Base Technology Subjects
Environmental Science Research Laboratory
Brief Overview
The Environmental Research Laboratory, aiming at resolution of various environmental problems fromregion scale to global scale related to the power industry, is engaged in increasing fundamental technology related
to atmosphere, marine, hydrosphere, biology, environmental risk and biotechnology.

Achievements by Research Theme
Atmospheric and Marine Environment【Objectives】
The ﬁeld observation procedure, prediction and evaluation procedures for regional atmospheric andmarine environment, related to global warming, urban atmospheric and marine problems, are developed.
【Principal Results】
・The evaluation procedure for the ﬂow and thermal environments around urban buildings was developed andthis procedure was applied through variations of energy supply and regulation of atmospheric material within
urban areas in the future [V09017]. Furthermore, a new computational ﬂuid dynamic (CFD) model of ﬂow andthermal environments within urban areas was developed considering a large-scale turbulent motion caused bya mesoscale disturbance and applied to an actual urban area [V09024] (Fig. 1).
・The stack gas diffusion evaluation model for nuclear facilities, developed by CRIEPI, was applied to actual
plants and its prediction accuracy was clariﬁed [Trans. At. Energy Soc. Japan, 8, 184, 2009].
Hydrospheric Environment【Objectives】
To develop an assessment technique to solve various environmental problems at reservoirs, rivers andcoastal areas for the purpose of achieving the efﬁcient management and operation of power plants.
【Principal Results】
・For efﬁcient monitoring of coastal environment around power plants, a new method of sea surface salinity
measurement in wide area using the high resolution DBF ocean radar was developed on the basis of the sea
surface electric conductivity theory [V09003].
Biological Environment【Objectives】
Development of effective methods to elucidate the effect of construction and operation of electric power
plants on wildlife and ecosystems, and of countermeasures for aquatic nuisance organisms and birds/animals
causing problems in the operation of electric power plants.
【Principal Results】
An automatic monitoring system for cypris larvae of barnacles, one of the most common nuisance organisms for coastal electric power plants, was developed in cooperation with Kansai Electric Power Co. Inc. The
system worked successfully at a power plant continuously detecting the larvae without serious trouble for a periodof 5 months.

88Environmental Science Research Laboratory
Environmental Risk Assessment【Objectives】
To support environmental risk management in the electric power industry, we develop methods for theassessment and management of environmental risks related to chemical substances and intermediate frequency
magnetic ﬁelds, and technologies for simple and rapid measurements of hazardous chemicals in waste water andfor effective uses of solid waste.
【Principal Results】
・Results from exposure experiments using microorganisms, cells, and experimental animals, including rats andchick embryos, indicated that intermediate frequency magnetic ﬁelds generated mainly by home appliances
did not show genotoxicity, promotion potentials, acute and sub-chronic toxicity, and reproductive and developmental toxicity under employed experimental conditions [V09007,V09008,V09021].
Biotechnology【Objectives】
We develop microbial technology for resource recycle and waste water treatment, biosensing technology
to trace chemicals and plant production technology as food or energy as biomass.
【Principal Results】
・Microbial process for conversion from biological waste to methane was stabilized with high conversion ratioby using carbon ﬁber as internal solid phase for bacterial consortia [V09009]. Enzyme production using Escherichia coli was enhanced under the culture condition where potentially controlled by electrolysis [V09026].
・New durable depurating module and alcohol supply equipment were developed and introduced to nitrogen
removing bioreactor previously proposed by us. Improved reactor was operated to remove nitrogen from waste
water for a year at a power station. Stable and reliable nitrogen removal proved practicality of improved bioreactor [V09033].
・Light conditions to enhance polyphenol accumulation in basil was experimentally identiﬁed by changing lighting time with varied wavelength light [Y09030].

New CFD model

Normal CFD model

Field Observation：Stack position
Color ：
Normalized concentration

Fig.1 Tracer gas mean concentration (1 hour average value) at ground surface around the urban buildings.
The calculated proﬁles obtained by new CFD model are in good agreement with those from ﬁeld observations.

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