Ken-ichi Fukumoto
E-mail : fukumoto@u-fukui.ac.jp
TEL & FAX : +81-770-25-0104
Research Institute of Nuclear Engineering, University of Fukui
Graduate school of Nuclear Power and Energy Safety Engineering, University of Fukui
1-2-4, Kanawa, Tsuruga, Fukui, 914-0055 Japan
Education
Education B.S. Nuclear Engineering, Kyushu Univ. (1989)
Ph.D. Nuclear Engineering, Kyushu Univ. (1994)
Field of specialization and areas of interest
Radiation damage in structural metals and alloys for fusion reactor; mechanical properties of fusion reactor materials at high temperature; Hydrogen analysis in materials using LIBS method (Laser-induced breakdown plasma spectrometry); Life-time assessment of reactor vessel steel in light water nuclear reactor under neutron irradiation and/or aging due to long-term usage; Mechanism of stress corrosion cracking in light water nuclear reactor .
Teaching and Research
Ken-ichi Fukumoto teaches the nuclear energy and safety engineering courses and the research for nuclear materials dealing with irradiation effects in metals. His research interests involve the R &D of the advanced fusion reactor materials, especially vanadium alloys, and the effect of neutron and high energy particle irradiation on the microstructure, properties and performance of structural materials in current and future nuclear energy technologies involving light water nuclear reactor (LWR), fast breeder reactor (FBR) and fusion reactor. More specifically, his research is involved in investigating the new analyzing technology for hydrogen concentration detection with Prof. Kagawa, in Univ. of Fukui. He also has other interests in characterization of nano-scale sized structures in nuclear materials, such as the Cu-enriched clusters in reactor pressure vessels, minor element carbides (Ta, V, W)-C in ferritic steels for FBR and ITER, and the hydrides in zircaloy. His special skill and technique for R&D are transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and scanning probe microscopy (SPM)
Ongoing projects in the following specific area
1. High temperature performance of vanadium alloys in fusion reactor environment
The objective of this work is to determine the high temperature performance of the advanced vanadium alloys in fusion reactor environment and to improve their performance forward to the advanced fusion reactor beyond the ITER (International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor). Thermal and irradiation creep measurement have been done using pressurized creep tubes in fast breeder testing reactor, JOYO.
2. New technology of hydrogen analysis in materials using LIBS method
This research aims to establish a new technology of hydrogen concentration analysis. This method is expected to be very powerful and brief compared to the current hydrogen analyzing methods. An analysis of hydrogen concentration in fine two-dimensional distribution near surface region or a depth profile of hydrogen concentration from surface with a sensitivity of hydrogen concentration of ppm order can be detected. This research is corroborated with Prof. Kagawa and Prof. Niki in Univ. of Fukui, Prof. Maruyama in Technology Institute of Tokyo.
3. Characterization of nano-sized phase in nuclear materials
Fine scale precipitation sometimes makes serious problem in nuclear material engineering, such as irradiation-enhanced embrittlement in RPVs and hydride formation in zircaloy for cladding materials of nuclear fuel assemblies in LWR. This work is focused on developing the detection method for fine scale precipitation using EDX-ASID technique.
Educational policy to students
n Education for upbringing of the talented persons who have ethical consideration as a proudhearted engineer is aimed through nuclear material engineering study,
n Research and education are performed using not only our university but also other research facilities, and then students can perform their study at the outside positively and enjoy their research works.
n Education for upbringing between the peoples who can cope with a change of the global community, with their own independence and aggressiveness
n Ken-ichi will do my best to practice education environment bringing up the consideration that is full of human nature and social nature / sense of cooperation, sensitivity.
Selected Recent Publications
K. Fukumoto, K. Takahashi, Y. Anma, H. Matsui, “Effect of Impurities on Microstructural Evolution and Deformation Process of Ion-Irradiated V-Cr-Ti alloys”, Materials Transactions, 46, 2005, pp.503-510K. Fukumoto, S. Takahashi, R. J. Kurtz, D. L. Smith, H. Matsui, “Microstructural examination of V-(Fe or Cr)-Ti alloys after thermal-creep or irradiation-creep tests”, Journal of Nuclear Materials , 341, 2005 pp.83-89
K. Fukumoto, M. Sugiyama, H. Matsui, “Features of dislocation channeling in neutron-irradiated V-(Fe, Cr)-Ti alloy”, Journal of Nuclear Materials, 367-370, 2007, pp.829-833
K. Fukumoto, T. Nagasaka, T. Muroga, N. Nita, H. Matsui, “Creep mechanism of highly purified V-4Cr-4Ti alloys during thermal creep in a vacuum”, Journal of Nuclear Materials, 367-370, 2007, pp.834-838
M. Pardede, R. Hedwig, M. M. Suliyanti, Z. S. Lie, T. j. Lie, D. P. Kurniawan, K. H. Kurniawan, M. Ramli, K. Fukumoto, H. Niki, N. Idris, T. Maruyama, K, Kagawa, M. O. Tjia, “Comparative study of laser-induced plasma emission of hydrogen from zircaloy-2 samples in atomospheric and low pressure ambient helium gas”, Applied Physics B, 89, 2007, pp.291-298
M. Ramliu, N. Idris, K. Fukumoto, H. Niki, F. Sakan, T. Maruyama, K. H. Kurniawan, T. J. Lie, K, Kagawa, “Hydrogen analysis in solid samples by utilizing He metastable atoms induced by TEA CO2 laser plasma in He gas at 1 atm”, Spectrochimica Acta B, 62, 2007, pp.1379-1389
M. Ramli, K. Fukumoto, H. Niki, S. N. Abdulmadjid, T. Maruyama, K, Kagawa, “Quantitative hydrogen analysis of zircaloy-4 in laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy with ambient helium gas”, Applied Optics, 46, 2007, pp.8298-8304
Munandi, M. Pardede, K. H. Kurniawan, K,Kagawa, M. Ramli, K. Fukumoto, T. Maruyama, M.O.Tjia, “Study of Hydrogen and Deuterium Emission Characteristics in Laser Induced Low-Pressure Helium Plasma for the Suppression of Surface Water Contamination”, Analytical Chemistry, 80, 2008, pp.1240-1246
K. Fukumoto, H. Matsui, H. Ohkubo, Z. Tang, Y. Nagai, M. Hasegawa, “Identification of ultra-fine Ti-rich precipitates in V-Cr-Ti alloys irradiated below 300 °C by using positron CDB technique”, Journal of Nuclear Materials, 373, 2008, pp.289-294
K. Fukumoto, M. Narui, H. Matsui, K. Ito, Y. Yano, “Development of irradiation capsules in liquid metal environment in Joyo and their application to irradiation creep measurement of vanadium alloys”, Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, 45, 2008, pp.171-178
K. Fukumoto, M. Narui, H. Matsui, T. Nagasaka, T. Muroga, “Irradiation Creep Behavior of Vanadium Alloys during Neutron Irradiation in a Liquid Metal Environment”, Plasma and Fusion Research, 3, 2008, 017 pp.1-7
H. Kuroiwa, K. Fukumoto, M. Narui, H. Matsui, X. Qiu, “Mechanical properties of neutron-irradiated vanadium alloys in a liquid-sodium environment”, Journal of Nuclear Materials, 386-388, 2009, pp.594-597
K.Fukumoto, M. Narui, H. Matsui, T. Nagasaka, T, Muroga, M. Li, D. T. Hoelzer, S. J. Zinkle, “Environmental effects on irradiation creep behavior of highly purified V–4Cr–4Ti alloys (NIFS-Heats) irradiated by neutrons”, Journal of Nuclear Materials, 386-388, 2009, pp.575-578
Ken-ichi FUKUMOTO in 2006