A three-dimensional integrated gamma-ray and vision system

The nature and scale of the task to decommission the UKs legacy nuclear facilities inherited by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) has been historically poorly characterised and highly uncertain. A key objective for the NDA is to form a comprehensive understanding of the work to be done and the associated costs. Although uncertainties still remain, the total discounted costs of completing the NDA's mission were estimated in 2013/14 to be £69.4 billion. An understanding of the nature of legacy waste is an essential part of the decommissioning process. This proposal targets the process of locating and identifying the nature of the gamma-ray emitting radioisotopes present in legacy nuclear waste. The ability to locate, characterise and correctly partition the waste is key to this strategy and will contribute to a significant reduction in the costs associated with the decommissioning effort.

This knowledge exchange project brings together the University of Liverpool Nuclear Physics Group, STFC Daresbury Laboratory, Canberra UK Ltd and National Nuclear Laboratory (NNL) to develop a field capable gamma-ray sensor, couple it with an existing 3-D vision system and provide control software and reconstruction algorithms for real time image fusion. This system will enable reliable quantification of waste into free-release/low/intermediate level brackets, with the potential to significantly reduce the cost and time of decommissioning.