Historical changes and Correspondence to Research and Test Reactors New Regulatory Standards for Monitoring Post in Oarai Research and Development Institute, JAEA

Hamaguchi, Takumi; Yamada, Junya; Komatsuzaki, Naoya*; Hatakeyama, Takumi; Seya, Natsumi; Muto, Yasunobu; Miyauchi, Hideaki; Hashimoto, Makoto

JAEA-Technology 2022-038, 65 Pages, 2023/03

JAEA-Technology-2022-038.pdf:4.3MB

New regulatory requirements were developed taking into account the lessons-learnt from the accident at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station on March 2011. The new regulatory standards required that monitoring posts should be diversified in transmission systems and equipped with backup power supply equipment for design basis accidents. In this report, we look back on the history of monitoring posts in Oarai Research and Development Institute, explained the application for the permission of reactor installment license, application for approval of the design and construction method, pre-use operator's inspection and improvement design of monitoring posts. This report also includes about inspection based on act on special measures concerning nuclear emergency preparedness and the installation of KURAMA-II, which was carried out in conjunction with the improvement of monitoring post for new regulatory standards. As an appendix, application document for approval of the design and construction method are included.

Manufacture of substitutive assemblies for MONJU reactor decommissioning

Sakakibara, Hiroshi; Aoki, Nobuhiro; Muto, Masahiro; Otabe, Jun; Takahashi, Kenji*; Fujita, Naoyuki*; Hiyama, Kazuhiko*; Suzuki, Hirokazu*; Kamogawa, Toshiyuki*; Yokosuka, Toru*; et al.

JAEA-Technology 2020-020, 73 Pages, 2021/03

JAEA-Technology-2020-020.pdf:8.26MB

The decommissioning is currently in progress at the prototype fast breeder reactor Monju. Fuel assemblies will be taken out of its core for the first step of the great task. Fuel assemblies stand on their own spike plugged into a socket on the core support plate and support with adjacent assemblies through their housing pads each other, resulting in steady core structure. For this reason, some substitutive assemblies are necessary for the purpose of discharging the fuel assemblies of the core. Monju side commissioned, therefore, Plutonium Fuel Development Center to manufacture the substitutive assemblies and the Center accepted it. This report gives descriptions of design, manufacture, and shipment in regard to the substitutive assemblies.

Effectiveness of decontamination by litter removal in Japanese forest ecosystems affected by the Fukushima nuclear accident

Koarashi, Jun; Atarashi-Andoh, Mariko; Nishimura, Shusaku; Muto, Kotomi*

Scientific Reports (Internet), 10(1), p.6614_1 - 6614_11, 2020/04

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-63520-8

We conducted a pilot-scale decontamination study in a deciduous broadleaved forest in Fukushima. The entire forest, other than two untreated areas, was decontaminated by removing the litter layer approximately 3.3 years after the accident. For three years after decontamination, we quantified Cs contamination levels in the litter and topsoil layers and in the tree leaves, in the untreated and decontaminated areas. The decreased inventories of litter-associated Cs in the decontaminated areas were observed only in the first year after decontamination. Generally, no decontamination effects were observed on the Cs transfer in tree leaves. The primary reason for this was the rapid shift in the main reservoir of Cs from litter layers to the underlying mineral soil, which differs from the observations in post-Chernobyl studies of European forest ecosystems. The results suggest that litter-removal decontamination can only be successful if it is implemented more quickly for Japanese forest ecosystems.

A New perspective on the Cs retention mechanism in surface soils during the early stage after the Fukushima nuclear accident

Koarashi, Jun; Nishimura, Shusaku; Atarashi-Andoh, Mariko; Muto, Kotomi; Matsunaga, Takeshi*

Scientific Reports (Internet), 9, p.7034_1 - 7034_10, 2019/05

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-43499-7

The aim of the present study is to explore the retention mechanisms of Cs in the surface soil layers of terrestrial ecosystems affected by the Fukushima NPP accident, with a specific focus on the interactions between Cs, soil minerals, and organic matter. Soil samples were collected from field, orchard, and forest sites in July 2011, separated into three soil fractions with different mineral-organic interaction characteristics. The results show that 20-71% of the Cs was retained in association with relatively mineral-free, particulate organic matter-dominant fractions in the orchard and forest surface soil layers. Given the physicochemical and mineralogical properties and the Cs extractability of the soils, Cs incorporation into the complex structure of particulate organic matter is likely the main mechanism for Cs retention in the surface soil layers.

Enhancement of oxidation tolerance of graphite materials for high temperature gas-cooled reactor

Mizuta, Naoki; Sumita, Junya; Shibata, Taiju; Osaki, Takashi*; Kato, Hideki*; Izawa, Shoichi*; Muto, Takenori*; Gizatulin, S.*; Sakaba, Nariaki

Tanso Zairyo Kagaku No Shinten; Nihon Gakutsu Shinkokai Dai-117-Iinkai 70-Shunen Kinen-Shi, p.161 - 166, 2018/10

To enhance oxidation resistance of graphite material for in-core components of HTGR, JAEA and four Japanese graphite companies; Toyo Tanso, IBIDEN, Tokai Carbon and Nippon Techno-Carbon, are carrying out for development of oxidation-resistant graphite by CVD-SiC coating. This paper describes the outline of neutron irradiation test about the oxidation-resistant graphite by WWR-K reactor of INP, Kazakhstan through an ISTC partner project. Prior to the irradiation test, the oxidation-resistant graphite by CVD-SiC coating of all specimens showed enough oxidation resistance under un-irradiation condition. The neutron irradiation test was already completed and out-of-pile oxidation test will be carried out at the hot-laboratory of WWR-K.

Improvement of estimation of I concentrations in the air using data measured by monitoring posts applied by determination of passing-through time of plume using noble gas counts

Yamada, Junya; Hashimoto, Makoto; Seya, Natsumi; Haba, Risa; Muto, Yasunobu; Shimizu, Takehiko; Takasaki, Koji; Yokoyama, Sumi*; Shimo, Michikuni*

Hoken Butsuri, 52(1), p.5 - 12, 2017/03

https://doi.org/10.5453/jhps.52.5

The purpose of this study is to improve a quick method for estimation of I concentrations in the air using data measured by monitoring posts in case that a nuclear disaster occurs. In this method, I concentrations were estimated by multiplying I count rates of cloud-shine measured with NaI (Tl) detector by concentration conversion factor. A previous study suggested that it was difficult to determine passing-through time of plume from temporal change of I count rates or dose rate. Our study applies the method for estimating passing-through time of plume from temporal change of noble gas counts. The I concentrations in the air at Oarai center, Japan Atomic Energy Agency resulting from the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant were estimated by proposal technique. The result of comparison of this method with sampling method for I concentrations in the air were within factor 3.

Year-round variations in the fluvial transport load of particulate Cs in a forested catchment affected by the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident

Matsunaga, Takeshi; Nakanishi, Takahiro; Atarashi-Andoh, Mariko; Takeuchi, Erina; Muto, Kotomi; Tsuzuki, Katsunori; Nishimura, Shusaku; Koarashi, Jun; Otosaka, Shigeyoshi; Sato, Tsutomu*; et al.

Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry, 310(2), p.679 - 693, 2016/11

AA2015-0821.pdf:3.78MB

https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-016-4840-3

Particulate Cs in stream water was collected continuously for two years in order to assess the long-term trend of the Cs discharge from the forest environment. Sampling was conducted from December 2011 to December 2013 in a mountainous stream, which received the Cs from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident. A seasonal increase in fluvial transport load of particulate Cs associated with suspended solids (SS) was observed in August and September when rainfall was abundant. The particulate Cs concentration decreased at a faster rate than the rate due to radioactive decay. This decrease might be resulted from redistribution of the easily eroded and polluted soil surface due to heavy rain events such as typhoons. These findings indicate that the particulate Cs load was subject to the inter-annual variations in rainfalls, and decreased gradually over a long period of time due to a decrease in Cs concentration in SS.

Calculation of conversion factor for estimation of I concentrations in the air from pulse-height distribution observed by NaI(Tl) detector in monitoring posts

Yamada, Junya; Hashimoto, Makoto; Seya, Natsumi; Haba, Risa; Muto, Yasunobu; Shimizu, Takehiko; Takasaki, Koji; Yokoyama, Sumi*; Shimo, Michikuni*

Radioisotopes, 65(10), p.403 - 408, 2016/10

https://doi.org/10.3769/radioisotopes.65.403

The purpose of this study is to develop a quick method for estimation of I concentrations in the air using data measured by monitoring posts. In this method, I concentrations were estimated by multiplying I count rates at the full-energy peak measured with a NaI(Tl) detector by a concentration conversion factor. The concentration conversion factor for monitoring posts in JAEA Oarai Center was calculated with an EGS5 Monte Carlo code. As a result, the concentration conversion factor for an infinite-air-source was 25.7 Bq/m/cps.

Irradiation test plan of oxidation-resistant graphite in WWR-K research reactor

Sumita, Junya; Shibata, Taiju; Sakaba, Nariaki; Osaki, Hiroki*; Kato, Hideki*; Fujitsuka, Kunihiro*; Muto, Takenori*; Gizatulin, S.*; Shaimerdenov, A.*; Dyussambayev, D.*; et al.

Proceedings of 7th International Topical Meeting on High Temperature Reactor Technology (HTR 2014) (USB Flash Drive), 7 Pages, 2014/10

Graphite materials are used for the in-core components of High Temperature Gas-cooled Reactor(HTGR)which is a graphite-moderated and helium gas-cooled reactor. In the case of air ingress accident in HTGR, SiO protective layer is formed on the surface of SiC layer in TRISO CFP and oxidation of SiC does not proceed and fission products are retained inside the fuel particle. A new safety concept for the HTGR, called Naturally Safe HTGR, has been recently proposed. To enhance the safety of Naturally Safe HTGR ultimately, it is expected that oxidation-resistant graphite is used for graphite components to prevent the TRISO CFPs and fuel compacts from failure. SiC coating is one of candidate methods for oxidation-resistant graphite. JAEA and four graphite companies launched R&Ds to develop the oxidation-resistant graphite and the International Science and Technology Center(ISTC) partner project with JAEA and INP was launched to investigate the irradiation effects on the oxidation-resistant graphite. To determine grades of the oxidation-resistant graphite which will be adopted as irradiation test, a preliminary oxidation test was carried out. This paper described the results of the preliminary oxidation test, the plan of out-of-pile test, irradiation test and post-irradiation test(PIE)of the oxidation-resistant graphite.

Environmental radiation monitoring resulting from the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, conducted by Oarai Research and Development Center, JAEA; Results of ambient gamma-ray dose rate, atmospheric radioactivity and meteorological observation

Yamada, Junya; Seya, Natsumi; Haba, Risa; Muto, Yasunobu; Numari, Hideyuki*; Sato, Naomitsu*; Nemoto, Koji*; Takasaki, Hiroichi*; Shimizu, Takehiko; Takasaki, Koji

JAEA-Data/Code 2013-006, 100 Pages, 2013/06

JAEA-Data-Code-2013-006.pdf:12.04MB

This report presents the results of emergency radiation monitoring, including ambient -ray dose rate, atmospheric radioactivity, meteorological observation and estimation of internal exposure resulting from the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant triggered by the earthquake off the pacific coast of Tohoku on 11th March 2011, conducted by Oarai Research and Development Center (ORDC), Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) from March to May, 2011. ORDC is located in the central part of Ibaraki prefecture and approximately 130 km southwest of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. From around 15th to 21st March, 2011, the ambient -ray dose rate increased and many radioactive nuclides were detected in the atmosphere.