Preparation of waste standards; Annual report 2022

Project Promotion Department; Radioactive Wastes Disposal Center

JAEA-Review 2023-037, 162 Pages, 2024/02

JAEA-Review-2023-037.pdf:2.66MB

For near surface disposal of radioactive wastes generated from research, industrial and medical facilities, Japan Atomic Energy Agency has discussed methods for corresponding to the technical standards on confirmation related to waste disposal, etc. From FY2022, we have established Waste Standards Committee and interim Waste Acceptance Criteria, Waste Package Confirmation Procedure, etc. have been considered. In FY2022, Waste Package Confirmation Procedures of solidified liquid waste and cement filled waste and related standards were discussed. In addition, issues of preparation of Waste Package Confirmation Procedure and rational treatment method for decommissioning wastes were considered. This annual report summarizes the results of discussion in FY2022.

Public acceptance of nuclear waste disposal sites; A Decision-making process utilising the "veil of ignorance" concept

Yokoyama, Miki*; Onuma, Susumu*; Osawa, Hideaki; Otomo, Shoji*; Hirose, Yukio*

Humanities & Social Sciences Communications (Internet), 10(1), p.623_1 - 623_10, 2023/09

https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-023-02139-2

This study demonstrates that a decision-making process utilising "the veil of ignorance" concept, defined in process terms as beginning from a blank slate encompassing the entire country as potential sites and shortlisting candidate sites based on scientific (geological) safety, promotes public acceptance of siting a repository for the geological disposal of high-level radioactive waste and fosters procedural fairness.

Technical design of the pressure-resistant chamber for open inspections of the storage containers of nuclear fuel materials

Marufuji, Takato; Sato, Takumi; Ito, Hideaki; Suzuki, Hisashi; Fujishima, Tadatsune; Nakano, Tomoyuki

JAEA-Technology 2019-006, 22 Pages, 2019/05

JAEA-Technology-2019-006.pdf:2.84MB

Radioactive contamination incident occurred at Plutonium Fuel Research Facility (PFRF) in Oarai Research and Development Institute, Japan Atomic Energy Agency on June 6, 2017. During inspection work of storage container containing nuclear fuel materials, the PVC bag packaging in the storage container ruptured when a worker opened the lid in the hood, and a part of contents was spattered over the room. The cause of the increase of internal pressure of the storage container was gas generation by alpha radiolysis of the epoxy resin mixed with nuclear fuel materials. Opening inspection of about 70 similar containers stored in PFRF has been planned to confirm the condition of the contents and to stabilize the stored materials containing organic compounds. For safe and reliable open inspection of the storage containers with high internal pressure in the glove box, it is necessary to develop a pressure-resistant chamber in which the storage containers are opened and the contents are inspected under gastight condition. This report summarizes the concerns and countermeasures of the chamber design and the design results of the chamber.

Conceptual design of the iodine-sulfur process flowsheet with more than 50% thermal efficiency for hydrogen production

Kasahara, Seiji; Imai, Yoshiyuki; Suzuki, Koichi*; Iwatsuki, Jin; Terada, Atsuhiko; Yan, X.

Nuclear Engineering and Design, 329, p.213 - 222, 2018/04

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nucengdes.2017.11.046

A conceptual design of a practical large scale plant of the thermochemical water splitting iodine-sulfur (IS) process flowsheet was carried out as a heat application of JAEA's commercial high temperature gas cooled reactor GTHTR300C plant design. Innovative techniques proposed by JAEA were applied for improvement of hydrogen production thermal efficiency; depressurized flash concentration HSO using waste heat from Bunsen reaction, prevention of HSO vaporization from a distillation column by introduction of HSO solution from a flash bottom, and I condensation heat recovery in an HI distillation column. Hydrogen of about 31,900 Nm/h would be produced by 170 MW heat from the GTHTR300C. A thermal efficiency of 50.2% would be achievable with incorporation of the innovative techniques and high performance HI concentration and decomposition components and heat exchangers expected in future R&D.

Excavation damaged zone inferred by geophysical surveys on drift floor of Horonobe URL

Tokiwa, Tetsuya*; Aoyagi, Kazuhei; Fujita, Tomoo

Rock Mechanics and Rock Engineering; From the Past to the Future (EUROCK 2016), p.901 - 906, 2016/07

Research on engineering technology in the full-scale demonstration of EBS and operation technology for HLW disposal; Research report in 2014 (Joint research)

Kobayashi, Masato*; Saito, Masahiko*; Iwatani, Takafumi*; Nakayama, Masashi; Tanai, Kenji; Fujita, Tomoo; Asano, Hidekazu*

JAEA-Research 2015-018, 14 Pages, 2015/12

JAEA-Research-2015-018.pdf:5.43MB

JAEA and RWMC concluded the letter of cooperation agreement on the research and development of radioactive waste disposal in April, 2005, and have been carrying out the collaboration work based on the agreement. JAEA have been carrying out the Horonobe URL Project which is intended for a sedimentary rock in the Horonobe town, Hokkaido, since 2001. In the project, geoscientific research and research and development on geological disposal technology are being promoted. Meanwhile, The Agency for Natural Resources and Energy, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry has been promoting construction of equipments for the full-scale demonstration of engineered barrier system and operation technology for high-level radioactive waste disposal since 2008, to enhance public's understanding to the geological disposal of HLW, e.g. using underground facility. RWMC received an order of the project in fiscal year 2014 continuing since fiscal year 2008. Since topics in this project are included in the Horonobe URL Project, JAEA carried out this project as collaboration work continuing since fiscal year 2008. This report summarizes the results of the research on engineering technology carried out in this collaboration work in fiscal year 2014.

Research on engineering technology in the full-scale demonstration of EBS and operation technology for HLW disposal; Research report in 2013 (Joint research)

Fujita, Tomoo; Tanai, Kenji; Nakayama, Masashi; Sawada, Sumiyuki*; Asano, Hidekazu*; Saito, Masahiko*; Yoshino, Osamu*; Kobayashi, Masato*

JAEA-Research 2014-031, 44 Pages, 2015/03

JAEA-Research-2014-031.pdf:16.11MB

Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) and Radioactive Waste Management Funding and Research Center (RWMC) concluded the letter of cooperation agreement on the research and development of radioactive waste disposal in April, 2005, and have been carrying out the collaboration work based on the agreement. JAEA have been carrying out the Horonobe Underground Research Laboratory (URL) Project which is intended for a sedimentary rock in the Horonobe town, Hokkaido, since 2001. In the project, geoscientific research and research and development on geological disposal technology are being promoted. Meanwhile, the government (the Agency for Natural Resources and Energy, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry) has been promoting construction of equipments for the full-scale demonstration of engineered barrier system (EBS) and operation technology for high-level radioactive waste (HLW) disposal since 2008, to enhance public's understanding to the geological disposal of HLW, e.g. using underground facility. RWMC received an order of the project in fiscal year 2012 (2011/2012) continuing since fiscal year 2008 (2008/2009). Since topics in this project are included in the Horonobe URL Project, JAEA carried out this project as collaboration work continuing since fiscal year 2008. This report summarizes the results of engineering technology carried out in this collaboration work in fiscal year 2013. In fiscal year 2013, emplacement tests using buffer material block for the vertical emplacement concept were carried out and visualization tests for water penetration in buffer material were carried out.

Coexistence of antiferromagnetism and heavy-fermion superconductivity in CePtSi studied by neutron scattering

Kaneko, Koji; Metoki, Naoto; Bernhoeft, N.*; Matsuda, Tatsuma; Haga, Yoshinori; Yasuda, Takashi*; Takeuchi, Tetsuya*; Settai, Rikio*; Onuki, Yoshichika

Journal of the Physical Society of Japan, 75(Suppl.), p.177 - 179, 2006/08

no abstracts in English

Magnetic susceptibility of multiorbital systems

Kubo, Katsunori; Hotta, Takashi

Journal of the Physical Society of Japan, 75(1), p.013702_1 - 013702_4, 2006/01

https://doi.org/10.1143/JPSJ.75.013702

Effects of orbital degeneracy on magnetic susceptibility in paramagnetic phases are investigated within a mean-field theory. Under certain crystalline electric fields, the magnetic moment consists of two independent moments, e.g., spin and orbital moments. In such a case, the magnetic susceptibility is given by the sum of two different Curie-Weiss relations, leading to the deviation from the Curie-Weiss law. Such behavior may be observed in - and -electron systems with and ground states, respectively. As a potential application of our theory, we attempt to explain the difference in the temperature dependence of magnetic susceptibilities of UO and NpO. Then, we find that the difference in the temperature dependence can be naturally explained by considering the effects of the octupole moments in NpO.

Crystallization of a 2:2 complex of Granulocyte-Colony Stimulating Factor (GCSF) with the ligand-binding region of the GCSF receptor

Honjo, Eijiro; Tamada, Taro; Maeda, Yoshitake*; Koshiba, Takumi*; Matsukura, Yasuko*; Okamoto, Tomoyuki*; Ishibashi, Matsujiro*; Tokunaga, Masao*; Kuroki, Ryota

Acta Crystallographica Section F, 61(8), p.788 - 790, 2005/08

https://doi.org/10.1107/S1744309105023080

Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (GCSF) receptor receives signals for regulating the proliferation and differentiation of the precursor cells of granulocytes. The complex composed of two GCSFs and two GCSF receptors was crystallized. The crystal of the complex was grown in 1.0 M sodium formate and 0.1 M sodium acetate (pH4.6). It belongs to the space group 422 (or its enantiomorph 422) with unit cell dimensions of = = 110.1 , = 331.8 . However, the diffraction data from the crystal beyond 5 resolution could not be collected. Since the heterogeneity of GCSF receptor seems to interrupt growth of good quality crystals, the GCSF receptor was fractionated by achromatography. Crystals of GCSF/fractionated GCSF receptor complex were grown as a new crystal form in 0.2 M ammonium phosphate. The new crystal diffracts beyond 3.0 resolution and belongs to space group 321 (or its enantiomorph 321) with unit-cell parameters = = 134.8, = 105.7 .