Criticality safety evaluation of high active liquid waste during the evaporation to dryness process at Tokai Reprocessing Plant

Miura, Takatomo; Kudo, Atsunari; Koyama, Daisuke; Obu, Tomoyuki; Samoto, Hirotaka

Proceedings of 12th International Conference on Nuclear Criticality Safety (ICNC2023) (Internet), 10 Pages, 2023/10

Tokai Reprocessing Plant (TRP) had reprocessed 1,140 tons of spent fuel discharged from commercial reactors (BWR, PWR) and Advanced Thermal Reactor "Fugen" from 1977 to 2007. TRP had entered decommissioning stage in 2018. In order to reduce the risk of High Active Liquid Waste (HALW) held at the facility, the vitrification of HALW is given top priority. HALW generated from reprocessing of spent fuel contains not only fission products (FPs) but also trace amounts of uranium (U) and plutonium (Pu) within the liquid and insoluble residues (sludge). Under normal conditions, concentrations of U and Pu in HALW are very low so that it can not reach criticality. Since FPs with high neutron absorption effect coexists in HALW, even if the cooling function is lost due to serious accident and HALW evaporates to dryness, it is considered that criticality would not been reached. In order to confirm this estimation quantitatively, criticality safety evaluations were carried out for the increase of U and Pu concentrations by evaporation of HALW to the point of dryness. In this evaluation, infinite multiplication factors were calculated for each of solution system and sludge system of HALW with respect to the concentration change through evaporation to dryness. It is confirmed it could not reach criticality. The abundance ratios of U, Pu and FPs were set conservatively based on analytical data and ORIGEN calculation results. Multiplation factors for two-layer infinite slab model of solution and sludge systems of HALW were also calculated, and it was confirmed it could not reached criticality. In conclusion, the result was gaind that there could be no criticality even in the process through evaporation to dryness of HALW in TRP.

First observation of O

Kondo, Yosuke*; Achouri, N. L.*; Al Falou, H.*; Atar, L.*; Aumann, T.*; Baba, Hidetada*; Boretzky, K.*; Caesar, C.*; Calvet, D.*; Chae, H.*; et al.

Nature, 620(7976), p.965 - 970, 2023/08

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-023-06352-6

no abstracts in English

Core and safety design for France-Japan common concept on sodium-cooled fast reactor

Takano, Kazuya; Oki, Shigeo; Ozawa, Takayuki; Yamano, Hidemasa; Kubo, Shigenobu; Ogura, Masashi*; Yamada, Yumi*; Koyama, Kazuya*; Kurita, Koichi*; Costes, L.*; et al.

EPJ Nuclear Sciences & Technologies (Internet), 8, p.35_1 - 35_9, 2022/12

https://doi.org/10.1051/epjn/2022040

The France and Japan teams have carried out collaborative works to have common technical views regarding a sodium-cooled fast reactor concept. Japan has studied the feasibility of an enhanced high burnup low-void effect (CFV) core and fuel using oxide dispersion-strengthened steel cladding in ASTRID 600. Regarding passive shutdown capabilities, Japan team has performed a preliminary numerical analysis for ASTRID 600 using a complementary safety device, called a self-actuated shutdown system (SASS), one of the safety approaches of Japan. The mitigation measures of ASTRID 600 against a severe accident, such as a core catcher, molten corium discharge assembly, and the sodium void reactivity features of the CFV core, are promising to achieve in-vessel retention for both countries. The common design concept based on ASTRID 600 is feasible to demonstrate the SFR core and safety technologies for both countries.

High spatial resolution neutron transmission imaging using a superconducting two-dimensional detector

Shishido, Hiroaki*; Nishimura, Kazuma*; Vu, TheDang*; Aizawa, Kazuya; Kojima, Kenji M*; Koyama, Tomio*; Oikawa, Kenichi; Harada, Masahide; Oku, Takayuki; Soyama, Kazuhiko; et al.

IEEE Transactions on Applied Superconductivity, 31(9), p.2400505_1 - 2400505_5, 2021/12

https://doi.org/10.1109/TASC.2021.3111396

In this study, we employed a superconducting detector, current-biased kinetic-inductance detector (CB-KID) for neutron imaging using a pulsed neutron source. We employed the delay-line method, and high spatial resolution imaging with only four reading channels was achieved. We also performed wavelength-resolved neutron imaging by the time-of-flight method. We obtained the neutron transmission images of a Gd-Al alloy sample, inside which single crystals of GdAl were grown, using the delay-line CB-KID. Single crystals were well imaged, in both shapes and distributions, throughout the Al-Gd alloy. We identified Gd nuclei via neutron transmissions that exhibited characteristic suppression above the neutron wavelength of 0.03 nm. In addition, the Gd resonance dip, a dip structure of the transmission caused by the nuclear reaction between an isotope and neutrons, was observed even when the number of events was summed over a limited area of 15 m 12 m. Gd selective imaging was performed using the resonance dip of Gd, and it showed clear Gd distribution even with a limited neutron wavelength range of 1 pm.

Quasifree neutron knockout reaction reveals a small -Orbital component in the Borromean nucleus B

Yang, Z. H.*; Kubota, Yuki*; Corsi, A.*; Yoshida, Kazuki; Sun, X.-X.*; Li, J. G.*; Kimura, Masaaki*; Michel, N.*; Ogata, Kazuyuki*; Yuan, C. X.*; et al.

Physical Review Letters, 126(8), p.082501_1 - 082501_8, 2021/02

AA2020-0819.pdf:1.29MB

https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.126.082501

A quasifree (,) experiment was performed to study the structure of the Borromean nucleus B, which had long been considered to have a neutron halo. By analyzing the momentum distributions and exclusive cross sections, we obtained the spectroscopic factors for and orbitals, and a surprisingly small percentage of 9(2)% was determined for . Our finding of such a small component and the halo features reported in prior experiments can be explained by the deformed relativistic Hartree-Bogoliubov theory in continuum, revealing a definite but not dominant neutron halo in B. The present work gives the smallest - or -orbital component among known nuclei exhibiting halo features and implies that the dominant occupation of or orbitals is not a prerequisite for the occurrence of a neutron halo.

Precise chemical state analyses of ultrathin hafnium films deposited on clean Si(111)-77 surface using high-resolution core-level photoelectron spectroscopy

Kakiuchi, Takuhiro*; Matoba, Tomoki*; Koyama, Daisuke*; Yamamoto, Yuki*; Kato, Daiki*; Yoshigoe, Akitaka

Surface Science, 701, p.121691_1 - 121691_8, 2020/11

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.susc.2020.121691

Ultrathin hafnium films on Si(111)-77 were studied using synchrotron radiation photoelectron spectroscopies to reveal the chemical states at interface and surface. Ultrathin Hf layers grow on clean Si(111)-77 surface by lever rule. Surface and interface of Hf/Si(111) contain three components (metallic Hf layers, Hf monosilicide (HfSi) and Si-rich Hf silicide). Ultrathin Hf layers changes HfSi islands on bared Si(111)-77 surface after annealing at 1073 K. It was found that the long axes of the rectangle islands expand the direction connecting the corner holes in DAS model of clean Si(111)-77 surface.

Kinetic inductance neutron detector operated at near critical temperature

Vu, TheDang; Nishimura, Kazuma*; Shishido, Hiroaki*; Harada, Masahide; Oikawa, Kenichi; Miyajima, Shigeyuki*; Hidaka, Mutsuo*; Oku, Takayuki; Soyama, Kazuhiko; Aizawa, Kazuya; et al.

Journal of Physics; Conference Series, 1590, p.012036_1 - 012036_9, 2020/07

https://doi.org/10.1088/1742-6596/1590/1/012036

Temperature dependent characteristics of neutron signals from a current-biased Nb nanowire detector with B converter

Vu, TheDang; Iizawa, Yuki*; Nishimura, Kazuma*; Shishido, Hiroaki*; Kojima, Kenji*; Oikawa, Kenichi; Harada, Masahide; Miyajima, Shigeyuki*; Hidaka, Mutsuo*; Oku, Takayuki; et al.

Journal of Physics; Conference Series, 1293, p.012051_1 - 012051_9, 2019/10

https://doi.org/10.1088/1742-6596/1293/1/012051

Chemical form of released tritium from solid breeder materials under the various purge gas conditions

Kinjo, Tomohiro*; Nishikawa, Masabumi*; Yanashita, Naoya*; Koyama, Takanori*; Tanifuji, Takaaki*; Enoeda, Mikio

Fusion Engineering and Design, 82(15-24), p.2147 - 2151, 2007/10

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fusengdes.2007.07.002

no abstracts in English

Report of investigation on malfunction of reserved shutdown system in HTTR

Hamamoto, Shimpei; Iigaki, Kazuhiko; Shimizu, Atsushi; Sawahata, Hiroaki; Kondo, Makoto; Oyama, Sunao; Kawano, Shuichi; Kobayashi, Shoichi; Kawamoto, Taiki; Suzuki, Hisashi; et al.

JAEA-Technology 2006-030, 58 Pages, 2006/03

JAEA-Technology-2006-030.pdf:10.69MB

During normal operation of High Temperature engineering Test Reactor (HTTR) in Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA), the reactivity is controlled by the Control Rods (CRs) system which consists of 32 CRs (16 pairs) and 16 Control Rod Drive Mechanisms (CRDMs). The CR system is located in stand-pipes accompanied by the Reserved Shutdown System (RSS). In the unlikely event that the CRs fail to be inserted, the RSS is provided to insert BC/C pellets into the core. The RSS shall be designed so that the reactor should be held subcriticality from any operation condition by dropping in the pellets. The RSS consists of BC/C pellets, hoppers which contain the pellets, electric plug, driving mechanisms, guide tubes and so on. In accidents when the CRs cannot be inserted, an electric plug is pulled out by a motor and the absorber pellets fall into the core by gravity. A trouble, malfunction of one RSS out of sixteen, occurred during a series of the pre-start up checks of HTTR on February 21, 2005. We investigated the cause of the RSS trouble and took countermeasures to prevent the issue. As the result of investigation, the cause of the trouble was attributed to the following reason: In the motor inside, The Oil of grease of the multiplying gear flowed down from a gap of the oil seal which has been deformed and was mixed with abrasion powder of brake disk. Therefore the adhesive mixture prevented a motor from rotating.