Japanese Researchers Test Novel Radiation Detection Technology at West Valley

Sadao Momota, left, and Minoru Tanigaki, both research scientists from universities in Japan, conducted surveys at the West Valley Demonstration Project to test their novel radiation detectors. West Valley's Main Plant Process Building, which is undergoing deconstruction, is shown in the background.

WEST VALLEY, N.Y. - Two research scientists from universities in Japan visited the West Valley Demonstration Project earlier this fall to test their novel radiation detectors.

Environmental monitoring activities following the 2011 earthquake and tsunami and associated nuclear accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station in Japan showed the need for a prompt and mobile radioactivity measurement system.

Minoru Tanigaki with Kyoto University brought the KURAMA-II to West Valley for testing. It's a portable detector system that monitors air dose rate and radioisotope concentration levels in the ground at the same time. Sadao Momota with Kochi University of Technology tested his soil gamma-ray measurement system at the site. It can be used in the field to provide real-time soil contamination data.

Tanigaki's prototype, KURAMA, could be used in vehicles and enabled radioactivity measurement near the ground in wide areas. It evolved into KURAMA-II, which features real-time location tracking and radiation measurements. Hundreds of the KURAMA-II have been deployed in Fukushima and the surrounding areas, providing air dose rate maps over the past decade.

As the emergency period following the accident passed, evacuees returned to their communities and air dose rates in the region decreased. The focus on radioactivity monitoring in the region shifted to tracking radioactive materials deposited in the residential areas and farmlands. KURAMA-II was redesigned for such purposes as it's small enough to fit in a backpack.

With Momota's device, a soil sample is collected down to a one-foot depth and placed on the measurement system. The results of gamma spectroscopy are automatically displayed on an attached monitor. Such real-time data enables farmers to understand the condition of their farm fields without waiting weeks for laboratory analysis.

Tanigaki and Momota envision expanding use of their equipment from nuclear accident response to radioactivity survey at industrial nuclear sites undergoing decommissioning and decontamination.

The U.S. Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management is currently demolishing the Main Plant Process Building at West Valley, a project scheduled for completion next year. As West Valley moves to the next phase - contaminated soils remediation and disposition, and demolition of remaining Main Plant components and other facilities - there may be an opportunity for further collaboration among the two research scientists and West Valley, according to Jennifer Dundas, West Valley assistant director of the Office of Technical Services.

"The visit to West Valley by Minoru Tanigaki and Sadao Momota was successful in that both agreed that their collaboration would be mutually beneficial," Dundas said. "That is, radioactivity measurement technology development for the researchers and safe decommissioning planning for West Valley."

-Contributor: Joseph Pillittere