GLOBAL 2011
Makuhari, Japan
Dec. 11-16, 2011

J-ACTINET Activities ofTraining and Education for
Actinide Science Research
K. Minato1, K. Konashi2, H. Yamana3, S. Yamanaka4,S. Nagasaki5, Y. Ikeda6, S. Sato7, Y. Arita8,
K. Idemitsu9, and T. Koyama10
1Japan Atomic Energy Agency, 2Tohoku University, 3Kyoto University,
4Osaka University, 5The University of Tokyo, 6Tokyo Institute of Technology,
7Hokkaido University, 8University of Fukui, 9Kyushu University,
10Central Research Institute of Electric Power Industry

Outline
Introductionz Actinide Sciencez» Basis of innovative nuclear technology» Special facilities for researchz

Japan actinide network: J-ACTINET» Objectives» Training through research program: ACTILAB» Training and education program: ACTITRAINz

Summary and further challenges

2Introductionz

In the field of nuclear science and technology» Nuclear reactors and facilities for radioactive materials areinevitable for the training and education» However, many of the reactors, critical assemblies andfacilities have been shut downz

For the past several years, the competitive funds forthe training and education programs in the field havebeen provided by the Ministries in Japan» Many initiatives and programs have been carried out withthese fundszActinide science is important in the field of nuclear
science and technology
3Actinide science (1/2)
Basis of innovative nuclear technology
Partitioning &Transmutation

FBR

Reprocessing/
Fuel fabrication

LWR

Waste disposal

HTGR

Actinide science researchz A frontier of materials science and solid state physics and chemistryz Indispensable to maintain sustainable development of innovative

nuclear technology, especially advanced fuels, partitioning andgeological disposal

4Actinide science (2/2)
Special facilities for researchz

Actinide elements are gamma, alpha andneutron emiters» Special facilities are needed for handling» Several restrictions are imposedzExtra costs and efforts are needed tomaintain the special facilities» The number of the facilities has been decreased,
especially in universitiesz

Under this condition students and graduate
students have fewer chances to come into
contact with actinide science research
5Japan actinide network
J-ACTINETz

To promote and facilitate actinide
science research» Close cooperation with the facilities
and sharing of technical and scientificinformation must be very importantand effectivez

J-ACTINET has been establishedsince March 2008
» Involving 8 universities and2 research institutes» After the successful project
ACTINET in Europe• Hokkaido Univ.

• Tohoku Univ.
JAEA•• IMRTohoku Univ.

Univ. of Fukui
Kyoto Univ. ••• Univ. of Tokyo
Osaka Univ. • • •TITEC
Kyushu Univ.
• Nagoya Univ. CRIEPI
•
KURRI

6

J-ACTINET (1/2)
Objectives
To promote and facilitate actinide science research inclose cooperation with the facilities
z To foster many young scientists and engineers to be
actively engaged in the fields of actinide sciencez To provide opportunities to come into contact withactinide science researchz To cooperate with different research fields to apply themost advanced experimental tools and computational
science to actinide science researchz7

J-ACTINET (2/2)
Activitiesz

Training through research program: ACTILAB» “Basic actinide chemistry and physics research in close
cooperation with hot laboratories: ACTILAB”
Funds from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan; MEXT
(Oct. 2008-March 2011)z

Training and education program: ACTITRAIN» Organization of schools– J-ACTINET Summer School– J-ACTINET Computational Science School» Overseas dispatch

J-ACTINET
ACTILABACTITRAIN– International conferences– Summer schools in Europe
Funds from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan; MEXT
(Dec. 2010-March 2013)
8ACTILAB (1/2)
Research with young researcherszTo make basic and fundamental actinide research with young
researchers using four main facilities in Japan» Young researchers from four universities and one institutezThrough this program the young researchers were expected» to learn how to make experiments with advanced experimental tools» to broaden their horizons
Solid-statephysics

Solutionchemistry

Solid-liquidinterfacechemistry9

ACTILAB (2/2)
Research with young researchers
zThe experiments were carried out in close cooperation with thefacilities, including the supply of special actinide samples» Information exchanges and mutual visits to facilities» The experiments that could not be made in a single facility» Various kinds of experiences to broaden horizons of young researchers

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ACTITRAIN (1/7)
Summer SchoolzJ-ACTINET Summer Schools 2009, 2010, and 2011» 22 trainees (2 students, 14 graduate students, and 6 young researchers) in 2009» 26 trainees (5 students, 18 graduate students, and 3 young researchers) in 2010» 17 trainees (2 students, 9 graduate students, and 6 young researchers) in 2011z

To provide students, graduate students, and young researchers withchances to come into contact with actinide science researchin 2009 and 2011

in 2010
11

ACTITRAIN (2/7)
Summer Schoolz

Not only lectures on actinide science and its application, but also
practical exercises on actinide chemistry and physics were made» Practices of glove box and manipulator operations» Observation of several kinds of actinide compounds and solutions» Solvent extraction experiment of Am and Np» Redox behavior observation of U in molten salt
» SEM/EPMA measurement of UO2 and burnup simulated fuel» Thermal diffusivity measurement of UO2 and burnup simulated fuel» γ-ray spectroscopy of irradiated fuels before and after heating» Environmental radiation measurement/monitoring

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ACTITRAIN (3/7)
Summer Schoolz

The practical exercises are very important and essential» The trainees were impressed with the various colors of the actinide
compounds and solutions» They had a good experience of handling the actinide materials or
surrogate materialsz

The technical visits were made to research facilities» AGF, NUCEF, J-PARC, FFAG Accelerator, Beam lines of SPring-8,
XFEL facility and LWR fuel fabrication plant

13

ACTITRAIN (4/7)
Computational Science Schoolz

J-ACTINET Computational Science School 2011» 18 trainees (3 students, 9 graduate students, and 6 young researchers)z

To provide students, graduate students, and young researchers withchances to come into contact with computational science which canbe applied to actinide science research

14

ACTITRAIN (5/7)
Computational Science Schoolz

Not only lectures on computational science and its application, butalso practical exercises on calculations were made» Chemical thermodynamics calculation of actinide compounds» First-principles calculation of actinide compoundszTechnical visit was made to actinide research facilities since even thecomputational scientists/analysts should be aware of experiments
15

ACTITRAIN (6/7)
Overseas dispatchz

To provide graduate students and young researchers who areinvolved in actinide science research with financial supports for theirparticipation in international summer schools and conferences» Travel expenses» Accommodation fee» Registration/participation feez

The participants are expected» to develop communication ability» to obtain the latest information» to understand foreign culture» to make foreign friends» to broaden their horizons

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ACTITRAIN (7/7)
Overseas dispatchz

Summer schools in Europe» 2 graduate students to ACTINET-I3 Summer
School 2011 in Karlsruhe, Germany» 1 young researcher to F-BRIDGE School 2011
in Cambridge, UKz

International conferences» 1 graduate student to UC Forum held inBerkeley, USA» 1 young researcher to Molten Salts Chemistryand Technology (MS9) in Trondheim, Norway» 1 graduate student and 1 young researcher toMIGRATION 2011 in Beijing, Chinaz

Follow-up interviews are scheduled to be done17

Summary andfurther challenges (1/2)
z

J-ACTINET was established in 2008
» to promote and facilitate actinide science research in the close
cooperation with the facilities» to foster many young scientists and engineers to be actively engaged in
the fields of actinide science through giving opportunities to come into
contact with actinide science researchz

The research program ACTILAB was carried out» through which young researchers learned how to make experiments withadvanced experimental tools and broadened their horizonsz

The summer schools and computational science school were held
» to provide students, graduate students, and young researchers with theopportunities to come into contact with actinide science research andapplication of computational science to actinide science» In these schools, not only the lectures, but also the practical exercises
were made as essential part18

Summary andfurther challenges (2/2)
zThe overseas dispatch program was also carried out» where graduate students and young researchers who are involved inactinide science research were sent to the international summer schools
and conferences

zAiming at further activation/progress in actinide science and training
and education of students, graduate students and young researchers,
J-ACTINET would like to strengthen the network through thecooperation with ACTINET in Europe and researchers in US andAsian countries

19