Radiation monitoring in the residential environment; Time dependencies of air dose rate and Cs inventory

Yoshimura, Kazuya; Nakama, Shigeo; Fujiwara, Kenso

Journal of Radiation Protection and Research, 47(1), p.30 - 38, 2022/03

https://doi.org/10.14407/jrpr.2021.00199

Radiocaesium accumulation capacity of epiphytic lichens and adjacent barks collected at the perimeter boundary site of the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Station

Dohi, Terumi; Omura, Yoshihito*; Yoshimura, Kazuya; Sasaki, Takayuki*; Fujiwara, Kenso; Kanaizuka, Seiichi*; Nakama, Shigeo; Iijima, Kazuki

PLOS ONE (Internet), 16(5), p.e0251828_1 - e0251828_16, 2021/05

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0251828

Status of study of long-term assessment of transport of radioactive contaminants in the environment of Fukushima (FY2018) (Translated document)

Nagao, Fumiya; Niizato, Tadafumi; Sasaki, Yoshito; Ito, Satomi; Watanabe, Takayoshi; Dohi, Terumi; Nakanishi, Takahiro; Sakuma, Kazuyuki; Hagiwara, Hiroki; Funaki, Hironori; et al.

JAEA-Research 2020-007, 249 Pages, 2020/10

JAEA-Research-2020-007.pdf:15.83MB

The accident of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station, Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, Inc. occurred due to the Great East Japan Earthquake, Sanriku offshore earthquake, of 9.0 magnitude and the accompanying tsunami. As a result, large amount of radioactive materials was released into the environment. Under these circumstances, Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) has been conducting "Long-term Assessment of Transport of Radioactive Contaminants in the Environment of Fukushima" concerning radioactive materials released in environment, especially migration behavior of radioactive cesium since November 2012. This report is a summary of the research results that have been obtained in environmental dynamics research conducted by JAEA in Fukushima Prefecture.

Applicability of autonomous unmanned helicopter survey of air dose rate in suburban area

Yoshimura, Kazuya; Fujiwara, Kenso; Nakama, Shigeo

Radiation Protection Dosimetry, 184(3-4), p.315 - 318, 2019/10

https://doi.org/10.1093/rpd/ncz116

Applied research for the establishment of radiation monitoring and evaluation of exposure dose of residence at the zone designated for reconstruction and recovery

Funaki, Hironori; Takahara, Shogo; Sasaki, Miyuki; Yoshimura, Kazuya; Nakama, Shigeo; Sanada, Yukihisa

JAEA-Research 2018-016, 48 Pages, 2019/03

JAEA-Research-2018-016.pdf:29.73MB

Cabinet Office Nuclear Emergency Response Headquarters starts to consider radiation protection in the "specific reconstruction reproduction base area" of which evacuation order will be lifted by 2023. It is essential to grab the present situations of radiation contamination and evaluate exposure dose in the area to realize the plan. Many surveys have evaluated the distributions of air dose rate and exposure dose has been estimated based on the results since the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident. Nevertheless, more detailed information on exposure is needed for the areas because its radiation level is relatively high. That is also to help make prudent evaluation plan. This study aimed to evaluate the detailed contamination situation there and estimate exposure dose with considering areal circumstances. Investigations were carried out for (1) airborne survey of air dose rate using an unmanned helicopter (2) evaluation of airborne radiocesium and (3) estimation of external/internal effective doses for typical activity patterns assumed. Additionally, we applied new methods for the airborne survey to evaluate exposure dose. Our study showed a detailed three-dimensional map of air dose rate and clarified the distribution pattern in the areas. Results of effective dose estimation suggested that the internal effective dose due to inhalation accounts for less than 1% of the external effective dose.

Decrease in air dose rate after decontamination relating to difference in the ground surface properties

Nakama, Shigeo; Yoshimura, Kazuya; Fujiwara, Kenso; Ishikawa, Hiroyasu; Iijima, Kazuki

KEK Proceedings 2018-7, p.154 - 158, 2018/11

https://lib-extopc.kek.jp/preprints/PDF/2018/1825/1825007.pdf

Decrease in air dose rate in decontaminated area is essential information to estimate external exposure and to facilitate return of local residents, but the factors to control the decrease rate have not been cleared wholly. To clarify the effect of ground surface type (i.e. paved and soil surfaces) on the decrease in air dose rate at 1 m above the ground, surface dose rate at 1 cm above the ground and the air dose rate were monitored for four years since decontamination in 2011, and their decrease rates were compared relating to the ground surface type. Decrease in the air dose rate and the surface dose rate on the asphalt pavement showed faster rates than those on the soil surface. Ratio of decrease in the air dose rate and surface dose rate (decrease rate ratio) was distributed between 0.8 and 1.2 on open place not affected by surrounding environment. Therefore, decrease in the air dose rate was in agreement with the decrease of the surface dose rate, which is greatly affected by the ground surface. It became clear that the decrease rate constant of the air dose rate differs depending on the difference in the ground surface. Furthermore, it was also confirmed that the local soil erosion and sedimentation of the ground surface does not affect the decrease rate of the air dose rate.

Status of study of long-term assessment of transport of radioactive contaminants in the environment of Fukushima; As a part of dissemination of evidence-based information

Tsuruta, Tadahiko; Niizato, Tadafumi; Nakanishi, Takahiro; Dohi, Terumi; Nakama, Shigeo; Funaki, Hironori; Misono, Toshiharu; Oyama, Takuya; Kurikami, Hiroshi; Hayashi, Seiji*; et al.

JAEA-Review 2017-018, 86 Pages, 2017/10

JAEA-Review-2017-018.pdf:17.58MB

Since the accidents at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant following the Tohoku Region Pacific Coast Earthquake on March 11th, 2011, Fukushima Environmental Safety Center has carried out research on natural mobilization of radionuclide (especially radiocesium) and future forecast from forest to water system and surrounding residential areas. The report summarizes the latest results that have been accumulated from each study field, of our agency together with the other related research organizations. The contents of the report is to be used as evidence-based information for the QA-styled pages in the website of JAEA Sector of Fukushima Research and Development at the time of next renewal.

Evaluation of ambient dose equivalent rates influenced by vertical and horizontal distribution of radioactive cesium in soil in Fukushima Prefecture

Malins, A.; Kurikami, Hiroshi; Nakama, Shigeo; Saito, Tatsuo; Okumura, Masahiko; Machida, Masahiko; Kitamura, Akihiro

Journal of Environmental Radioactivity, 151(Part 1), p.38 - 49, 2016/01

AA2015-0160.pdf:0.87MB

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvrad.2015.09.014

The air dose rate in an environment contaminated with Cs and Cs depends on the amount, depth profile and horizontal distribution of these contaminants within the ground. This paper introduces and verifies a tool that models these variables and calculates ambient dose equivalent rates at 1 m above the ground. Good correlation is found between predicted dose rates and dose rates measured with survey meters in Fukushima Prefecture in areas contaminated with radiocesium from the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant accident. Better predictions are obtained by modeling the horizontal distribution of radioactive cesium across an area if multiple soil samples are available, as opposed to assuming a spatially homogeneous contamination distribution. Reductions seen in air dose rates above flat, undisturbed fields in Fukushima Prefecture are consistent with decrement by radioactive decay and downward migration of cesium into soil. Analysis of remediation strategies for farmland soils confirmed that topsoil removal and interchanging a topsoil layer with a subsoil layer result in similar reductions in the air dose rate.

Numerical simulations and analysis for the SP pillar stability experiment, 2; Discontinuum based approaches using distinct element method

Shimizu, Hiroyuki*; Koyama, Tomofumi*; Chijimatsu, Masakazu*; Fujita, Tomoo; Nakama, Shigeo

Dai-13-Kai Iwa No Rikigaku Kokunai Shimpojiumu Koen Rombunshu (CD-ROM), p.443 - 448, 2013/01

DECOVALEX-2011 is an international cooperation project for enhancing the numerical models of radioactive waste repositories. In Task B of DECOVALEX-2011 project, the failure mechanism during excavation, heating and destressing processes observed in the sp pillar stability experiment (APSE), which carried out at the sp Hard Rock Laboratory by the Swedish Nuclear Fuel and Waste Management Company (SKB), were simulated using two dimensional Distinct Element Method. As a result, it is found that the simulated crack generation and propagation during the destressing process by 2D-DEM agree qualitatively well with the observation at site.

A Long-term THMC assessment on the geochemical behavior of the bentonite buffer

Suzuki, Hideaki; Nakama, Shigeo; Fujita, Tomoo; Imai, Hisashi; Sazarashi, Masami

Genshiryoku Bakkuendo Kenkyu (CD-ROM), 19(2), p.39 - 50, 2012/12

https://doi.org/10.3327/jnuce.19.39

For the safety assessment of a geological disposal system for high-level radioactive waste, it is necessary to quantify coupled thermo-hydro-mechanical-chemical (THMC) processes in the near-field. The current study investigated the geochemical changes arising from the infiltration of groundwater into the bentonite buffer under a thermal regime of radiogenic heating arising from the vitrified waste with the computer simulated assistance of a developed THMC model. In the case of infiltration by a saline groundwater, sulfate precipitates as gypsum around the overpack in the bentonite buffer and the Na-type bentonite changes to Ca-type by exposure to Ca ions released from concrete supports. In addition, the temporal evolution of the bentonite buffer porewater composition can be obtained to assess its contribution to the corrosion of the overpack.