Effect of molybdenum release on UO/MOX fuel oxidation under severe light water reactor accident conditions

Liu, J.; Miwa, Shuhei; Karasawa, Hidetoshi; Osaka, Masahiko

Nuclear Materials and Energy (Internet), 37, p.101532_1 - 101532_5, 2023/12

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nme.2023.101532

Development of technologies for enhanced analysis accuracy of fuel debris; Summary results of the 2020 fiscal year (Subsidy program for the project of decommissioning and contaminated water management)

Ikeuchi, Hirotomo; Koyama, Shinichi; Osaka, Masahiko; Takano, Masahide; Nakamura, Satoshi; Onozawa, Atsushi; Sasaki, Shinji; Onishi, Takashi; Maeda, Koji; Kirishima, Akira*; et al.

JAEA-Technology 2022-021, 224 Pages, 2022/10

JAEA-Technology-2022-021.pdf:12.32MB

A set of technology, including acid dissolving, has to be established for the analysis of content of elements/nuclides in the fuel debris samples. In this project, a blind test was performed for the purpose of clarifying the current level of analytical accuracy and establishing the alternative methods in case that the insoluble residue remains. Overall composition of the simulated fuel debris (homogenized powder having a specific composition) were quantitatively determined in the four analytical institutions in Japan by using their own dissolving and analytical techniques. The merit and drawback for each technique were then evaluated, based on which a tentative flow of the analyses of fuel debris was constructed.

A New method of measuring ruthenium activity in ruthenium-containing alloys by using thermogravimetric analysis

Liu, J.; Nakajima, Kunihisa; Miwa, Shuhei; Shirasu, Noriko; Osaka, Masahiko

Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, 59(4), p.484 - 490, 2022/04

https://doi.org/10.1080/00223131.2021.1979432

Cesium chemistry in the LWR severe accident and towards the decommissioning of Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station

Osaka, Masahiko; Goullo, M.*; Nakajima, Kunihisa

Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, 59(3), p.292 - 305, 2022/03

https://doi.org/10.1080/00223131.2021.1997664

Research on the fission product chemistry made after the severe accident of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station were reviewed with focus on the Cesium chemistry in terms of two regimes, namely the accidental source term and the long-term source term via aqueous phase towards the decommissioning. For the accidental source term, Cs chemical interaction with Mo, B and Si were reviewed. Regarding the unique issue of long-term source term via aqueous phase, Cs penetration into concrete and fuel debris leaching were mentioned as the main sources of FPs. Efforts on the preparation of thermodynamic data for the Cs complex oxides were described. All these Cs chemical behaviors should be modelled and validated/verified through the analysis and evaluation of the actual samples including fuel debris that would be taken from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station in near future.

Study on solubility of cesium iodide and cesium molybdate in water at around room temperature

Imoto, Jumpei; Nakajima, Kunihisa; Osaka, Masahiko

Nihon Genshiryoku Gakkai Wabun Rombunshi, 20(4), p.179 - 187, 2021/12

https://doi.org/10.3327/taesj.J20.037

Some of the Cs inside the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station would be deposited in chemical forms such as CsI and CsMoO. Since Cs compounds are generally water-soluble, it is predicted that the migration of Cs through the aqueous phase occurs in the long term. Knowledge of the solubility in water is required as basic data for such migration behavior evaluation. Therefore, this study was conducted to investigate the dissolution properties of CsI and CsMoO in water at 20C and 25C. The solubilities of CsI at 25C calculated using thermodynamic data and the Pitzer ion interaction model were in good agreement with the literature value. It was found that the literature value of CsI at around room temperature is highly reliable. The experimental value of CsI at 20C obtained by the OECD test guideline 105 flask method (test guideline) was also in good agreement with the literature value. The measured solubility of CsMoO was 256.8 6.2 (g/100 g HO) at 20C using the test guideline. This measured solubility of CsMoO was found to be comparable to those of other alkaline molybdates and considered to be more reliable than the literature value.

An Approach toward evaluation of long-term fission product distributions in the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant after the severe accident

Uchida, Shunsuke; Karasawa, Hidetoshi; Kino, Chiaki*; Pellegrini, M.*; Naito, Masanori*; Osaka, Masahiko

Nuclear Engineering and Design, 380, p.111256_1 - 111256_19, 2021/08

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nucengdes.2021.111256

It is essential to grasp the long-term distributions of FP as well as fuel debris all over the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (1F) for safe completion of its decommissioning projects. The fuel debris is going to be removed from the plant under the severe conditions of FP being scattered during major decommissioning work, and then, the decommissioning projects are going to be terminated by storing safely the removed debris as recovered fertile materials or as materials for final radioactive disposal. In order to determine the FP distribution in the plant for the long period from the accident occurrence to the termination of the plant decommissioning, procedures for analyzing multi-term FP behaviors were proposed. The proposed procedures should be improved by applying the FP data measured in the plant and validated based on the feedback data. Then, the accuracy-improved procedures should be applied to estimate FP distribution during each period of the decommissioning projects.

Experimental study on transport behavior of cesium iodide in the reactor coolant system under LWR severe accident conditions

Miyahara, Naoya; Miwa, Shuhei; Goullo, M.*; Imoto, Jumpei; Horiguchi, Naoki; Sato, Isamu*; Osaka, Masahiko

Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, 57(12), p.1287 - 1296, 2020/12

https://doi.org/10.1080/00223131.2020.1782281

In order to clarify the cesium iodide (CsI) transport behavior with a focus on the mechanisms of gaseous iodine formation in the reactor coolant system of LWR under a severe accident condition, a reproductive experiment of CsI transport behavior was conducted using a facility equipped with a thermal gradient tube. Various analyses on deposits and airborne materials during transportation could elucidate two mechanisms for the gaseous iodine formation. One was the gaseous phase chemical reaction in Cs-I-O-H system at relatively high-temperature region, which led to gaseous iodine transport to the lower temperature region without any further changes in gas species due to the kinetics limitation effects. The other one was the chemical reactions related to condensed phase of CsI, namely those of CsI deposits on walls with surface of stainless steel to form CsCrO compound and CsI aerosol particles with steam, which were newly found in this study.

Low temperature heat capacity of CsSiO

Suzuki, Eriko; Nakajima, Kunihisa; Osaka, Masahiko; Oishi, Yuji*; Muta, Hiroaki*; Kurosaki, Ken*

Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, 57(7), p.852 - 857, 2020/07

https://doi.org/10.1080/00223131.2020.1727374

The low temperature heat capacity of CsSiO, which is one of the cesium chemisorbed compounds onto stainless steel during severe accident of the light water nuclear reactor, was experimentally determined for the first time in the temperature range of 1.9 - 302 K. The experimentally determined heat capacity, (298.15K), and the standard entropy, (298.15K), were 249.4 1.1 J K mol and 322.1 1.3 J K mol, respectively. The standard Gibbs energy of formation of CsSiO at high temperatures, (), were reevaluated by using the presently obtained (298.15K) and the previously reported experimental results of the standard enthalpy of formation, (298.15K), and the standard enthalpy increments at high temperatures, ()- (298.15K).

Development of fission product chemistry database ECUME for the LWR severe accident

Miwa, Shuhei; Nakajima, Kunihisa; Miyahara, Naoya; Nishioka, Shunichiro; Suzuki, Eriko; Horiguchi, Naoki; Liu, J.; Miradji, F.; Imoto, Jumpei; Afiqa, B. M.; et al.

Mechanical Engineering Journal (Internet), 7(3), p.19-00537_1 - 19-00537_11, 2020/06

https://doi.org/10.1299/mej.19-00537

We constructed the fission product (FP) chemistry database named ECUME for LWR severe accident. This version of ECUME is equipped with dataset of the chemical reactions and their kinetics constants for the reactions of cesium(Cs)-iodine(I)-boron(B)-molybdenum(Mo)-oxygen(O)-hydrogen(H) system in gas phase, the elemental model for the high temperature chemical reaction of Cs with stainless steel applied as the structural material in a reactor, and thermodynamic data for CsBO vapor species and solids of CsSiO and CsFeSiO for these chemical reactions. The ECUME will provide estimation of Cs distribution due to the evaluation of effects of interaction with BWR control material B and stainless steel on Cs behavior in the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station.

Expansion of high temperature creep test data for failure evaluation of BWR lower head in severe accident

Yamaguchi, Yoshihito; Katsuyama, Jinya; Kaji, Yoshiyuki; Osaka, Masahiko; Li, Y.

Mechanical Engineering Journal (Internet), 7(3), p.19-00560_1 - 19-00560_12, 2020/06

https://doi.org/10.1299/mej.19-00560

Since the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident, we have been developing a failure evaluation method that considers creep damage mechanisms using detailed three-dimensional finite element analysis model of lower head including penetration, stub tubes, and weld parts, etc., for the early completion of the decommissioning of the nuclear power plants in Fukushima Daiichi. For the finite element analysis, we have been obtaining material properties for which no data are provided in existing databases or in the literature. In particular, creep data corresponding to the high temperature region near the melting point of materials is important in evaluating creep deformation under severe accident conditions. In this study, we obtained the uniaxial tensile and creep properties for low-alloy steel, stainless steel, and Ni-based alloy. In particular, creep test data with long rupture times at high temperatures are expanded using a tensile test machine that can measure the elongation of test specimens in a noncontact measurement system. The parameters related to the failure evaluation were improved on the basis of the expanded creep database.