Feasibility study on burnable poison credit concept to HTGR fuel fabrication from core specification perspective

Fukaya, Yuji; Ueta, Shohei; Goto, Minoru; Ohashi, Hirofumi

Annals of Nuclear Energy, 151( ), p.107937_1 - 107937_9, 2021/02

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anucene.2020.107937

Feasibility study on Burnable Poison (BP) credit concept to High Temperature Gas-cooled Reactor (HTGR) fuel fabrication has been performed. By mixing BP into fuel material in the first place of fuel fabrication, criticality safety is ensured in the all fuel fabrication process even with high enrichment fuel such as 14 wt% used in commercial HTGR. However, the poison effect also prevents the criticality even in the HTGR core, and it may shorten cycle length and achievable burn-up of the core. Therefore, the effect is evaluated by whole core burn-up calculation. As a BP, boron, gadolinium, erbium, and hafnium are investigated. As a result, it is found that boron and gadolinium suit this concept and the 14 wt% fuel can be fabricated in the plant fabricating 9.9 wt% High Temperature engineering Test Reactor (HTTR) fuel. With the boron and gadolinium, the commercial HTGR fuel can be fabricated with the safety measure as same as Light Water Reactor (LWR) fuel facility to treat the fuel with the enrichment up to 5 wt%. Especially, gadolinium is significantly suitable to this concept due to the dependency to spectrum, and more enhanced safety measure is feasible as well.

Leaching characteristics of Cs for forest floor affected by the Fukushima nuclear accident; A Litterbag experiment

Sakuma, Kazuyuki; Yoshimura, Kazuya; Nakanishi, Takahiro

Chemosphere, 264, p.128480_1 - 128480_9, 2021/02

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2020.128480

We investigated characteristic of dissolved Cs leaching from litters collected at a coniforest needle and a deciduous broadleaf forests using litterbags at upstream area of Ohta River in Fukushima. Each leaf type of litters was collected into 36 litterbags, respectively, and installed each forest floor in June and December, 2017. Triplicate samples were collected at each forest floor and readily transported to the laboratory in August, December, 2017 and March, May, August, December, 2018. Samples were put in buckets and soaked in purified water. We took leaching water samples from the buckets at 20 min, 140 min, 1 day after soaking litter samples in the water. These samples were analysed about Cs activity. The main results were that the deciduous broadleaf litter showed much higher leaching ratio of dissolved Cs (0.81-6.6%) than that of the coniferous needle litter (0.13-2.0%). A multi-regression analysis of Cs leaching ratios were conducted against antecedent mean precipitation and temperature, and accumulated temperature during the litterbag experiments. The model can reproduce observed Cs leaching ratios (R = 0.61-0.99).

Numerical simulation of heat transfer behavior in EAGLE ID1 in-pile test using finite volume particle method

Zhang, T.*; Funakoshi, Kanji*; Liu, X.*; Liu, W.*; Morita, Koji*; Kamiyama, Kenji

Annals of Nuclear Energy, 150, p.107856_1 - 107856_10, 2021/01

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anucene.2020.107856

XAFS analysis of ruthenium in simulated iron phosphate radioactive waste glass

Okamoto, Yoshihiro; Kobayashi, Hidekazu; Shiwaku, Hideaki; Sasage, Kenichi; Hatakeyama, Kiyoshi*; Nagai, Takayuki

Journal of Non-Crystalline Solids, 551, p.120393_1 - 120393_8, 2021/01

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnoncrysol.2020.120393

The chemical state of ruthenium in simulated iron phosphate radioactive waste glass was investigated by conventional X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) and imaging XAFS analyses. The EXAFS analysis suggested that ruthenium was contained as glass phase when content of the waste components was less than 10wt.% in 30 mol%FeO-PO base glass. In other samples, crystalline RuO was predominant. According to the imaging XAFS analysis, RuO particles in all samples had length smaller than 50m. Aggregations of RuO, which are found in nuclear waste borosilicate glass, were not seen in any of the iron phosphate glass samples.

A Unique high natural background radiation area; Dose assessment and perspectives

Hosoda, Masahiro*; Nugraha, E. D.*; Akata, Naofumi*; Yamada, Ryohei; Tamakuma, Yuki*; Sasaki, Michiya*; Kelleher, K.*; Yoshinaga, Shinji*; Suzuki, Takahito*; Rattanapongs, C. P.*; et al.

Science of the Total Environment, 750, p.142346_1 - 142346_11, 2021/01

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.142346

The biological effects of low dose-rate radiation exposures on humans remains unknown. In fact, the Japanese nation still struggles with this issue after the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant accident. Recently, we have found a unique area in Indonesia where naturally high radiation levels are present, resulting in chronic low dose-rate radiation exposures. We aimed to estimate the comprehensive dose due to internal and external exposures at the particularly high natural radiation area, and to discuss the enhancement mechanism of radon. A car-borne survey was conducted to estimate the external doses from terrestrial radiation. Indoor radon measurements were made in 47 dwellings over three to five months, covering the two typical seasons, to estimate the internal doses. Atmospheric radon gases were simultaneously collected at several heights to evaluate the vertical distribution. The absorbed dose rates in air in the study area vary widely between 50 nGy h and 1109 nGy h. Indoor radon concentrations ranged from 124 Bq m to 1015 Bq m. That is, the indoor radon concentrations measured exceed the reference levels of 100 Bq m recommended by the World Health Organization. Furthermore, the outdoor radon concentrations measured were comparable to the high indoor radon concentrations. The annual effective dose due to external and internal exposures in the study area was estimated to be 27 mSv using the median values. It was found that many residents are receiving radiation exposure from natural radionuclides over the dose limit for occupational exposure to radiation workers. This enhanced outdoor radon concentration might be as a result of the stable atmospheric conditions generated at an exceptionally low altitude. Our findings suggest that this area provides a unique opportunity to conduct an epidemiological study related to health effects due to chronic low dose-rate radiation exposure.

Role of advection in atmospheric ammonia; A Case study at a Japanese lake basin influenced by agricultural ammonia sources

Kubota, Tomohiro; Kuroda, Hisao*; Watanabe, Mirai*; Takahashi, Akiko*; Nakazato, Ryoji*; Tarui, Mika*; Matsumoto, Shunichi*; Nakagawa, Keita*; Numata, Yasuko*; Ouchi, Takao*; et al.

Atmospheric Environment, 243, p.117856_1 - 117856_9, 2020/12

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosenv.2020.117856

The dry and wet depositions of atmospheric ammonia (NH) is one of the important pathways of nitrogen loads to aquatic ecosystems. Crop and livestock agriculture, one of the largest emitters of NH in Asian countries, are known to cause high spatial and seasonal variation of NH and influence the surrounding lake basin areas via its dry and wet deposition. However, the spatial characteristics of the NH concentration in basin scale are not completely understood for regulation in NH emission. Here we aim to clarify dominant factors of spatial and seasonal variations of the NH concentration in a eutrophic lake basin surrounded by agricultural areas in Japan. Passive sampling over various land use categories in the basin was conducted at 36 sites in total from October 2018 to January 2020. Interestingly, the observed NH concentration near the livestock houses were higher in winter than summer, which was inconsistent with knowledge of seasonal changes of current NH emission inventory based on temperature-driven volatilization process. Comparing monthly NH concentrations with various meteorological factors, we suggested the importance of seasonal advection of NH from high emission sources to which has been rarely paid attention by the previous past studies. As for this, should be considered for lake ecosystem management since deposition of NH is known to be closely related to the ecological processes such as phytoplankton blooming.

Oxygen potential measurement of (U,Pu,Am)O and (U,Pu,Am,Np)O

Hirooka, Shun; Matsumoto, Taku; Kato, Masato; Sunaoshi, Takeo*; Uno, Hiroki*; Yamada, Tadahisa*

Journal of Nuclear Materials, 542, p.152424_1 - 152424_9, 2020/12

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnucmat.2020.152424

The measurement of oxygen potential was conducted at 1,673, 1,773, and 1,873 K for (UPuAm)O and at 1,873 and 1,923 K for (UPuAmNp)O by using a thermo-gravimeter and an oxygen sensor. Am inclusion in terms of substituting the U significantly increased the oxygen potential. Similarly, the inclusion of Np as a substitute for U increased the oxygen potential; however, the effect was not as large as that with the Pu or Am addition at the same rate. The results were analyzed via defect chemistry and certain defect formations were suggested in the reducing region and the near-stoichiometric region by plotting the relationship between PO and the deviation from the stoichiometry. The equilibrium constants of the defect reactions were arranged to reproduce the experiment such that Am/Np contents were included in the entropy with coefficients fitting the experimental data.

Pressure wave induced sound measurement for diagnosing the operation status of the J-PARC pulsed spallation neutron source

Naoe, Takashi; Kogawa, Hiroyuki; Wakui, Takashi; Teshigawara, Makoto; Haga, Katsuhiro; Futakawa, Masatoshi

Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research A, 982, p.164566_1 - 164566_6, 2020/12

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nima.2020.164566

A liquid mercury target for the spallation neutron source is installed in the J-PARC. The liquid mercury is enclosed with the multi-walled stainless steel vessel. At the time of highly intense proton beams hits the target at a repetition rate of 25 Hz, pressure waves, that causes cavitation erosion, are generated owing the rapidly thermal expansion of mercury. We have installed the target diagnostic system consisting of a laser Doppler vibrometer (LDV) and a dynamic microphone to remotely investigate the structural integrity of the target under high-radiation environment. In this study, aiming to understand correlation between the acoustic vibration and the operation conditions such as the proton beam power and beam profile, proton beam induced acoustic vibration was measured by parametrically changing the target operation conditions. The result showed that the sound is well correlated with the operation conditions.

Modernization of the DCHAIN-PHITS activation code with new features and updated data libraries

Ratliff, H.; Matsuda, Norihiro; Abe, Shinichiro; Miura, Takamitsu*; Furuta, Takuya; Iwamoto, Yosuke; Sato, Tatsuhiko

Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research B, 484, p.29 - 41, 2020/12

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nimb.2020.10.005

Nanoscale structural analysis of BiNaTiO

Yoneda, Yasuhiro; Noguchi, Yuji*

Japanese Journal of Applied Physics, 59(SP), p.SPPA01_1 - SPPA01_7, 2020/11

https://doi.org/10.35848/1347-4065/aba2c2

We investigate A-site cation ordering in the ferroelectric perovskite BiNaTiO (BNT) by synchrotron X-ray total scattering. Although BNT has a problem of a low depolarization temperature, it is promising a lead-free piezoelectric material. Since the depolarization temperature is presumed to correspond to a relaxer like gradual order-disorder phase transition, local structure analysis is necessary to understand the structure of the diorder phase. Through this approach, the elusive connection between chemical heterogeneity and structural heterogeneity is revealed. Because of the large randomness, the Ti off-center shift is averaged out beyond the unit cell and the structure becomes very close to the average structure beyond the unit cell.