ACME: Asbestos Containing Materials evaluation

Viridian is an innovation company supplying nuclear sites with radiometric characterisation tools in support of decommissioning. It has developed a novel laser sampling tool, ViridiScope(r) for use in nuclear characterisation applications and homeland security. It is used for sampling concrete, plaster, brick and other materials that may be contaminated with radioactivity, so that the amount and type of contamination can be quantified prior to decommissioning.

The state of the art for sampling materials for asbestos characterisation is largely manual drilling and scraping, exposing workers to significant hazard and the need to wear extensive PPE including breathing apparatus. ViridiScope(r), which has been proven on several nuclear sites, is specifically designed for sampling highly radioactive material safely, without dust, at height and in confined spaces, so it is ideally suited to sampling asbestos contaminated materials in both nuclear and non-nuclear environments.

This project will test and evaluate the application of ViridiScope(r) for rapid and safe sampling of asbestos containing materials, opening up new markets for Viridian world-wide and helping the company to recover from the effect of COVID-19 that has halted work on nuclear decommissioning sites.