Radiation exposure and oxidative stress status of wild Japanese macaques in the ex-evacuation zone of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident

Ishikawa, Ryoya*; Suzuki, Masatoshi*; Kino, Yasushi*; Endo, Satoru*; Nakajima, Hiroo*; Oka, Toshitaka; Takahashi, Atsushi*; Shimizu, Yoshinaka*; Suzuki, Toshihiko*; Shinoda, Hisashi*; et al.

KEK Proceedings 2022-2, p.61 - 66, 2022/11

The balance between oxidative stress and antioxidant activity, which is a defense mechanism against oxidative stress, was investigated in the liver and bladder of wild Japanese macaques captured in Fukushima Prefecture. No significant induction of oxidative stress by exposure to environmental radionuclides after the Fukushima nuclear accident was observed, suggesting that the stress defense mechanism of the organism is activated in some organs.

Design for detecting recycling muon after muon-catalyzed fusion reaction in solid hydrogen isotope target

Okutsu, Kenichi*; Yamashita, Takuma*; Kino, Yasushi*; Nakashima, Ryota*; Miyashita, Konan*; Yasuda, Kazuhiro*; Okada, Shinji*; Sato, Motoyasu*; Oka, Toshitaka; Kawamura, Naritoshi*; et al.

Fusion Engineering and Design, 170, p.112712_1 - 112712_4, 2021/09

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fusengdes.2021.112712

A muonic molecule which consists of two hydrogen isotope nuclei (deuteron (d) or tritium (t)) and a muon decays immediately via nuclear fusion and the muon will be released as a recycling muon, and start to find another hydrogen isotope nucleus. The reaction cycle continues until the muon ends up its lifetime of 2.2 s. Since the muon does not participate in the nuclear reaction, the reaction is so called a muon catalyzed fusion (CF). The recycling muon has a particular kinetic energy (KE) of the muon molecular orbital when the nuclear reaction occurs. Since the KE is based on the unified atom limit where distance between two nuclei is zero. A precise few-body calculation estimating KE distribution (KED) is also in progress, which could be compared with the experimental results. In the present work, we observed recycling muons after CF reaction.

Dynamical response of transition-edge sensor microcalorimeters to a pulsed charged-particle beam

Okumura, Takuma*; Azuma, Toshiyuki*; Bennet, D. A.*; Caradonna, P.*; Chiu, I.-H.*; Doriese, W. B.*; Durkin, M. S.*; Fowler, J. W.*; Gard, J. D.*; Hashimoto, Tadashi; et al.

IEEE Transactions on Applied Superconductivity, 31(5), p.2101704_1 - 2101704_4, 2021/08

https://doi.org/10.1109/TASC.2021.3067793

A superconducting transition-edge sensor (TES) microcalorimeter is an ideal X-ray detector for experiments at accelerator facilities because of good energy resolution and high efficiency. To study the performance of the TES detector with a high-intensity pulsed charged-particle beam, we measured X-ray spectra with a pulsed muon beam at the Japan Proton Accelerator Research Complex (J-PARC) in Japan. We found substantial temporal shifts of the X-ray energy correlated with the arrival time of the pulsed muon beam, which was reasonably explained by pulse pileup due to the incidence of energetic particles from the initial pulsed beam.

Development of dry rework technology in MOX fuel fabrication process; Selection and characterization of pulverizer for particle size adjustment of dry recycled powder

Yamamoto, Kazuya; Makino, Takayoshi; Iso, Hidetoshi; Segawa, Tomoomi; Kawaguchi, Koichi; Ishii, Katsunori

JAEA-Technology 2021-002, 31 Pages, 2021/05

JAEA-Technology-2021-002.pdf:4.37MB

In the MOX fuel fabrication process, a dry recycle technology has been developed to effectively utilize dry recovered powder obtained by crushing out of specification MOX pellets. The particle size of the dry recovery powder is divided into three classes; coarse size (about 250 m or less), medium size (about 100 m or less), and fine size (about 10 m or less) by the current crushers, and the effect of controlling the density of sintered pellets is obtained to a certain extent by adding the dry recovered powder to the raw powder. In this report, with the aim of more finely adjusting the particle size of the dry recovery powder, a buhrstone mill and a collision plate-type jet mill were selected as grinders that can adjust the dry recovered powder within a particle size range of 250 m or less, and the particle size adjustment test was conducted to pulverize the tungsten-carbide-cobalt (WC-Co) pellets as a simulated material for the MOX pellets. The buhrstone mill can control the particle size within a certain range by adjusting the grindstone clearance, but particles with a particle size of 250 m or more may be discharged. On the contrary, it is expected that the particle size of the collision plate-type jet mill can be controlled in the range of 250 m or less by adjusting the classification zone clearance. Therefore, the collision plate-type jet mill is more suitable for adjusting the particle size of the dry recovered powder than the buhrstone mill.

The Evaluation of the properties of the collision-plate-type jet mill for dry recycling of MOX powder

Kawaguchi, Koichi; Segawa, Tomoomi; Yamamoto, Kazuya; Makino, Takayoshi; Iso, Hidetoshi; Ishii, Katsunori

Funtai Kogakkai-Shi, 57(9), p.478 - 484, 2020/09

https://doi.org/10.4164/sptj.57.478

A collision plate type jet mill is assumed to be a pulverizer that can control the particle size for nuclear fuel fabrication. The collision plate type jet mill consists of two modules, a classifier and a mill chamber. Coarse component of powder is cycled in the equipment and finally pulverized into objective particle size. In this report, simulated crushed powders were classified and pulverized step by step, and particle size distribution were compared. The collision plate type jet mil can produce objective size particles with low overgrinding.

Application of modified REFIT code for J-PARC/MLF to evaluation of neutron capture cross section on Gd

Mizuyama, Kazuhito; Iwamoto, Nobuyuki; Iwamoto, Osamu; Hasemi, Hiroyuki*; Kino, Koichi*; Kimura, Atsushi; Kiyanagi, Yoshiaki*

EPJ Web of Conferences, 146, p.11042_1 - 11042_4, 2017/09

https://doi.org/10.1051/epjconf/201714611042

Gadolinium has been used as neutron-absorbing material in a thermal reactor since have large thermal neutron capture cross sections. Nevertheless, there is a discrepancy between RPI data and JENDL-4.0 data for Gd. The criticality in the reactor is very sensitive to the capture cross section. The RPI data made the criticality of Gd-loaded thermal systems in ICSBEP overestimated. Recently, the neutron capture cross sections of Gd were measured by the neutron time-of-flight (TOF) method using the Accurate Neutron-Nucleus Reaction measurement Instrument (ANNRI) in the J-PARC/MLF. The pulsed neutron beam from the Japan Spallation Neutron Source (JSNS) was used with a double-bunch structure in this measurement, since the incident proton beam is normally delivered in a double-bunch scheme in the J-PARC. In addition to this, it is necessary to take into account the energy resolution of the pulsed neutron beam at the JSNS for the accurate derivation of resolved resonance parameters. In this study, using the least-squares multilevel R-matrix code REFIT modified to include the double bunch structure and the resolution function for the ANNRI, we fitted the calculated capture cross sections of Gd to the experimental data at the ANNRI. We derived the resonance parameters for some low-lying resonances of the two Gd isotopes.

Operator's contribution on the improvement of RII scheme against the process operation at PCDF

Nakamura, Hironobu; Shimizu, Yasuyuki; Makino, Risa; Mukai, Yasunobu; Ishiyama, Koichi; Kurita, Tsutomu; Ikeda, Atsushi*; Yamaguchi, Katsuhiro*

Proceedings of INMM 57th Annual Meeting (Internet), 9 Pages, 2016/07

Regarding the Integrated Safeguards (IS) in Japan, the implementation of IS has been started on September 2004, and the concept has been introduced to the JNC-1 facilities since August 2008. Then, random interim inspection with short notice and reducing person-days of inspection (PDI) was introduced instead of traditional scheduled IIV in order to improve deterrence of the nuclear material diversion with timeliness goal. And it was agreed that it should be evaluated and reviewed because RII was designed when inter-campaign. In JAEA, we decided to restart PCDF campaign to reduce potential safety risks of reprocessing facilities. To adopt the RII scheme to the process operation in campaign, JAEA proposed a new scheme to JSGO and IAEA without increasing PDI and reducing detection probability. As a result of the discussion, it was agreed and successfully introduced since March 2014. The new scheme for PCDF consists of scheduled inspection (fixed-day RII), reduction of estimated material for the verification, implementation of remote monitoring with data provision, improvement of operational status check list, introduction of NRTA and MC&A data declaration with timeliness. Though the operator's workloads for information provision were increased, we could manage to balance IS requirement with implementation of our operation successfully. This contribution was helped to safeguards implementation and our operation for 2 years.

Radiation response of silicon carbide metal-oxide-semiconductor transistors in high dose region

Oshima, Takeshi; Yokoseki, Takashi; Murata, Koichi; Matsuda, Takuma; Mitomo, Satoshi; Abe, Hiroshi; Makino, Takahiro; Onoda, Shinobu; Hijikata, Yasuto*; Tanaka, Yuki*; et al.

Japanese Journal of Applied Physics, 55(1S), p.01AD01_1 - 01AD01_4, 2016/01

https://doi.org/10.7567/JJAP.55.01AD01

A Development of super radiation-hardened power electronics using silicon carbide semiconductors; Toward MGy-class radiation resistivity

Hijikata, Yasuto*; Mitomo, Satoshi*; Matsuda, Takuma*; Murata, Koichi*; Yokoseki, Takashi*; Makino, Takahiro; Takeyama, Akinori; Onoda, Shinobu; Okubo, Shuichi*; Tanaka, Yuki*; et al.

Proceedings of 11th International Workshop on Radiation Effects on Semiconductor Devices for Space Applications (RASEDA-11) (Internet), p.130 - 133, 2015/11

Enhancement of the methodology of repository design and post-closure performance assessment for preliminary investigation stage, 3; Progress report on NUMO-JAEA collaborative research in FY2013 (Joint research)

Shibata, Masahiro; Sawada, Atsushi; Tachi, Yukio; Makino, Hitoshi; Wakasugi, Keiichiro; Mitsui, Seiichiro; Kitamura, Akira; Yoshikawa, Hideki; Oda, Chie; Ishidera, Takamitsu; et al.

JAEA-Research 2014-030, 457 Pages, 2015/03

JAEA-Research-2014-030.pdf:199.23MB

JAEA and NUMO have conducted a collaborative research work which is designed to enhance the methodology of repository design and post-closure performance assessment in preliminary investigation stage. With regard to (1) study on rock suitability in terms of hydrology, based on some examples of developing method of hydro-geological structure model, acquired knowledge are arranged using the tree diagram, and model uncertainty and its influence on the evaluation items were discussed. With regard to (2) study on scenario development, the developed approach for "defining conditions" has been reevaluated and improved from practical viewpoints. In addition, the uncertainty evaluation for the effect of use of cementitious material, as well as glass dissolution model, was conducted with analytical evaluation. With regard to (3) study on setting radionuclide migration parameters, based on survey of precedent procedures, multiple-approach for distribution coefficient of rocks was established, and the adequacy of the approach was confirmed though its application to sedimentary rock and granitic rock. Besides, an approach for solubility setting was developed including the procedure of selection of solubility limiting solid phase. The adequacy of the approach was confirmed though its application to key radionuclides.