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Machida, Masahiko; Yamada, Susumu; Kim, M.; Okumura, Masahiko; Miyamura, Hiroko; Shikaze, Yoshiaki; Sato, Tomoki*; Numata, Yoshiaki*; Tobita, Yasuhiro*; Yamaguchi, Takashi; et al.
RIST News, (69), p.2 - 18, 2023/09
The contamination of radioactive materials leaked from the reactor has resulted in numerous hot spots in the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station (1F) building, posing obstacles to its decommissioning. In order to solve this problem, JAEA has conducted research and development of the digital technique for inverse estimation of radiation source distribution and countermeasures against the estimated source in virtual space for two years from 2021 based on the subsidy program "Project of Decommissioning and Contaminated Water Management" performed by the funds from the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. In this article, we introduce the results of the project and the plan of the renewal project started in April 2023. For the former project, we report the derivative method for LASSO method considering the complex structure inside the building and the character of the source and show the result of the inverse estimation using the method in the real reactor building. Moreover, we explain the platform software "3D-ADRES-Indoor" which integrates these achievements. Finally, we introduce the plan of the latter project.
Machida, Masahiko; Shi, W.*; Yamada, Susumu; Miyamura, Hiroko; Yoshida, Toru*; Hasegawa, Yukihiro*; Okamoto, Koji; Aoki, Yuto; Ito, Rintaro; Yamaguchi, Takashi; et al.
Proceedings of Waste Management Symposia 2023 (WM2023) (Internet), 11 Pages, 2023/02
Segawa, Tomoomi; Kawaguchi, Koichi; Ishii, Katsunori; Suzuki, Masahiro; Tachihara, Joji; Takato, Kiyoto; Okita, Takatoshi; Satone, Hiroshi*; Suzuki, Michitaka*
Mechanical Engineering Journal (Internet), 8(3), p.21-00022_1 - 21-00022_9, 2021/06
To reduce the hold-up of the nuclear fuel materials in the glove box and the external exposure dose, the technology of the MOX powder adhesion prevention by the nanoparticle coating to the acrylic panels of the glove box has been developed. The surface analysis by means of atomic force microscopy (AFM) showed that the acrylic test piece surface coated with nanoparticles had a higher root mean square roughness value than that non-coated with nanoparticles. Due to the formation of nano-sized tiny rugged surface, the nanoparticle coating reduced the minimum adhesion force between the UO
particles and the acrylic test piece surface with the smallest particle size of about 5 
m where desorption was observed, by about one-tenth. Moreover, the nanoparticle coating reduced the amount of the MOX powder adhering to the acrylic test piece to about one-tenth. In this study, it was found that applying the nanoparticle coating to the acrylic panels of glove box can prevent the adhesion of nuclear fuel materials. This method is effective for reducing the hold-up of the nuclear fuel materials in the glove box, the external exposure dose and improving the visibility of the acrylic panels.
Segawa, Tomoomi; Kawaguchi, Koichi; Ishii, Katsunori; Suzuki, Masahiro; Fukasawa, Tomonori*; Fukui, Kunihiro*
Funtai Kogakkai-Shi, 57(9), p.485 - 494, 2020/09
In the spent fuel reprocessing process, a mixed solution of uranyl nitrate and plutonium nitrate is converted into mixed oxide powder by the microwave heating. To evaluate the applicability to the industrial-scale and acquire the characteristics data of the microwave heating denitration of various metal nitrate aqueous solutions based on the knowledge studied in the development of laboratory-scale basic experiments, the microwave heating characteristics and metal oxide powder properties were investigated using cerium nitrate, cobalt nitrate and copper nitrate aqueous solutions. The progress rate of the denitration reaction was depended on the position, and the denitration reaction proceeded faster at the periphery than at the center. The morphologies of the synthesized products were porous and hard dry solid with cerium nitrate aqueous solution, foamed dry solid with cobalt nitrate aqueous solution, and powdery particles with copper nitrate aqueous solution. The denitration ratio and average particle size of the synthesized products increased in the order of the cerium nitrate aqueous solution, the cobalt nitrate aqueous solution, and the copper nitrate aqueous solution. The numerical simulations revealed that the periphery of the bottom surface of the metal nitrate aqueous solution was heated by microwaves. This results consistent with the experimental results in which the denitration reaction started from the periphery of the metal nitrate aqueous solution.
Segawa, Tomoomi; Kawaguchi, Koichi; Ishii, Katsunori; Suzuki, Masahiro; Tachihara, Joji; Takato, Kiyoto; Okita, Takatoshi; Satone, Hiroshi*; Suzuki, Michitaka*
Proceedings of 2020 International Conference on Nuclear Engineering (ICONE 2020) (Internet), 6 Pages, 2020/08
To reduce the hold-up of the nuclear fuel materials in the glove box and the external exposure dose, the technology of the MOX powder adhesion prevention by the nanoparticle coating to the acrylic panels of the glove box has been developed. Due to the formation of nano-sized tiny rugged surface, the nanoparticle coating reduced the minimum adhesion force between the UO particles and the acrylic test piece surface with the smallest particle size of about 5 m where desorption was observed, by about one-tenth. Moreover, the nanoparticle coating reduced the amount of the MOX powder adhering to the acrylic test piece to about one-tenth. In this study, it was found that applying the nanoparticle coating to the acrylic panels of glove box can prevent the adhesion of nuclear fuel materials. This method is effective for reducing the hold-up of the nuclear fuel materials in the glove box, the external exposure dose and improving the visibility of the acrylic panels.
Segawa, Tomoomi; Kawaguchi, Koichi; Kato, Yoshiyuki; Ishii, Katsunori; Suzuki, Masahiro; Fujita, Shunya*; Kobayashi, Shohei*; Abe, Yutaka*; Kaneko, Akiko*; Yuasa, Tomohisa*
Proceedings of 2019 International Congress on Advances in Nuclear Power Plants (ICAPP 2019) (Internet), 9 Pages, 2019/05
A solution of plutonium nitrate and uranyl nitrate is converted into a mixed oxide by microwave heating denitration method. In the present study, for improving the efficiency of microwave heating and achieving high-temperature uniformity to produce homogeneous UO
powder, the microwave heating test of potassium chloride and uranyl nitrate solution, and numerical simulation analysis were conducted. The potassium chloride agar was adjusted to the dielectric loss, which is close to that of the uranyl nitrate solution and the optimum support table height was estimated to be 50 mm for denitration of the uranyl nitrate solution by microwave heating. The adiabator improved the efficiency of microwave heating denitration. Moreover, the powder yield was improved by using the adiabator owing to ease of scraping of the denitration product from the bottom of the denitration vessel.
Ishii, Katsunori; Segawa, Tomoomi; Kawaguchi, Koichi; Suzuki, Masahiro
Proceedings of 2019 International Congress on Advances in Nuclear Power Plants (ICAPP 2019) (Internet), 5 Pages, 2019/05
Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) is developing a simplified pelletizing process for MOX fuel fabrication. In this process, the flowability of MOX powder produced by de-nitration conversion based on microwave heating, calcination, and reduction is improved using the wet granulation method. In a previous paper, to produce MOX granules of appropriate sizes for pelletizing them effectively, we proposed a granulation system composed of a wet granulator and a sizing machine. In the present work, we modernized the wet granulator, completed the granulation system by adding auxiliary equipment, and conducted performance tests of the granulation system with WO powder. The results of a performance test indicated that it is possible to convert raw powder into granules characterized by appropriate size and excellent flowability. The time required to process 5 kg of WO powder was about 70 min, which almost satisfies the target time.
Segawa, Tomoomi; Fukasawa, Tomonori*; Huang, A.-N.*; Yamada, Yoshikazu; Suzuki, Masahiro; Fukui, Kunihiro*
Chemical Engineering Science, 153, p.108 - 116, 2016/10
Times Cited Count：7 Percentile：26.49(Engineering, Chemical)The influence of the heating method and rate on the morphology of CuO powders synthesized from Cu(NO)
3HO aqueous solutions by denitration was investigated. The median diameter of the obtained powder was found to decrease as the heating rate increased, independent of the heating method. The microwave heating method remarkably reduced the particle size and enhanced the irregularity and disorder of the shape and surface of the particles, which were found to be more widely distributed. In contrast, the microwave hybrid heating method yielded the most spherical particles with the smoothest surface. It was also found that this heating method sharpened the particle size distribution and had higher energy efficiency than the MW method. Numerical simulations also indicated a difference in the energy efficiency between these two methods. The simulations also revealed that the hybrid method could heat the whole reactor more uniformly with a lower microwave output.
Segawa, Tomoomi; Fukasawa, Tomonori*; Yamada, Yoshikazu; Suzuki, Masahiro; Yoshida, Hideto*; Fukui, Kunihiro*
Proceedings of Asian Pacific Confederation of Chemical Engineering 2015 (APCChE 2015), 8 Pages, 2015/09
A mixed solution of uranyl nitrate and plutonium nitrate is converted to MOX raw powder by the microwave heating de-nitration method in nuclear reprocessing. Copper oxide synthesized by heating de-nitration was used as a model for the de-nitration process. The microwave heating method (MW) and infrared heating method (IR) were used, and how they and their heating rate influence the obtained particle morphology and size were investigated. The particles obtained by the MW and IR were sufficiently similar in the surface morphology and the mass median diameter was decreased by the increased heating rate. The mass median diameters by the MW were the heating rate and smaller than those obtained by IR. The particle size distribution of the particle obtained by the MW was broader than that by the IR. The relationship of the temperature distribution and particle size distribution by the MW was discussed by the numerical simulation.
Segawa, Tomoomi; Kawaguchi, Koichi; Ishii, Katsunori; Suzuki, Masahiro; Arimitsu, Naoki*; Yoshida, Hideto*; Fukui, Kunihiro*
Advanced Powder Technology, 26(3), p.983 - 990, 2015/05
Times Cited Count：8 Percentile：27.86(Engineering, Chemical)Denitration of the aqueous solution of nickel nitrate hexahydrate (Ni(NO)6HO) by a microwave heating method was investigated. Since Ni(NO)6HO aqueous solution cannot be heated to over 300 
C by microwave irradiation owing to the low microwave absorptivity of its intermediate, NiO could not previously be obtained by microwave heating. We propose a novel NiO synthesis method that uses microwave heating without the risk of chemical contamination. A NiO powder reagent was added to the solution as a microwave acceptor. The denitration efficiency to NiO could be improved by an adiabator around the reactor to increase the temperature homogeneity in the reactor. Numerical simulations also reveal that the use of the adiabator results in remarkable changes in the electromagnetic field distribution in the reactor, temperature inhomogeneity decreases.
Imai, Suguru*; Taguchi, Kenji*; Kashiwa, Tatsuya*; Kitazawa, Toshihide*; Kato, Yoshiyuki; Segawa, Tomoomi; Suzuki, Masahiro
Denki Gakkai Rombunshi, A, 133(5), p.271 - 272, 2013/05
As a part of the nuclear fuel cycle in Japan, the mixed oxide (MOX) fuels are produced through the microwave heating of the Pu/U mixed nitrate solution obtained from spent fuels. In this work, we investigate the effect of a spacer between the bottom of cavity and solution dish in microwave oven cavity to heat unifomly Pu/U mixed nitrate solution for making MOX fuels. As a result, we show the effectiveness of inserting the spacer for a uniform heating of the solution by evaluating the top-to-bottom ratio.
Fukui, Kunihiro*; Igawa, Yusuke*; Arimitsu, Naoki*; Suzuki, Masahiro; Segawa, Tomoomi; Fujii, Kanichi*; Yamamoto, Tetsuya*; Yoshida, Hideto*
Chemical Engineering Journal, 211-212, p.1 - 8, 2012/11
Times Cited Count：13 Percentile：41.13(Engineering, Environmental)The process for synthesizing metallic oxide powders by the microwave denitration method was investigated using hexahydrated nickel nitrate and trihydrated copper nitrate aqueous solutions, and the electrical field and the temperature distributions in the reactor were numerically simulated. Although CuO powder can be obtained from a trihydrated copper nitrate aqueous solution by the microwave denitration method, a hexahydrated nickel nitrate aqueous solution cannot be heated up to over 270 C by microwave irradiation. It was also found that the reaction routes for microwave heating are the same as those for conventional external heating. This finding indicates that the success of producing oxide particles by microwave denitration depends not only on the microwave absorptivity of the intermediate and the metallic oxide, but also on the temperature difference.
Imai, Suguru*; Nakajima, Yuki*; Taguchi, Kenji*; Kashiwa, Tatsuya*; Kitazawa, Toshihide*; Suzuki, Masahiro; Segawa, Tomoomi; Fujii, Kanichi
Proceedings of 2011 International Symposium on Antennas and Propagation (ISAP 2011) (USB Flash Drive), 4 Pages, 2011/10
As a part of the nuclear fuel cycle in Japan, the mixed oxide (MOX) fuels are produced through the microwave heating of the Pu/U mixed nitrate solution obtained from spent fuels. This paper investigated the electric power absorption of the solid Pu/U mixed nitrate medium in a cylindrical oven cavity and the effect of the input polarized waves. The numerical simulations have revealed that the incidence of the circularly polarized wave improves the uniformity of the absorbed power of the medium placed in the cylindrical cavity.
Kurita, Tsutomu; Kato, Yoshiyuki; Yoshimoto, Katsunobu; Suzuki, Masahiro; Kihara, Yoshiyuki; Fujii, Kanichi
Proceedings of International Conference on Advanced Nuclear Fuel Cycle; Sustainable Options & Industrial Perspectives (Global 2009) (CD-ROM), p.94 - 102, 2009/09
With regard to advanced MOX fuel fabrication, a new concept in which one vessel especially designed to meet microwave de-nitration is utilized also for crushing and for granulation, without organic lubricant nor powder transfer across the processes, was introduced for innovative MOX powder production. In order to realize this concept, two attempts were made: A specially designed three blade impeller coupled with auxiliary blade. A uniquely shaped mixing blade coupled with an auxiliary blade having auto-orbital hybrid rotation. The mixing blade promotes the growth of particles, whereas the auxiliary blade suppresses the overgrowth by chopping larger particles. These granulators use a little water as binder. As a result, major diameter of granule 400-1000 micron and flow-ability 82-85 was obtained with fine WO model powder. Therefore, a prospect to satisfy both desirable powder properties and simplified nuclear material production was opened, as well as improvement of working efficiency and cut down on costs.
Ishii, Katsunori; Suzuki, Masahiro; Yamamoto, Takuma; Kihara, Yoshiyuki; Kato, Yoshiyuki; Kurita, Tsutomu; Yoshimoto, Katsunobu; Yasuda, Masatoshi*; Matsusaka, Shuji*
Journal of Chemical Engineering of Japan, 42(5), p.319 - 324, 2009/05
Times Cited Count：7 Percentile：29.75(Engineering, Chemical)The flowability of coarse particles has been experimentally investigated using the vibrating tube method, to evaluate the applicability of this method to MOX (mixed oxide of PuO and UO) particles which are nuclear fuel used for electric power production. Five sizes of non-radioactive model particles, smaller than 850 micrometers, made of ZrO were prepared, and the experiments were carried out using vibrating tubes with an outlet diameter from 2 to 4 mm. The outlet diameter significantly affected the flowability measurements. When using the tube with a 4-mm-outlet diameter, the flowability of all the model particles was successfully measured. The inclination angle of the tube, also, affected the flowability measurements. From the advantages of high sensitivity, short measurement time, simple structure, and easy operation, the vibrating tube method is expected to be applied to the remote flowability measurement of the MOX particles.
Mizuta, Shunji; Chikazawa, Yoshitaka; Washiya, Tadahiro; Suzuki, Masahiro
Nihon Genshiryoku Gakkai-Shi ATOMO
, 50(10), p.624 - 629, 2008/10
no abstracts in English
Suzuki, Masahiro; Ishii, Katsunori; Yamamoto, Takuma; Kihara, Yoshiyuki; Kato, Yoshiyuki; Kurita, Tsutomu; Yoshimoto, Katsunobu; Fujii, Kanichi
Proceedings of Global Congress on Microwave Energy Applications (GCMEA 2008/MAJIC 1st), p.501 - 504, 2008/08
The natural resources, oil and uranium, would dry up around the midway of this century. FBR cycle most probably rescues this difficult situation. Mass production of MOX fuel for FBR, therefore, is the supreme subject to Japanese energy strategy. For this subject, we are attacking with Microwave heating technology. Up to present, we have succeeded to produce excellent PuO/UO bulk, 2 kgMOX/batch, advancing toward the mass production target, 5 kgU/h for one batch.
Ishii, Katsunori; Suzuki, Masahiro; Yamamoto, Takuma; Kihara, Yoshiyuki; Yasuda, Masatoshi*; Matsusaka, Shuji*
Funtai Kogakkai-Shi, 45(5), p.290 - 296, 2008/05
Particle flowability test using a vibrating tube with a tapered end was carried out to evaluate the applicability of this method to the analysis of MOX particles for nuclear fuel pellet fabrication. In this experiment, zirconia particles were used as model particles, which are less than several hundred micrometers in diameter. The sample particles were prepared by mixing the particles with different sizes, whose shape and surface state were changed by a mechanical treatment. The experimental results showed that the removal of smaller particles is more effective than the mechanical surface treatment to improve the flowability. Furthermore, it was found that the vibrating tube method can identify the difference of the particle flowability more easily and clearly than the method based on Carr's flowability index.
Ishii, Katsunori; Suzuki, Masahiro; Kihara, Yoshiyuki; Fujii, Kanichi*
Funtai Kogakkai-Shi, 42(7), p.472 - 477, 2005/00
To optimize sphere-pac fuel pin fabrication process, internal structure of fuel pin under small particles infiltration process was observed by micro focus X-ray CT system. Some small particles block the space among large particles. Small particles arrive at the bottom of fuel column, and fill the space among large particles, and form completed packing layer. Sphere-pac process progresses with growth of the layer from bottom to top of the column. A unique layer is formed around the top of fuel column shot time after starting vibration. Small particles completely intrude between large particles and pin wall in the layer. The structure never changes after completion of small particles infiltration process. The formation of the unique layer can be qualitatively explained by simulation.
Morihira, Masayuki; Ozawa, Takayuki; ; Suzuki, Masahiro; Shigetome, Yoshiaki; Kihara, Yoshiyuki; Kono, Shusaku
JNC TN8400 2004-014, 193 Pages, 2004/07
JNC-TN8400-2004-014.pdf:24.52MB
The collaboration project concerning sphere-pac fuel among JNC, Swiss PSI (Paul Scherrer Institut) and Dutch NRG (Nuclear Research and Consultancy Group) is in progress.Final target of the project is comparative irradiation tests of Sphere-pac fuel in the HFR (High Flux Reactor) in Petten in the Netherlands with pellet type fuel and vipack fuel. Total 16 fuel segments (8 pins) of these three types of fuel are planned to be irradiated. Two sphere-pac fuel segments contain 5%Np in addition to 20%Pu-MOX. Other segments contain no Np. Fabrication of irradiation test pins was completed till May 2003 in PSI. After transportation of the fuel pins to Petten, two times of irradiation were performed in January to March in 2004 and now post irradiation tests are in progress. Later two irradiations will be done till the autumn in 2004.This report summarized the basic plan, fuel design, and fabrication of irradiation test pins concerning this collaboration project.
