Development of a mobile muography system for civil engineering and nuclear applications

This STFC RCUK Innovation Fellowship will support Dr David Mahon, an award-winning researcher at the University of Glasgow, to perform cutting-edge research and development into an innovative 3D imaging system for commercialisation and deployment within the civil nuclear and civil engineering industries. The Nuclear Physics group at the University of Glasgow perform world-leading research in the non-destructive testing field known as Cosmic-ray Muography, which uses naturally-occurring background radiation (cosmic-ray muons) to provide high-resolution 3D images of complex, shielded structures that cannot be inspected using conventional forms of imaging radiation e.g. X-rays or gamma rays. From 2009 until 2016, this R&D project received £4.8 million of funding from the UK Nuclear Decommissioning Authority and Sellafield Ltd. to develop an innovative solution to one of the biggest and most complex challenges facing society - the safe, time-efficient and cost-effective storage of nuclear waste.

Muography technology is the only means of inspecting the UK's vast inventory of heavily-shielded nuclear waste drums and can provide vital information regarding the waste type, its volume and most critically, its degree of degradation.

This research spun-out from the UofG in 2016 with the formation of Lynkeos Technology Ltd. - the first company in the UK specialising in this ground-breaking technology. In April 2017, Lynkeos was awarded a £1.6 million Innovate UK contract to commercialise and deploy a First-Of-A-Kind (FOAK) muography system within the nuclear industry to inspect the contents of legacy waste containers. This first-generation system has been developed with key stakeholders within the industry, namely National Nuclear Laboratory and Sellafield Ltd., to image 500 litre Intermediate Level Waste drums and has been highly successful in identifying small fragments of uranium within these containers. This FOAK system will be deployed at the National Nuclear Laboratory facility in Preston by April 2018 ahead of industrial imaging trials.

During this STFC RCUK Innovation Fellowship, Dr Mahon will research and develop the design of a second-generation muography system to help address new challenges within the civil nuclear and engineering industries. These include the imaging of larger nuclear waste packages and legacy silos on the Sellafield site. Also, recent engagement with the civil engineering industry has highlighted the potential to passively identify the corrosion of reinforced steel tendons within bridges to prevent structural failures in the future. Both of these new application areas require larger, cheaper and more portable detector technologies, which will be developed at the University of Glasgow as part of this fellowship and commercialised in collaboration with Lynkeos.

Dr Mahon will engage with both target markets to develop custom solutions to their unique challenges, as well as assessing the size of these markets, both nationally and internationally. In particular, he will work closely with representatives from the National Nuclear Laboratory and Sellafield Ltd. to further validate this technology in industry trials at Preston, and to commercialise the Lynkeos Muon Imaging System for its anticipated future deployment on the Sellafield site. This innovative technology has the unrivalled potential to reduce the cost of decommissioning for the industry and the UK Taxpayer by many £100 millions, as well as improving safety in the nuclear industry.

With the support of STFC as part of this three-year Innovation Fellowship, this innovation will be successfully transitioned from academic research into industrial deployment. In doing so, it will provide a massive boost to our economy and consolidate the UK's position as one of the world leaders in the exciting field of muography.