Research plan on geosphere stability for long-term isolation of radioactive waste (Scientific program for fiscal year 2023)

Niwa, Masakazu; Shimada, Koji; Sueoka, Shigeru; Fujita, Natsuko; Yokoyama, Tatsunori; Ogita, Yasuhiro; Fukuda, Shoma; Nakajima, Toru; Kagami, Saya; Ogata, Manabu; et al.

JAEA-Review 2023-017, 27 Pages, 2023/10

JAEA-Review-2023-017.pdf:0.94MB

This report is a plan of research and development (R&D) on geosphere stability for long-term isolation of high-level radioactive waste (HLW) in Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA), in fiscal year 2023. The objectives and contents in fiscal year 2023 are described in detail based on the JAEA 4th Medium- and Long-term Plan (fiscal years 2022-2028). In addition, the background of this research is described from the necessity and the significance for site investigation and safety assessment, and the past progress. The plan framework is structured into the following categories: (1) Development and systematization of investigation techniques, (2) Development of models for long-term estimation and effective assessment, (3) Development of dating techniques.

Research plan on geosphere stability for long-term isolation of radioactive waste (Scientific program for fiscal year 2022)

Sasao, Eiji; Ishimaru, Tsuneari; Niwa, Masakazu; Shimada, Akiomi; Shimada, Koji; Watanabe, Takahiro; Sueoka, Shigeru; Yokoyama, Tatsunori; Fujita, Natsuko; Ogita, Yasuhiro; et al.

JAEA-Review 2022-022, 29 Pages, 2022/09

JAEA-Review-2022-022.pdf:0.97MB

This report is a plan of research and development (R&D) on geosphere stability for long-term isolation of high-level radioactive waste (HLW) in Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA), in fiscal year 2022. The objectives and contents in fiscal year 2022 are described in detail based on the JAEA 4th Medium- and Long-term Plan (fiscal years 2022-2028). In addition, the background of this research is described from the necessity and the significance for site investigation and safety assessment, and the past progress. The plan framework is structured into the following categories: (1) Development and systematization of investigation techniques, (2) Development of models for long-term estimation and effective assessment, (3) Development of dating techniques

Fundamental study for decorporation of plutonium by chelating agents; Coordination analyses of simulated plutonium with chelating agents by X-ray absorption spectroscopy

Uehara, Akihiro*; Shuhui, X.*; Sato, Ryotaro*; Matsumura, Daiju; Tsuji, Takuya; Yakumaru, Haruko*; Shiro, Ayumi*; Saito, Hiroyuki*; Tanaka, Izumi*; Ishihara, Hiroshi*; et al.

Advances in X-Ray Chemical Analysis, Japan, 53, p.223 - 229, 2022/03

no abstracts in English

Research and development on membrane IS process for hydrogen production using solar heat

Myagmarjav, O.; Iwatsuki, Jin; Tanaka, Nobuyuki; Noguchi, Hiroki; Kamiji, Yu; Ioka, Ikuo; Kubo, Shinji; Nomura, Mikihiro*; Yamaki, Tetsuya*; Sawada, Shinichi*; et al.

International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, 44(35), p.19141 - 19152, 2019/07

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhydene.2018.03.132

Insights into the proton transfer mechanism of a bilin reductase PcyA following neutron crystallography

Unno, Masayoshi*; Ishikawa, Kumiko*; Kusaka, Katsuhiro*; Tamada, Taro; Hagiwara, Yoshinori*; Sugishima, Masakazu*; Wada, Kei*; Yamada, Taro*; Tomoyori, Katsuaki; Hosoya, Takaaki*; et al.

Journal of the American Chemical Society, 137(16), p.5452 - 5460, 2015/04

https://doi.org/10.1021/jacs.5b00645

Phycocyanobilin, a light-harvesting and photoreceptor pigment in higher plants, algae, and cyanobacteria, is synthesized from biliverdin IX (BV) by phycocyanobilin:ferredoxin oxidoreductase (PcyA) via two steps of two-proton-coupled two-electron reduction. We determined the neutron structure of PcyA from cyanobacteria complexed with BV, revealing the exact location of the hydrogen atoms involved in catalysis. Notably, approximately half of the BV bound to PcyA was BVH, a state in which all four pyrrole nitrogen atoms were protonated. The protonation states of BV complemented the protonation of adjacent Asp105. The "axial "water molecule that interacts with the neutral pyrrole nitrogen of the A-ring was identified. His88 N was protonated to form a hydrogen bond with the lactam O atom of the BV A-ring. His88 and His74 were linked by hydrogen bonds via HO. These results imply that Asp105, His88, and the axial water molecule contribute to proton transfer during PcyA catalysis.

Status of Mo-Tc production development by (n,) reaction

Tsuchiya, Kunihiko; Mutalib, A.*; Chakrov, P.*; Kaminaga, Masanori; Ishihara, Masahiro; Kawamura, Hiroshi

JAEA-Conf 2011-003, p.137 - 141, 2012/03

https://jopss.jaea.go.jp/pdfdata/JAEA-Conf-2011-003.pdf#page=147

As one of effective uses of the JMTR, JAEA has a plan to produce Mo by (n,) method, a parent nuclide of Tc. In case of Japan, the supplying of Mo depends only on imports from foreign countries, the R&D on production method of Mo-Tc has been performed with foreign countries and Japanese industrial users under the cooperation programs. The main R&D items for the production are (1) Fabrication of irradiation target such as the sintered MoO pellets, (2) Separation and concentration of Tc by the solvent extraction from Mo solution, (3) Examination of Tc solution for a medicine, and (4) Mo recycling from Mo generator and solution. Especially, it is important to establish the separation and extraction methods in the item (2) and the experiments and information exchanges in some methods have been carried out under the international cooperation. In this paper, the status of the R&D is introduced for the production of Mo-Tc.

Present status of refurbishment and irradiation technologies in JMTR

Inaba, Yoshitomo; Ishihara, Masahiro; Niimi, Motoji; Kawamura, Hiroshi

Journal of Nuclear Materials, 417(1-3), p.1348 - 1351, 2011/10

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnucmat.2011.01.094

The Japan Materials Testing Reactor (JMTR) is a testing reactor with first criticality in March 1968. JMTR has been utilized for various neutron irradiation tests on nuclear fuels and materials, as well as for radioisotope production. The operation of JMTR was stopped in August 2006 for the refurbishment and the improvement. The renewed JMTR will be operated from FY 2011. Aiming at the restart of the new JMTR, the renewal of the aging reactor components, the preparation of the new irradiation facilities, and the development of the irradiation technologies have been carried out in JMTR. The irradiation facilities and technologies can also contribute to the development of fusion reactor materials. In this paper, the present status of the refurbishment and the irradiation technologies focused on the instrumentation in JMTR are described.

Azimuthal correlations of electrons from heavy-flavor decay with hadrons in and Au+Au collisions at = 200 GeV

Adare, A.*; Afanasiev, S.*; Aidala, C.*; Ajitanand, N. N.*; Akiba, Yasuyuki*; Al-Bataineh, H.*; Alexander, J.*; Aoki, Kazuya*; Aphecetche, L.*; Aramaki, Y.*; et al.

Physical Review C, 83(4), p.044912_1 - 044912_16, 2011/04

https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevC.83.044912

Measurements of electrons from the decay of open-heavy-flavor mesons have shown that the yields are suppressed in Au+Au collisions compared to expectations from binary-scaled collisions. Here we extend these studies to two particle correlations where one particle is an electron from the decay of a heavy flavor meson and the other is a charged hadron from either the decay of the heavy meson or from jet fragmentation. These measurements provide more detailed information about the interaction between heavy quarks and the quark-gluon matter. We find the away-side-jet shape and yield to be modified in Au+Au collisions compared to collisions.

Conceptual study for new Mo-production facility in JMTR

Kimura, Akihiro; Iimura, Koichi; Hosokawa, Jinsaku; Izumo, Hironobu; Hori, Naohiko; Nakagawa, Tetsuya; Kanno, Masaru; Ishihara, Masahiro; Kawamura, Hiroshi

JAEA-Review 2009-072, 18 Pages, 2010/03

JAEA-Review-2009-072.pdf:9.29MB

JAEA has a plan to produce Mo, a parent nuclide of Tc. At present, radioisotopes are indispensable for a diagnosis and treatment in the medical field. Demand of Tc (half life 6h) used as a radiopharmaceutical increases up year by year. Moreover, the expansion of demand will be expected in future. However, the supply of Mo in Japan depends fully on the import from foreign countries. Therefore, it is necessary to supply Mo stably by the domestic production. There are two methods of Mo (half life 65.9h) production; the one is the nuclear fission (n,fiss) method, and the other is the (n,) method using the Mo target. Mo production in the JMTR with the (n,) method was studied and evaluated. As a result, it was found that the partial amount of Mo demand is possible to supply stably if a new hydraulic-rabbit-irradiation-facility (HR) is used.

Refurbishment status and future program of Japan Materials Testing Reactor (JMTR)

Ishihara, Masahiro; Kawamura, Hiroshi; Niimi, Motoji; Kaminaga, Masanori; Hori, Naohiko; Nagao, Yoshiharu

Proceedings of 12th International Group on Research Reactors (12th IGORR) (USB Flash Drive), 10 Pages, 2009/10

The JMTR is a light water cooling tank typed reactor with first criticality in March 1968. The JMTR has been applied to fuel/material irradiation tests for LWRs, HTGR, fusion reactor and RI production. However, the JMTR operation was once stopped at August 2006, and the refurbishment works are now conducting. The reactor facilities will be renewed taking four years from the beginning of FY 2007, and necessary examination and works are carrying out on schedule. The renewed JMTR will be started from FY 2011, and be operated for a period of about 20 years until around FY 2030. The usability improvement of the JMTR, e.g. higher reactor availability-factor, shortening turnaround time to get irradiation results, attractive irradiation cost, business confidence, is also discussing with users as the preparations for re-operation. In the paper, status of the refurbishment of reactor facilities are introduced, moreover the future program using the JMTR will be prescribed.