Next Generation Accelerated Characterisation Technologies (EXACT)
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Southampton
Department Name: Sch of Ocean and Earth Science
Abstract
Effective radioactive waste management is critically dependent on robust, focussed and efficient waste characterisation in order to reliably inform all management steps (including waste recovery, treatment / recycling, conditioning, storage, waste disposal) and the safety of the operators, the general public and the environment. The proposed NNUF-EXACT laboratory will be a world-leading radiochemistry facility enabling research and training in accelerated nuclear characterisation technologies underpinning civil (and Defence, where this overlaps with EPSRC remit) nuclear programmes, nuclear forensics, decommissioning and site clean-up, and nuclear new build. EXACT will provide an easily accessible state-of-the-art test-bed facility and supporting infrastructure for research, technology development (and validation), and training in in-situ, on-site and off-site characterisation methods, including for complex / problem waste streams.
Planned Impact
NNUF-EXACT is a critical enabling facility for diverse, high importance research applications that align with EPSRC priorities, themes and strategies in Nuclear Fission, and a range of related research themes and areas in energy, engineering, and manufacturing the future. The Facility will benefit academic researchers and existing EPSRC nuclear research consortia, the nuclear industry and its supply chain, and the general public - research enabled by this facility will address key societal challenges in relation to productive and resilient nation outcomes, through the development of next generation technologies and by ensuring effective and affordable solutions for nuclear waste treatment.
The majority of the societal, commercial or other impact from NNUF-EXACT will be realised (a) through a wide range of research enabled by the Facility, and (b) provision of advanced radiochemical and analytical training. As well as directly underpinning research and skills and technology development in the Nuclear Fission EPSRC research area, the proposed facility will offer a timely and extended solution for the wider EPSRC community, by providing a flexible low-level radiochemistry test-bed capability to the broader EPRSC research and industry communities, permitting evaluation and validation of emerging technologies and characterisation systems using nuclear-relevant materials, and promoting flow of skills and technologies between non-nuclear and nuclear research and sectors. The combination of a state-of-the-art and flexible radiochemistry facility, associated instrumentation and expertise will provide a unique training environment supporting the maintenance of skill sets associated with nuclear characterisation, and decommissioning and nuclear new-build, supporting the academic nuclear research base and enhancing the SQEP (Suitably Qualified and Experienced Personnel) community of Characterisation specialists in the nuclear industry, which is identified as a key risk to the Industry's decommissioning programmes in the near future. The provision of a world-leading training facility for characterisation will enable ongoing training of skilled practitioners and maintain the UK lead in characterisation, supporting decommissioning, waste characterisation and nuclear power production in a critical period for the UK nuclear sector and nuclear skills base.
The majority of the societal, commercial or other impact from NNUF-EXACT will be realised (a) through a wide range of research enabled by the Facility, and (b) provision of advanced radiochemical and analytical training. As well as directly underpinning research and skills and technology development in the Nuclear Fission EPSRC research area, the proposed facility will offer a timely and extended solution for the wider EPSRC community, by providing a flexible low-level radiochemistry test-bed capability to the broader EPRSC research and industry communities, permitting evaluation and validation of emerging technologies and characterisation systems using nuclear-relevant materials, and promoting flow of skills and technologies between non-nuclear and nuclear research and sectors. The combination of a state-of-the-art and flexible radiochemistry facility, associated instrumentation and expertise will provide a unique training environment supporting the maintenance of skill sets associated with nuclear characterisation, and decommissioning and nuclear new-build, supporting the academic nuclear research base and enhancing the SQEP (Suitably Qualified and Experienced Personnel) community of Characterisation specialists in the nuclear industry, which is identified as a key risk to the Industry's decommissioning programmes in the near future. The provision of a world-leading training facility for characterisation will enable ongoing training of skilled practitioners and maintain the UK lead in characterisation, supporting decommissioning, waste characterisation and nuclear power production in a critical period for the UK nuclear sector and nuclear skills base.
Organisations
- University of Southampton (Lead Research Organisation)
- University of Manchester (Collaboration)
- British Geological Survey (Collaboration)
- SHEFFIELD HALLAM UNIVERSITY (Collaboration)
- National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine (NASU) (Collaboration)
- Atomic Weapons Establishment (Collaboration)
- UNIVERSITY OF LEEDS (Collaboration)
- University of Bristol (Collaboration)
- University of Bristol (Project Partner)
- National Physical Laboratory (Project Partner)
Publications
Belgrano T
(2022)
Determination of Ultra-Trace Au, Ag, As, Pt and Re Mass Fractions in Volcanic Glasses and Rock Powders by LA-ICP-MS
in Geostandards and Geoanalytical Research
Purkis J
(2023)
Electrokinetic generation of iron-rich barriers in soils: realising the potential for nuclear site management and decommissioning
in Environmental Science: Advances
Purkis JM
(2021)
Towards the application of electrokinetic remediation for nuclear site decommissioning.
in Journal of hazardous materials
| Description | The funding received form this award has enabled formation of the NNUF-EXACT facility at the University of Southampton. The facility is now able to provide a dedicated research and development space for working with radioactive materials in the fields of nuclear characterisation and remediation, particularly validation of new characterisation and measurement methodologies and sensor testing. The facility includes all of the necessary operational infrastructure to support this work for users who have no previous experience in working with active materials. The facility also provides access to a comprehensive array of analytical capability, via both new facility equipment funded by this award (e.g. Automated gamma analysis and surface area analysis) and via collaborations formed with a number of 'supporting facilities' both within the University of Southampton University of Bristol. |
| Exploitation Route | The facility will continue to operate as part of the NNUF and access to the facility by academic users will continue to be supported via the NNUF Access Scheme. Users from industry or outside of the UK are also able to access the facility via a 'direct access' approach. |
| Sectors | Aerospace, Defence and Marine,Energy,Environment |
| Description | EPSRC Core Equipment at Southampton 2020 |
| Amount | £704,499 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | EP/V035975/1 |
| Organisation | Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 11/2020 |
| End | 05/2022 |
| Description | Chernobyl Exclusion Zone biota sample characterisation |
| Organisation | British Geological Survey |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Characterisation of biota samples originating from the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. Chemical and radiological analysis of samples via a range of techniques including gamma spectrometry, XRF, laser ablation ICP-MS and autoradiography. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Provision of biota samples for characterisation (University of Bristol). Provision of autoradiography analysis (BGS) |
| Impact | Outputs are pending. It is expected that a publication will be produced in collaboration with the University of Bristol. The primary outcomes of the study will be to better understand the distribution of key radionuclides in biota samples from the exclusion zone and their potential for remobilisation during forest fire events. |
| Start Year | 2021 |
| Description | Chernobyl Exclusion Zone biota sample characterisation |
| Organisation | University of Bristol |
| Department | Interface Analysis Centre (IAC) |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Characterisation of biota samples originating from the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. Chemical and radiological analysis of samples via a range of techniques including gamma spectrometry, XRF, laser ablation ICP-MS and autoradiography. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Provision of biota samples for characterisation (University of Bristol). Provision of autoradiography analysis (BGS) |
| Impact | Outputs are pending. It is expected that a publication will be produced in collaboration with the University of Bristol. The primary outcomes of the study will be to better understand the distribution of key radionuclides in biota samples from the exclusion zone and their potential for remobilisation during forest fire events. |
| Start Year | 2021 |
| Description | Enhanced migration of radionuclides through cementitious nuclear site materials |
| Organisation | British Geological Survey |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | The NNUF-EXACT Facility provides space, materials and equipment for production of test samples and also subsequent radiochemical analysis of subsamples in order to assess radionuclide migration. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Project collaborates with the School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds bringing expertise in geochemical-electrochemical modelling using PHREEQC and related software. |
| Impact | No outputs at this stage. Laboratory based electrokinetic testing complete, data evaluation and processing in progress. It is expected that the primary output will be a peer reviewed paper on the impact of electrochemical remediation on concrete matrices. This is also expected to form part of a PhD thesis for one of the researchers. The collaboration is multi-disciplinary - the project PI from the University of Leeds is based in Environmental Geochemistry. |
| Start Year | 2021 |
| Description | Enhanced migration of radionuclides through cementitious nuclear site materials |
| Organisation | University of Leeds |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | The NNUF-EXACT Facility provides space, materials and equipment for production of test samples and also subsequent radiochemical analysis of subsamples in order to assess radionuclide migration. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Project collaborates with the School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds bringing expertise in geochemical-electrochemical modelling using PHREEQC and related software. |
| Impact | No outputs at this stage. Laboratory based electrokinetic testing complete, data evaluation and processing in progress. It is expected that the primary output will be a peer reviewed paper on the impact of electrochemical remediation on concrete matrices. This is also expected to form part of a PhD thesis for one of the researchers. The collaboration is multi-disciplinary - the project PI from the University of Leeds is based in Environmental Geochemistry. |
| Start Year | 2021 |
| Description | Microfluidic Uranium separation and integration with online ICP-MS analysis |
| Organisation | University of Manchester |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | The NNUF EXACT facility is supporting the testing and evaluation of a microfluidic based separation approach with on-line analysis by ICP-MS. EXACT is providing access to a dedicated triple quadrupole ICP-MS instrument (via the GAU-Radioanalytical supporting facility) and operator support to enable evaluation of the feasibility of coupling a real-time microfluidic separation device for isolation of uranium from solution with an ICP-MS analysis capability. The partner is also working closely with University of Southampton researchers who are also working on microfluidic analysis techniques. EXACT are also assisting with the provision of matrix relevant test samples for evaluation of the system once operational. |
| Collaborator Contribution | The PI and lead researcher from the UoM have developed the microfluidic based system for on-line separation using reduced reagent volumes. They have considerable expertise in the research and development of such systems. |
| Impact | No outputs as yet. It is expected that this project will contribute a significant body of work to the lead researchers doctoral thesis and also result in submission of a peer reviewed journal article. |
| Start Year | 2022 |
| Description | Off-gas emissions of caesium, chlorine and iodine from simulated intermediate level radioactive waste glasses at temperatures up to 950°C |
| Organisation | Sheffield Hallam University |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Use of a Raddec Pyrolyser-trio tube furnace system for heating experiments utilising simulated glass waste samples, doped with Cs and Iodine. Evaluation of resulting off-gas release via stable and radiometric characterisation techniques (i.e. using HPGe gamma spectrometry and ICP-MS instruments). |
| Collaborator Contribution | Provision of test glass waste samples containing different chemical additives to enable assessment of radionuclide retention under melt conditions (i.e. expertise in glass-forming waste materials). |
| Impact | It is expected that the primary outcomes will be e better understanding of the effect of waste glass additives on radionuclide retention thus informing wider scale use in radioactive waste vitrification processes. It is expected that the research will form a significant part of one of the researchers PhD thesis and will also lead to a peer reviewed publication. The collaboration is multi-disciplinary, the PI and primary research working in the field glasses and ceramics from the department of engineering and mathmatics. |
| Start Year | 2022 |
| Description | Provision of industry focused CPD training |
| Organisation | Atomic Weapons Establishment |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Private |
| PI Contribution | NNUF-EXACT staff prepared and hosted four one day CPD training workshops for scientists from the AWE. The workshops aimed to provide focused overviews of two radiometric techniques, Alpha Spectrometry and Liquid Scintillation Counting. |
| Collaborator Contribution | AWE scientists attended the courses at EXACT. |
| Impact | The collaboration resulted in the successful delivery of 4 CPD courses to industry. The courses received positive feedback from attendees and organisers. |
| Start Year | 2022 |
| Description | Remote detection and analysis of radioactive contamination during land remediation using innovative algorithms |
| Organisation | National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine (NASU) |
| Country | Ukraine |
| Sector | Public |
| PI Contribution | Provision of active sources for evaluation of system performance in easily-accessible project space. EXACT also hosted video-linked meetings to allow for remote guidance by the team in Ukraine. Expertise in gamma spectrometry enabled technology validation using conventional gamma spectrometry provided by GAU-Radioanalytical to benchmark data acquired. |
| Collaborator Contribution | The project team set up a series of experimental trials to evaluate the application of a novel portable detector and signal processing system (developed by NASU) as a tool to remotely detect and analyse radioactive contamination during land remediation at the Sellafield site. This system was originally developed to monitor radioactivity in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone and has undergone field trials in Ukraine. The lab-based trials undertaken in the EXACT facility aimed to test the ability of the innovative signal processing algorithms in detecting and discriminating multiple sources of radiation under differing levels of attenuation. These experiments were designed to simulate complex sub-surface contamination plumes and objects that are difficult to quantify using traditional detection methods. |
| Impact | The primary output is a technical report as part of the Sellafield Gamechangers project on the performance of the new detector/signal processing technology with the aim of assessing its applicability for deployment on-site. |
| Start Year | 2022 |
| Description | AIWG Meeting |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | A presentation on the NNUF-EXACT Facility was given at a meeting of the Analysts Informal Working Group. Membership of this working group covers most key laboratories within the nuclear sector and the presentation provided an opportunity to promote the capability of the facility in relation to development and validation of characterisation capability. Meeting held 03.11.21. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| Description | ATLANTIC Annual Meeting |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | A presentation was given at the annual meeting for the Accident Tolerant Fuels in Recycling consortium to update the members on the progress and capability of the facility and built on links established via the project PI and members of the steering committee. Meeting held 11.01.22 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | AWE EXACT Introduction |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | Dedicated NNUF-EXACT Introduction/overview presentation to various representatives of AWE plc. Ten attendees from AWE including Actinides Analysis, Nuclear Verification, Forensics and Environmental monitoring Teams. Q&A session held with a good level of interest experienced from attendees. Presented on 02.08.21. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| Description | AWE collaboration meeting |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | A meeting was held with representatives of AWE plc to discuss possible areas of collaboration around nuclear forensics, automation and radioanalytical method development. There may also be the opportunity to collaborate regarding training associated with the Actinide Resilience Capability (ARC) programme. Meeting held on 03.06.21 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| Description | Birchwood Nuclear Science, Engineering, Technology and Innovation exhibition 2022. |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | EXACT exhibited at the Birchwood Nuclear Science, Engineering, Technology and Innovation exhibition. This event provided EXACT with an opportunity for cross-industry networking and advertisement of capability. Discussions held with a number of visitors resulted in further communication regarding facility capability and usage. Held 21.09.22 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://www.nuclearexhibitions.com/BirchwoodEvent/ |
| Description | Carbon 2022 conference |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | Carbon 2022 Conference. Project Co-I presented at the international Carbon 2022 conference in a special session on reactor graphite. Held 05.07.22 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | EXACT Industry Engagement Event |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | NNUF-EXACT hosted its first Industry Engagement Event on 20th May 2021. The event was hosted using Eventbright and received over 40 registrations from industry and other nuclear sector stakeholders (e.g. NDA). The event gave an overview of the facility, its aims, objectives and opportunities for industry (i.e. how EXACT might help them). Recordings of the talks will be made available for on-demand viewing on the EXACT webpages. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| Description | EXACT/RADER/PLEIADES workshop on radioactive waste remediation and disposal. |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | NNUF EXACT/RADER/PLEIADES/HADES workshop on radioactive waste remediation and disposal. Aim of this workshop was to provide a focused introduction to the NNUF facilities and how they can assist researchers with access to equipment and expertise. The event was held in a hybrid format, with in-person attendance at the three facility locations. Held 28.09.22 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/nnuf-exact-pleiadeshades-rader-workshop-wednesday-16th-november-2022-... |
| Description | Environment Agency Electrokinetic Remediation Workshop |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | NNUF-EXACT was introduced at a workshop hosted by the EA to discuss electrokinetic remediation technologies on 03.06.21. A range of government body representatives and industry/academic organisations were present. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| Description | Korean Institute of Nuclear Safety workshop |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | Introductory presentation on the NNUF-EXACT Facility. Structure, Aims, Objectives. The event was attended by various representatives from the KINS alongside other Korean organisations in the nuclear sector. The talk served to promote and raise awareness of the EXACT facility Internationally. The PI has a track record for successful research with academics from various organisations in South Korea and it is hope that this presentation may encourage future collaborations utilising the EXACT facility. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| Description | NDA Supply Chain event 2022 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | NDA Supply chain event, Telford. NNUF EXACT exhibited at the Nuclear Decommissioning Authorities annual supply chain event in Telford. As this is a significant opportunity to advertise facility capability within the nuclear sector, the primary objective was to raise awareness of the facility across all of the nuclear supply chain. This was achieved through networking and discussion with numerous visitors and other exhibitors. Held 21.07.2022 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://www.gov.uk/government/news/nda-announces-new-date-for-its-group-supply-chain-event-2022 |
| Description | NIRAB Publication 'The UK Civil Nuclear R&D Landscape Survey' |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | Inclusion in NIRAB publication "The UK Civil Nuclear R&D Landscape Survey" under details of selected Government funded research facilities. This publication is now available on the NIRAB website and can be downloaded as a .pdf document. The publication will assist in raising the awareness of EXACT as a research facility to the wider nuclear sector. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| URL | https://www.nirab.org.uk/application/files/3615/9160/6143/The_UK_Civil_Nuclear_RD_Landscape_Survey_A... |
| Description | NIRO UK Fission R&D Catalogue Submission |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | NNUF-EXACT prepared a submission to the Nuclear Innovation and Research Office for their 'UK Fission R&D Catalogue' which aims to document all facilities that could be used for Fission R&D based on a NIRAB recommendation. The submission includes details of the facility space, equipment, supporting facilities, and activity limits for active operations. As this publication is yet to be released the outcome/impact is not yet known. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| Description | NNUF EXACT Newsletter January 2023 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | Fifth NNUF-EXACT Newsletter distributed via EXACT mailing list. Provided an operational and training update, supporting facility case study and user case study. The newsletter was also circulated within the university. Published 04.01.23 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://sway.office.com/1oDDBHKtTov32c44?ref=Link |
| Description | NNUF Symposium |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | An overview of the EXACT Facility was presented as part of a symposium attended by all of the NNUF facilities. The symposium gave an opportunity for potential areas of collaboration to be identified with other facilities and raise awareness of each facilities capability and progress. A number of possible collaborations for EXACT were identified. Meeting held 13.01.22. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | NNUF-EXACT Horizon Scanning Questionnaire |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | NNUF-EXACT Horizon Scanning Questionnaire released. The primary aims of the questionnaire are to gain insights in to the current challenges and research being conducted in the fields of nuclear characterisation, monitoring and remediation. Also to understand future challenges and research focus for the EXACT facility. Participant responses to date have provided valuable insights in to sector challenges from industry, academia and government organisations and provided an indication of key objectives for future research. The questionnaire has also provided guidance on training requirements within the sector. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| Description | NNUF-EXACT LinkedIn Live |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | NNUF-EXACT LinkedIn account launched to increase presence of EXACT on social media. The profile offers the opportunity to interact with other nuclear and non-nuclear sector organisations on LinkedIn. The profile also provides a wide reach for progress updates and promotion of events at the EXACT facility. Followers have been boosted through links with partner organisations (such as the South West Nuclear Hub & GAU-Radioanalytical) who are well established on LinkedIn. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| URL | https://www.linkedin.com/company/42734035/admin/ |
| Description | NNUF-EXACT Newsletter 1 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | Distribution of EXACT Newsletter 1 to key industry and academic contacts. Provided update on Commissioning, Equipment, Outreach and Questionnaire plus links to the NNUF-EXACT website and LinkedIn account. The newsletter raised awareness of EXACT with the recipients but cascading has also increased awareness more broadly within recipients host organisations and partners. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| Description | NNUF-EXACT Newsletter 2 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | Distribution of EXACT Newsletter 2. Provides an update on facility commissioning (including opening date), equipment and supporting facilities, outreach including Twitter/LinkedIn, access procedures and a link to the EXACT mailing list subscribe page. The later provides a useful indication of the level of interest in the facility and also provides an efficient tool for the distribution of future updates and newsletters. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| Description | NNUF-EXACT Newsletter 3 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | Third NNUF-EXACT Newsletter distributed via EXACT mailing list. Provided update on commissioning / opening, supporting facility focus, project case study (potential) and news and events. Published 09.08.21 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| Description | NNUF-EXACT Newsletter 4 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | Fourth NNUF-EXACT Newsletter distributed via EXACT mailing list. Provided an opperational update, supporting facility case study (UoS Geochemistry research group) and user case study (Evaluating the radionuclide composition, distribution and speciation within Chernobyl Red Forest environmental material to better underpin mobility and fire release dynamics). Published April 22. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://sway.office.com/yUkOOgQq3qlaMvWj?ref=Link&loc=play |
| Description | NNUF-EXACT Twitter Live |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | NNUF-EXACT Twitter account launched. Feed included on Southampton hosted webpages. The profile offers the opportunity to interact with other nuclear and non-nuclear sector organisations and also individuals. The profile also provides a wide reach for progress updates and promotion of events at the EXACT facility. Followers have been boosted through links with partner organisations (such as the South West Nuclear Hub) who are well established on Twitter. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://twitter.com/NNUF_EXACT/ |
| Description | NNUF-EXACT Website update |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | Following the initial 6-months of operation significant updates to the EXACT website were published. The updates added further information to the site in relation to capability and also simplified navigation for visitors. Live December 2021. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| Description | NWDRF CWG meeting |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | The Nuclear Waste and Decommissioning Research Forum is a cross industry group that aims to enhance coordination of R&D and technical programmes across UK NDA sites. It represents a key component of NDA research related activities and the presentation provided an opportunity to update the forum on the potential of the EXACT Facility to support related R&D. The meeting also promoted significant discussion around EXACT training and content. Meeting held 22.11.21 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| Description | National Physical Laboratory Conference on Applied Radiation Metrology |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | The National Physical Laboratory Conference on Applied Radiation and Metrology was held over 3 days in January 2020 and covers recent developments in the fields of radionuclide measurement, waste characterisation, decommissioning, nuclear medicine and quality control. An introductory presentation on the NNUF-EXACT facility was given, including: Structure, Aims, Objectives and Facilities. The presentation served to increase awareness of the NNUF and NNUF-EXACT project amongst attendees and stimulate discussion on potential projects / research. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| Description | National Physical Laboratory virtual Conference on Applied Radiation Metrology |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | EXACT gave an update on facility operations and ongoing projects at the annual NPL Conference on Applied Radiation Metrology, specifically within the characterisation theme. This followed on from the dedicated session hosted by EXACT at last years meeting. This provided the opportunity for attendees to gain a better understanding of the types of projects being conducted at the facility and highlight opportunities for future work. Meeting held 26.11.2021. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| Description | Nuclear Decommissioning Authority Meeting on PhD bursaries |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Details of NNUF-EXACT included in a presentation by Ben Russell from NPL (EXACT Partner organisation) regarding teaching opportunities at NPL. The talk served to raise awareness of the intention for EXACT to offer nuclear sector training in partnership with NPL, and give an indication of the types of training which may be offered. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| Description | One day industry training programmes |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | In November and December 2022 EXACT hosted 4 one-day focused workshops for Industry on Alpha spectrometry and Liquid Scintillation Counting as part of ongoing CPD. Not only are these part of a broader CPD training package offered by EXACT but also provide an opportunity for a facility overview and capability showcase. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | RSC Environmental Radioactivity and Radiochemical Analysis 14 conference |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | EXACT exhibited at the RSC Radiochemistry Groups ERA14 conference (held on a three-yearly basis) in York. The conference provided an opportunity to network with both national and international attendees across academia and industry. A talk was also given by one of the UoS facility users. Held 12-15.09.22 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://www.rsc.org/events/detail/46636/14th-international-symposium-on-nuclear-and-environmental-ra... |
| Description | RWM PW CoP forum |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | An overview of the NNUF Facility and its remit was presented to the RWM Problematic Waste CoP Forum. This forum is attended by representatives from across nuclear industry with the aim of sharing best practice and lessons learned in relation to problematic wastes and how to manage these. A summary of how the EXACT Facility can assist in key areas relating to problematic waste challenges such as validation of new characterisation approaches was given and helped to raise the awareness of the EXACT Facility amongst key problematic waste stakeholders. Presentation given on 29.09.21. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| Description | RWM RSO Annual Conference |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | A poster on the NNUF EXACT Facility and its capability was presented at the Radioactive Waste Management Research Support Office annual conference in Manchester. One of the aims of this event was to provide a summary of facilities within the UK able to support research activities associated with radioactive waste disposal. The event provided a face-to-face opportunity for networking and discussion relating to capability and access to the facility. Event from 15-16.09.21. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| Description | Release and promotion of Rad ratings cards |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Schools |
| Results and Impact | Rad ratings cards sponsored. 400 packs produced. These were trialled in schools and promoted on Twitter from 26.10.22 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://uni4me.co.uk/activities/rad-ratings-card-game-resources/ |
| Description | RemPlex Seminar and Round-table workshop |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Invited presentation and round table panel participation, on remediation methods for radiocesium and radiostrontium, RemPlex seminar, Pacific Northwest Nuclear Laboratories (online), USA, February 14 2023. Presentation title: Novel electrokinetic methods for radiocesium and radiostrontium management at nuclear sites - the UK TRANSCEND project. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://www.pnnl.gov/projects/remplex/seminars |
| Description | SWNH Board meeting |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | NNUF-EXACT is a member of the South West Nuclear Hub and this provides a key route for promotion and collaboration (both with other 'Hub' members and farther afield). Board meetings are held twice a year and provide an opportunity to update members on developments and progress - in particular facility capability and usage. The meeting highlighted further areas for future collaboration and facility access proposals. Meeting held 21.09.21. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| Description | Sellafield Game Changers news article |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Following successful facility access (user - ANAMAD Ltd) for testing of a new gamma detector and processing software funded by the Sellafield Gamechangers programme, a news article was published on the Gamechangers website highlighting the key achievements of the project and partners. Released 22.09.22 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://www.gamechangers.technology/news/Team_defies_danger_for_Game_Changers_project |
| Description | South West Nuclear Hub Board Meeting 2022 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | NNUF EXACT hosted the annual membership board meeting for the SWNH, one of our project partners. The meeting provided an opportunity to showcase the facility (and supporting facilities) to the various 'hub' members including nuclear industry (e.g. EDF, Magnox, Jacobs etc.) and academic members (UKAEA). Held 17.11.22 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://southwestnuclearhub.ac.uk/membership/ |
| Description | South West Nuclear Hub February Newsletter |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | NNUF-EXACT featured in the South West Nuclear Hubs February newsletter. Includes an introductory article and more information on how to apply (including link to webpage and questionnaire). Enabled wider promotion of the facility amongst the more established SWNH email distribution contacts. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| Description | South West Nuclear Hub March Newsletter |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | NNUF-EXACT featured in the South West Nuclear Hub March newsletter. Listed under NNUF with full facility name and logo (including link to webpage). Enabled wider promotion amongst the more established SWNH email distribution contacts. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| Description | Southampton University hosted webpage live |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | Launch of the Southampton University hosted NNUF-EXACT website. Includes aims, objectives, facilities and equipment information, access and application information and news/events. Includes links to EXACT Twitter and LinkedIn feeds and headline announcements regarding access calls via the NNUF funded access scheme. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://www.southampton.ac.uk/nnuf-exact |
| Description | TRANSCEND Annual Meeting |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | TRANSCEND annual meeting with presentations highlighting projects hosted by EXACT including volatile radionuclides in glass wastes and electrokinetic remediation of cementitious materials. Held 01-02.11.22 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | UK SMR Programme Meeting |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | Meeting with key UK SMR Programme members (NNL/NPL) concerned with analytical support for SMR projects at which the potential for EXACT to support related technology development was discussed. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| Description | UoS Geochemistry Lab Showcase |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | NNUF EXACT was included within a research group showcase of laboratory facilities. The event provided the opportunity for the promotion of EXACT across the wider University community (i.e. other Schools / Faculties). The meeting resulted in at least one collaboration with university academics outside of the School of Ocean and Earth Science. Meeting held 02.02.22 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | UoS Research and Innovation Services 'Collaborate With Us' publication |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | Article submitted to be included in the Universities Research and Innovation Service publication 'Collaborate With Us' aimed at engaging with external businesses and highlighting research groups/facilities to interact with. This is due to be distributed in 2021 and will promote the EXACT facility across all business and academia sectors currently engaged by the UoS. This will be particularly valuable in relation to non-nuclear sectors. Note that as this publication is to be released shortly, the impact is not yet known. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| Description | UoS Staff Matters article |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | EXACT Overview article published in University of Southampton Staff Matters publication (circulated to all staff). Increased exposure of the EXACT facility to all staff within UoS and highlighted opportunities for collaboration / project work. Published 05.08.21. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| Description | Virtual meeting on nuclear decommissioning, waste management and geological disposal |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Introductory presentation on the NNUF-EXACT Facility. Structure, Aims, Objectives. Primarily attended by academic audience with interests in waste management. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| Description | XIAWG Meeting |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | Presentation given at the Cross Industry Assay Working Group on the EXACT Facility (introduction, aims and capability). Presentation given 27.05.21. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| Description | XIAWG Meeting |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | A short update on the progress of the EXACT Facility was provided to the Cross Industry Assay Working Group. Meeting held 27.01.22 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | XIAWG Pipeline Workshop |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | NNUF-EXACT participated in a cross-industry workshop on challenges and solutions associated with pipeline characterisation and decom. Link to EXACT recorded in workshop 'chat' function. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |