international organizations.
Kamada, Masaki*; Yoshida, Takuma*; Sugita, Tsukasa*; Okumura, Keisuke
Nihon Genshiryoku Gakkai-Shi ATOMO, 66(2), p.83 - 86, 2024/02
no abstracts in English
Kawahara, Takahiro; Suda, Shoya; Fujikura, Toshiki; Masai, Seita; Omori, Kanako; Mori, Masakazu; Kurosawa, Tsuyoshi; Ishihara, Keisuke; Hoshi, Akiko; Yokobori, Tomohiko
JAEA-Technology 2023-020, 36 Pages, 2023/12
We have been storing drums containing radioactive waste (radioactive waste packages) at waste storage facilities. We have been managing radioactive waste packages along traditional safety regulations. However, over 40 years has passed from a part of them were brought in pit-type waste storage facility L. Most of them are carbon steel 200 L drums, and surface of them are corroded. For better safety management, we started to take drums out from the pit and inspect them in FY 2019. After each inspection, we repair them or remove the contents of the drum and refill new drums if necessary. In this report, we will introduce the planning, the review of the plan, and the trial operation of this project.
Nakayama, Masashi
JAEA-Review 2023-019, 70 Pages, 2023/11
The Horonobe Underground Research Laboratory (URL) Project is being pursued by the Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) to enhance the reliability of relevant technologies for geological disposal of high-level radioactive waste through investigating the deep geological environment within the host sedimentary rocks at Horonobe Town in Hokkaido, north Japan. In the fiscal year 2023, we continue R&D on "Study on near-field system performance in geological environment", "Demonstration of repository design options", and "Understanding of buffering behaviour of sedimentary rocks to natural perturbations". These are identified as key R&D challenges to be tackled in the Horonobe underground research plan for the fiscal year 2020 onwards. In the "Study on near-field system performance in geological environment", we conduct the coupled analysis on the full-scale engineered barrier system performance experiment and test the coupled simulation code through comparison with different simulation codes in the international DECOVALEX-2023 collaboration project. Borehole investigations are also carried out for solute transport experiments in the Koetoi Formation. As for "Demonstration of repository design concept", we carry out in situ experiments and data analysis on concrete deterioration under the subsurface conditions. Geophysical surveys are also carried out around an experimental tunnel to be newly excavated at the 350m gallery and characterise the initial conditions of the excavation damaged zone. For the "Understanding of buffering behaviour of sedimentary rocks to natural perturbations", we analyse the results of the hydraulic disturbance tests conducted in previous years and understand the relationship between rock stress / stress state and fault / fracture hydraulic connectivity. Concerning the construction and maintenance of the subsurface facilities, the 350 m gallery is extended and shafts are sank to a depth of 500 m.
Tobita, Minoru*; Goto, Katsunori*; Omori, Takeshi*; Osone, Osamu*; Haraga, Tomoko; Aono, Ryuji; Konda, Miki; Tsuchida, Daiki; Mitsukai, Akina; Ishimori, Kenichiro
JAEA-Data/Code 2023-011, 32 Pages, 2023/11
Radioactive wastes generated from nuclear research facilities in Japan Atomic Energy Agency are planning to be buried in the near surface disposal field as trench and pit. Therefore, it is required to establish the method to evaluate the radioactivity concentrations of radioactive wastes until the beginning of disposal. In order to contribute to the study of radioactivity concentration evaluation methods for radioactive wastes generated from nuclear research facilities, we collected and analyzed concrete samples generated from JRR-3, JRR-4 and JAERI Reprocessing Test Facility. In this report, we summarized the radioactivity concentrations of 23 radionuclides (H,
C,
Cl,
Ca,
Co,
Ni,
Sr,
Nb,
Ag,
Cs,
Ba,
Eu,
Eu,
Ho,
U,
U,
U,
Pu,
Pu,
Pu,
Am,
Am,
Cm) which were obtained from radiochemical analysis of the samples in fiscal years 2021-2022.
Yokoyama, Miki*; Onuma, Susumu*; Osawa, Hideaki; Otomo, Shoji*; Hirose, Yukio*
Humanities & Social Sciences Communications (Internet), 10(1), p.623_1 - 623_10, 2023/09
This study demonstrates that a decision-making process utilising "the veil of ignorance" concept, defined in process terms as beginning from a blank slate encompassing the entire country as potential sites and shortlisting candidate sites based on scientific (geological) safety, promotes public acceptance of siting a repository for the geological disposal of high-level radioactive waste and fosters procedural fairness.
Minari, Eriko*; Kabasawa, Satsuki; Mihara, Morihiro; Makino, Hitoshi; Asano, Hidekazu*; Nakase, Masahiko*; Takeshita, Kenji*
Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, 60(7), p.793 - 803, 2023/07
Times Cited Count:3 Percentile:48.92(Nuclear Science & Technology)Department of Decommissioning and Waste Management
JAEA-Review 2023-001, 136 Pages, 2023/06
This report describes the activities of Department of Decommissioning and Waste Management (DDWM) in Nuclear Science Research Institute (NSRI) in the period from April 1, 2021 to March 31, 2022. The report covers organization and missions of DDWM, outline and operation/maintenance of facilities which belong to DDWM, treatment and management of radioactive wastes, decommissioning activities, and related research and development activities which were conducted in DDWM. In FY2021 radioactive wastes generated from R&D activities in NSRI were treated safely. They were about 206 m of combustible solid wastes and 155 m
of noncombustible solid wastes and 113 m
of liquid wastes. After adequate treatment, 760 waste packages (in 200 L-drum equivalent) were generated. The total amounts of accumulated waste packages were 126,827 as of the end of FY2021 due to efforts of the restitution of waste packages to the Japan Radioisotope Association and volume reduction treatments of the stored waste packages. Decommissioning activities were carried out for the JAEA's Reprocessing Test Facility (JRTF), the Liquid Waste Treatment Facilities, the Compaction Facilities, and Fusion Neutronics Source (FNS) facilities. As for the R&D activities, studies on radiochemical analyses of wastes for disposal were continued. In order to pass the conformity review on the New Regulatory Requirements for waste management facilities, the Approval of the design and construction method was applied sequentially for the Nuclear Regulation Authority. The ministry of the Environment and Tokai-mura office requested JAEA to dispose of the contaminated soil generated by the accident of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station. The monitoring work at the playground was conducted during this period.
Sawaguchi, Takuma; Takai, Shizuka; Sasagawa, Tsuyoshi; Uchikoshi, Emiko*; Shima, Yosuke*; Takeda, Seiji
MRS Advances (Internet), 8(6), p.243 - 249, 2023/06
In the intermediate depth disposal of relatively high-level radioactive waste, a method to confirm whether the borehole for monitoring is properly sealed should be developed in advance. In this study, groundwater flow analyses were performed for the hydrogeological structures with backfilled boreholes, assuming sedimentary rock area, to understand what backfill design conditions could prevent significant water pathways in the borehole, and to identify the confirmation points of borehole sealing. The results indicated the conditions to prevent water pathways in the borehole and BDZ (Borehole Disturbed Zone), such as designing the permeability of bentonite material less than or equal to that of the host rock, and grouting BDZ.
Yoshida, Kazuo; Tamaki, Hitoshi; Hiyama, Mina*
JAEA-Research 2023-001, 26 Pages, 2023/05
An accident of evaporation to dryness by boiling of high-level radioactive liquid waste (HLLW) is postulated as one of the severe accidents caused by the loss of cooling function at a fuel reprocessing plant. In this case, volatile radioactive materials, such as ruthenium (Ru) are released from the tanks with water and nitric-acid mixed vapor into the atmosphere. Accurate quantitative estimation of released Ru is one of the important issues for risk assessment of those facilities. To resolve this issue, an analytical approach has been developed using computer simulation programs to assess the radioactive source term from those facilities. The proposed approach consists analyses with three computer programs. At first, the simulation of boiling behavior in the HLLW tank is conducted with SHAWED code. Next step, the thermal-hydraulic behavior in the facility building is simulated with MELCOR code based on the results at the first step simulation such as flowed out mixed steam flow rate, temperature and volatilized Ru from the tank. The final analysis step is carried out for estimating amount of released radioactive materials with SCHERN computer code which simulates chemical behaviors of nitric acid, nitrogen oxide and Ru based on the condition also simulated MELCOR. Series of sample simulations of the accident at a hypothetical typical facility are presented with the data transfer between those codes in this report.