Kentaro Urata
Nuclear Energy Division
- Position
- Assistant Professor
- TEL
- +81-3-5734-2906
- kuratazc.iir.titech.ac.jp
- Researcher Link
- Web of Science | ORCID
Feature of Research
Metallic materials are one of the fundamental materials that support our daily life and industry. Particularly, iron and steel materials are abundant and inexpensive and are used in our daily lives as structural and functional materials because they have various performances due to additive elements and heat treatment. The goal of our research is to achieve a sustainable production process of metallic material, which is indispensable in our daily lives, even in a carbon-neutral society. Our laboratory studies each research theme using thermodynamics, kinetics and the physical properties of high-temperature melts.
Outline of Research
- Carbon Neutral Iron and Steel Process
Efforts are made to achieve carbon-neutral (CN) steelmaking. Conventional blast furnace process inevitably releases a large amount of CO2 due to constraints of use of coke. In our carbon-neutral ironmaking, iron ore is reduced by CO gas as combining with technology to reduce exhausted CO2 gas back to CO. If we achieve this process, ultimately the carbon emission from iron and steel plants could be decreased to almost zero since CO2 gas is recycled in the stee plant. Now, we strive to develop direct iron ore smelting reduction process by reduction gas and the related technologies to reduce CO2 emissions. - Material production processes using low-grade raw materials
To achieve decrease in CO2 emissions by using electric furnaces, we concern shortage of high-quality scrap iron as a raw material for electric furnaces. On the other hand, low-grade scrap is expected to increase in the future, so our aim is to achieve a materials recycling process that utilize low-grade scrap. Our laboratory focuses on removal of impurity elements from low grade scrap steel or development of “harmless processes” where impurity elements do not cause any production problem. - Materials technology for the safe decommissioning of severe accident reactors. To decommission the severe accident reactor as typified by the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident, it is necessary to precisely predict the damage (contamination) status of the structural materials inside the reactor. In addition, as it is not realistic to dispose of all contaminated structural materials deep underground, we need technology to treat large quantities of contaminated materials. In order to accomplish these challenges, our laboratory contributes to building the thermodynamic database by lab test.
Keyword
Thermodynamics, Phase stability, kinetics, Metallurgical material, High-temperature melts, Decommissioning of nuclear power plant.