RESUMEN
The use of robotics in harsh environments, such as nuclear decommissioning, has increased in recent years. Environments such as the Fukushima Daiichi accident site from 2011 and the Sellafield legacy ponds highlight the need for robotic systems capable of deployment in hazardous environments unsafe for human workers. To characterise these environments, it is important to develop robust and accurate localization systems that can be combined with mapping techniques to create 3D reconstructions of the unknown environment. This paper describes the development and experimental verification of a localization system for an underwater robot, which enabled the collection of sonar data to create 3D images of submerged simulated fuel debris. The system was demonstrated at the Naraha test facility, Fukushima prefecture, Japan. Using a camera with a bird's-eye view of the simulated primary containment vessel, the 3D position and attitude of the robot was obtained using coloured LED markers (active markers) on the robot, landmarks on the test-rig (passive markers), and a depth sensor on the robot. The successful reconstruction of a 3D image has been created through use of a robot operating system (ROS) node in real-time.
RESUMEN
The gamma-ray energy spectrum of the Kinki University Reactor (UTR-KINKI) was estimated from Ge detector measurements combined with Monte Carlo N-particle transport criticality calculations. The gamma rays mainly originated from prompt fission components, although small amounts of gamma rays from (n,γ) reactions, fission product gamma rays, and activation gamma rays were detected. The averaged gamma-ray tissue kerma rate in the irradiation port during UTR-KINKI operation at 1W was calculated as 10.5cGy/h based on the estimated gamma-ray energy spectrum. This value is consistent with a previous measurement with paired ionization chambers and a tissue equivalent gas proportional counter. This result demonstrates the reliability of the estimated gamma-ray energy spectrum.
RESUMEN
A target cooling system was developed for an intense neutron source of p-Li reaction. The system consists of target cooling devices and protection devices for lithium evaporation. A pin-structure cooling device was developed to enhance cooling power. Functional graded material was utilized for the evaporation of lithium. Test experiments were performed by using the neutron exposure accelerator system for biological effect experiments (NASBEE) at the National Institute of Radiological Sciences (NIRS) in Japan. The target system was confirmed to be applicable for accelerator-based boron neutron capture therapy.
