NANODOT+: NANOmaterials for the radiometric Detection Of Tritium - PLacement with USers

Lead Research Organisation: Lancaster University
Department Name: Engineering

Abstract

The Nuclear Power Industry is part of the utilities infrastructure that guarantees our energy supply. It has substantial environmental management responsibilities - especially pertaining to its statutory waste management responsibilities. Amongst these, UK Nuclear SiteOperators are required to produce annual reports summarising the previous year's discharges and results from the environmental monitoring programme. The dominant radioactive contaminants include Sr-90, Cs-137, Tc-99 and tritium (T), all beta emitters. Of these, T presents particular issues.

Tritium (T) is a radioactive isotope of hydrogen made during the routine operation of nuclear reactors. This can give rise to waterborne tritium in, inter alia, spent fuel (SF) cooling ponds and SF processing & waste treatment facilities - all potential sources of leakage to the ground and beyond. Waterborne T is most commonly present in groundwater in the form of tritiated water, HTO. As T is an isotope of H, HTO behaves indistinguishably from H2O and so is highly mobile in the environment- its migration rate being identical to the velocity of groundwater due to the HTO/H2O equivalency. This also makes HTO highly mobile in human tissue, with associated health risks - the WHO limit for T in drinking water is <10 kBq/L. Additionally, tritium is a concern to many industries i.e. sea fisheries often command extensive clean-up activities even where T is present at less than accepted statutory limits.

Thus there are pressing health & safety and economic needs for fast, accurate & precise analysis of T in the terrestrial and marine environments around nuclear sites and in the effluents and wastes arising from their operation/decommissioning. Tritium decays with a soft beta emission making rapid radiometric detection in the field very difficult. However Lancaster University (LU) have, for the last 5 years, been working in collaboration with Radiometric Instrumentation SME Hybrid Instruments on the development of a novel device for the measurement of tritium in groundwater that addresses all of these needs - the NANODOT Instrument (NANOmaterials for radiometric Detection Of Tritium).

NANODOT exploits recent advances in nanomaterials fabrication to create solid scintillators modified with nanoporous layers of palladium. By simple electrolysis, tritium may be selectively extracted from aqueous sample matrices and concentrated in the palladium layers. The beta particles emitted from the tritium then excite the scintillator which emits a photon. This is counted by an attached photomultiplier tube, so providing a measure of the tritium in the original sample. Beginning with a NERC PhD studentship for researcher Ghebrehiwot Berhane and subsequently further funded by awards from NERC and InnovateUK, NANODOT has been taken from Technology Readiness Level 1 (TRL1, feasibility) to TRL6 (full system demonstration in relevant environment) in just 5 years. Dr Berhane has led the research throughout.

This proposal, NANODOT+ (NANODOT - PLacement with USers) is for Dr Berhane to undergo 3 innovation placements, with a total length of 1 year, in which the applications of the NANODOT instrument are explored in (i) NNL, a HMG-owned business that provides technical support to Sellafield in meeting its statutory environmental radioactivity monitoring obligations and (ii) two SMEs in the Sellafield supply chain who also support them in discharging these obligations, LabLogic and Hybrid itself.

The outputs of the placements will be a series of case studies showing how the NANODOT instrument may support the host organisations in their T monitoring needs. Initial focus will be on T measurement in real groundwater samples - so taking NANODOT to TRL7, prototype demonstration in an operational environment - although this initial focus will subsequently expand to explore supporting other waste management needs (e.g. leak detection, effluent monitoring).

Publications

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Berhane G. (2020) Tritium detection by electrochemical assisted radiometrics (TRIBECA) in GLOBAL 2019 - International Nuclear Fuel Cycle Conference and TOP FUEL 2019 - Light Water Reactor Fuel Performance Conference

 
Description Objective 1: Having successfully established long-term, sustainable collaborations with Sellafield & NNL in areas such as radiometrics, reprocessing, spent fuel disposal and decontamination, we wish to open new collaborations to support them in the areas of environmental and effluent monitoring.- Fully achieved.

The purpose of this objective was to gain access to groundwater samples from a nuclear licensed site and compile a case study demonstrating the use of NANODOT technology in the measurement of tritium in real samples. Originally we intended to do this in partnership with NNL. However, opportunities with greater promise presented themselves early in the period of the Innovation Placement and these were pursued instead. Specifically:
1. Prospective partner LabLogic (see below) were able to provide us with access to real groundwater samples collected from boreholes on Sellafield site, so allowing us to directly address objective 1 and to compile a case study based on the measurement of these samples. This case study was presented to a meeting of the UK NWDRF (Nuclear Waste & Decommissioning Research Forum) in December 2017 (month 2 of the NANODOT+ project).
2. As a direct result of the presentation to the NWDRF, we were approached by UK's Low Level Waste Repository (LLWR) with an offer to work on real groundwater samples taken from across the LLWR site. We were then given access to the LLWR sample library, resulting not only in measurements on real tritium containing groundwater samples, but also a further lowering of Limit of Detection of the NANODOT technology to the World Health Organisation limit for tritium of 10 Bq/g - the first time we had achieved such a figure.

Objective 3: In collaboration with placement hosts, to prepare and develop a follow-on R&D submission e.g. Lloyd's Register Foundation, Innovate UK, Sellafield's Innovus Game-Changer Scheme. - Fully achieved.
Funding for NANODOT for a further 14 months through to 31st December 2019 has been approved by The Lloyd's Register Foundation.
Exploitation Route As well as working with Sellafield and LLWR, we are exploring the deployment of NANODOT for aqueous phase tritium detection in Fukushima where more than 1 million tonnes of tritiated water are being kept on site in steel tanks. In the first instance, we are pursuing this application of NANODOT via Hybrid's agents in Asia, Adfutec.

We have also very recently opened a dialog with the Culham Centre for Fusion Energy at UKAEA Culham. They are interested in using the NANODOT / TRIBECA instrument for real time, inline monitoring of tritium levels in their effluent waters and in their tritium recovery and treatment plants.
Sectors Agriculture

Food and Drink

Communities and Social Services/Policy

Education

Energy

Environment

Healthcare

Government

Democracy and Justice

Security and Diplomacy

 
Description The NUCLEAR INDUSTRY will benefit directly from the technology generated, allowing them to meet REGULATOR requirements in a way that is faster (increased sample through-put increasing efficacy of leak detection and effluent monitoring programmes), safer (automation reducing human exposure to highly mobile/easily metabolised T) and more cost effective (reduced consumables and analyst time). REGULATORS, in service to public safety, provide statutory requirements for groundwater and effluent monitoring of nuclear sites. They have an economic responsibility too, with the EA obliged (by EU Directive) to maintain a watching brief for the Best Available Technology Not Entailing Excessive Economical Costs (BATNEEC) for T detection. NANODOT may not only obviate the issues with existing techniques highlighted above - it may also address the regulators' BATNEEC imperatives. Thus the regulators, on behalf of THE PUBLIC, will benefit from a new technology providing a faster, safer, more easily deployable and cost effective method for environmental monitoring and characterisation of nuclear effluent/process streams. This will lessen the burden on the taxpayer.as well as providing societal impacts through better monitoring of legacy contaminants in groundwater, early detection of future accidental release and thus greater public confidence. Impact so far has been in the first of these categories as follows: 1. LLWR Ltd manage the UK's Low Level Waste Repository at Drigg, Cumbria on behalf of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority. They are, therefore one of the key implementing organisations in the UK nuclear sector. Using their own sample set, we have demonstrated that NANODOT is a faster, safer and more cost-effective way to measure tritium in groundwaters, resulting in the wider implementation of NANODOT being discussed at LLWR's Site Management Strategy Group meeting in December 2018. As a result of that meeting and further meetings held with LLWR during 2019/early 2020, LLWR are now seeking to include funding for NANODOT/TRIBECA in its NDA-derived research budget for FY 2020/2021 2. Hybrid Instruments are part of the Sellafield supply chain, having a Framework Contract to supply Radiometric Specialist Measurements to site. As well, they are expanding into the provision of instruments to, inter alia: (i) companies and government agencies involved in the clean up operation at Fukushima, Japan; (ii) the UK fusion community and especially the Culham Centre for Fusion Energy (CCFE); and (iii) CANDU Reactor operators in Canada. All three of these areas are currently presenting opportunities for the sale of not only gamma and neutron detectors (Hybrid's core business to date) but also the measurement of tritium. NANODOT's successful realisation of a device at TRL7 that is capable of (a) detecting tritium at the WHO drinking water limit of 10 Bq/g and (b) interference free detection in real groundwater samples from LLWR and (c) capable of real time, inline measurement of highh inventory tritium samples such as obtain at CCFE provides Hybrid with both a new product to take to market as well as a case study to demonstrate the utility of the device when exhibiting at supply chain and trade shows. It is anticipated that impacts in the remaining three categories will accrue once the NANODOT instrument has properly entered the market.
 
Description Lloyds Register Foundation Research Grant Scheme
Amount £2,000,000 (GBP)
Funding ID Lloyds Register Foundation Grant No G0025 
Organisation Lloyd's Register Foundation 
Sector Charity/Non Profit
Country United Kingdom
Start 11/2018 
End 12/2019
 
Description Hybrid 
Organisation Hybrid Instruments Ltd
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Private 
PI Contribution Development of transduction technology for TRIBECA/NANODOT instrument for tritium detection and provision of expertise in electroanalysis of tritium
Collaborator Contribution development of control electronics for TRIBECA/NANODOT instrument and provision of expertise in the radiometric detection of radioisotopes
Impact CONFERENCE PRESENTATION "TRItium detection By ElectroChemical Assisted radiometrics (TRIBECA)", G.Berhane, C.Boxall, M.Joyce, J.Pates, IEEE Nuclear Science Symposium, Hyatt Regency, Atlanta, Georgia, 21st - 28th Oct 2017. CONFERENCE PRESENTATION "TRIBECA2: TRItium detection By ElectroChemically Assisted radiometrics" G.Berhane, C.Boxall, M.Joyce, F.Cave, J.Pates, M.Aspinall, NWMDRF Research Frontiers in Decommissioning and Radioactive Waste Management Conference, University of Leeds, 12th December 2017 CONFERENCE PRESENTATION "NANOstructured beta detectors for the Detection Of Tritium (NANODOT)" G.Berhane, C.Boxall, M.Joyce, F.Cave, J.Pates, M.Aspinall, The Universities' Nuclear Technology Forum, Lancaster University 10th - 11th July 2018 INVITED SEMINAR "TRIBECA: TRItium detection By ElectroChemically Assisted radiometrics" G.Berhane, C.Boxall, M.Joyce, F.Cave, J.Pates, M.Aspinall, The Culham Centre for Fusion Energy, UKAEA, Culham, 5th March 2019
Start Year 2010
 
Description LLWR Drigg 
Organisation Low Level Waste Repository Ltd
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Private 
PI Contribution Measurement of groundwater samples, provided by LLWR Ltd from their Drigg site, for tritium levels using the NANODOT / TRIBECA technology
Collaborator Contribution Provision of real groundwater samples from LLWR Ltd's Drigg site for tritium assay using the NANODOT / TRIBECA instrument.
Impact CONFERENCE PRESENTATION "NANOstructured beta detectors for the Detection Of Tritium (NANODOT)" G.Berhane, C.Boxall, M.Joyce, F.Cave, J.Pates, M.Aspinall, The Universities' Nuclear Technology Forum, Lancaster University 10th - 11th July 2018 INVITED SEMINAR "TRIBECA: TRItium detection By ElectroChemically Assisted radiometrics" G.Berhane, C.Boxall, M.Joyce, F.Cave, J.Pates, M.Aspinall, The Culham Centre for Fusion Energy, UKAEA, Culham, 5th March 2019
Start Year 2018
 
Description Lablogic 
Organisation Lablogic Systems
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Private 
PI Contribution Measurement of Sellafield Groundwater samples for tritium content using NANODOT technology
Collaborator Contribution Provision of Sellafield Groundwater samples for tritium assay using NANODOT technology
Impact CONFERENCE PRESENTATION "TRItium detection By ElectroChemical Assisted radiometrics (TRIBECA)", G.Berhane, C.Boxall, M.Joyce, J.Pates, IEEE Nuclear Science Symposium, Hyatt Regency, Atlanta, Georgia, 21st - 28th Oct 2017. CONFERENCE PRESENTATION "TRIBECA2: TRItium detection By ElectroChemically Assisted radiometrics" G.Berhane, C.Boxall, M.Joyce, F.Cave, J.Pates, M.Aspinall, NWMDRF Research Frontiers in Decommissioning and Radioactive Waste Management Conference, University of Leeds, 12th December 2017 CONFERENCE PRESENTATION "NANOstructured beta detectors for the Detection Of Tritium (NANODOT)" G.Berhane, C.Boxall, M.Joyce, F.Cave, J.Pates, M.Aspinall, The Universities' Nuclear Technology Forum, Lancaster University 10th - 11th July 2018 INVITED SEMINAR "TRIBECA: TRItium detection By ElectroChemically Assisted radiometrics" G.Berhane, C.Boxall, M.Joyce, F.Cave, J.Pates, M.Aspinall, The Culham Centre for Fusion Energy, UKAEA, Culham, 5th March 2019
Start Year 2017
 
Description Attending H3AT Industry Day at Culham 
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 NANODOT / TRIBECA Industrial Partner, Hybrid Instruments, attending an industry open day at the Culham Centre for Fusion Energy, UKAEA, to explore how NANODOT technology may find application in their new multi-million tritium handling facility and national centre for excellence in tritium technology, H3AT.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2019
 
Description IEEE Conference in the USA 
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 CONFERENCE PRESENTATION "TRItium detection By ElectroChemical Assisted radiometrics (TRIBECA)", G.Berhane, C.Boxall, M.Joyce, J.Pates, IEEE Nuclear Science Symposium, Hyatt Regency, Atlanta, Georgia, 21st - 28th Oct 2017.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2017
 
Description Invited Seminar to UKAEA Fusion Centre 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Industry/Business
Results and Impact INVITED SEMINAR "TRIBECA: TRItium detection By ElectroChemically Assisted radiometrics" G.Berhane, C.Boxall, M.Joyce, F.Cave, J.Pates, M.Aspinall, The Culham Centre for Fusion Energy, UKAEA, Culham, 5th March 2019

Outcome was access to high tritium inventory samples discussed and agreed
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2019
 
Description Meeting with Hybrid 
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 4th nov 2020 meeting with hybrid instruments to discuss work programme for follow on funding from sellafield. follow on funding for project to develop technology for on-site tritium detection
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2020
 
Description Presentation at Lloyd's Register Foundation event - oct 2019 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Supporters
Results and Impact presentation of work at meeting of the Lloyd's Register Foundation Centre for the Safety of Nuclear Energy, London, Oct 2019
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2019
 
Description Presentation to Universities Nuclear Technology Forum 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Postgraduate students
Results and Impact CONFERENCE PRESENTATION "NANOstructured beta detectors for the Detection Of Tritium (NANODOT)" G.Berhane, C.Boxall, M.Joyce, F.Cave, J.Pates, M.Aspinall, The Universities' Nuclear Technology Forum, Lancaster University 10th - 11th July 2018
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2018
 
Description Presenting NANODOT in Japan 
Form Of Engagement Activity A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Industry/Business
Results and Impact Visit to Japan as part of Foreign & Commonwealth Office / EPSRC organised trip to promote UK technologies and expertise in assisting the Fukushima clean-up operation. Expectation is to bid into collaborative EPSRC/MEXT UK/Japan research programme when it is announced in the next quarter. Further links established with Culham Centre for Fusion Energy as a result of this visit.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2019
 
Description meeting with LLWR - Jan 2020 
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 meeting with frank taylor of the low level waste repository to discuss funding of nanodot/tribeca work by its inclusion in their R&D budget for 2020/2021
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2020
 
Description meeting with hybrid - feb 2020 
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 meeting with hybrid to review funding opportunities for nanodot/tribeca work
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2020
 
Description meeting with hybrid to review progress on nanodot/tribeca project - june 2019 
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 meeting with hybrid instruments to review future funding opportunities for nanodot/tribeca project
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2019
 
Description meeting with llwr 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Regional
Primary Audience Industry/Business
Results and Impact Meeting with LLWR Ltd Engineers at Sellafield to present on, and discuss, use of NANODOT Instrument in addressing their tritium monitoring needs
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2018
 
Description meeting with llwr at TRANSCEND board meeting 
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 meeting with senior safety case manager of llwr at EPSRC TRANSCEND project board meeting - discussed progress with respect to measurement of tritium containing samples provided by llwr to Lancaster. Follow up meeting arranged.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2018
 
Description nuclear waste and decommissioning research forum, leeds 
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 CONFERENCE PRESENTATION "TRIBECA2: TRItium detection By ElectroChemically Assisted radiometrics" G.Berhane, C.Boxall, M.Joyce, F.Cave, J.Pates, M.Aspinall, NWMDRF Research Frontiers in Decommissioning and Radioactive Waste Management Conference, University of Leeds, 12th December 2017

after presentation, was approached by llwr and culham centre for fusion energy regarding future collaborations - which are now occurring and bearing fruit
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2017
 
Description presentation of tritium measurement results to LLWR and Hybrid Instruments Ltd 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Regional
Primary Audience Industry/Business
Results and Impact LLWR Ltd manage the UK's Low Level Waste Repository at Drigg, Cumbria on behalf of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority. They are, therefore one of the key implementing organisations in the UK nuclear sector.
At this meeting, and using their own sample set, we have demonstrated to LLWR that NANODOT is a faster, safer and more cost-effective way to measure tritium in groundwaters, resulting in the wider implementation of NANODOT being discussed at LLWR's Site Management Strategy Group meeting in December 2018. We are currently awaiting the outcome of that meeting.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2018
 
Description presentation to Sellafield, NNL& NPL Analytical Servoces 
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 Presentation of NANODOT / TRIBECA technology to NPL, NNL and Sellafield Analytical Services Event
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2017
 
Description visit to lancaster by ukaea 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Industry/Business
Results and Impact Visit by representatives of UKAEA to Lancaster to discuss possible use of NANODOT technology in the new tritium national centre for excellence (H3AT) being constructed at Culham in service to the UK's Fusion Energy Programme. Two follow up meetings at Culham arranged.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2019