Costain and Createc develop technology set to revolutionise nuclear decommissioning
Collaborative efforts between smart infrastructure solutions company Costain and technology researchers Createc have resulted in innovative measurement technology for analysing radiation in contaminated structures, a move which could revolutionise nuclear decommissioning.
During decommissioning of concrete structures, operators need to be able to work out accurately and rapidly exactly where the waste classification boundary sits in order to devise a decommissioning strategy to minimise the volume of waste.
The D:EEP (Estimating Entrained Product) development programme enables clients to measure radioactive contaminants within concrete structures, allowing operators to understand what depth they need to go to remove any contamination, improving safety and accuracy as well as saving considerable time and money.
At present, ‘coring’ is the most commonly used method to measure radioactivity and can result in sparse readings, damage to the fabric of the facility, as well as present significant radiological hazards to the operations team.
Using a combination of modelling and spectral analysis techniques D:EEP is a flexible system designed to give the nuclear industry the capability to overcome these challenges and provide intelligence led decisions, removing risk.
Createc was responsible for pioneering the technology, applying knowledge from medical imaging, whilst Costain’s role was providing the leading-edge engineering solutions to enable the integration of the technology into a workable, smart solution.
Speaking on the advantages of D:EEP, David Clark, Createc’s operations director and technical lead, said: “D:EEP can be used to help define a decommissioning strategy at the outset revealing the challenge from the start.
“Any operator who is responsible for concrete structures with radiological contamination is going to benefit from this technology, or any operator responsible for safe disposal of contaminated concrete.”
Matt Mellor, chief executive of Createc, added: “This is all about seeing beneath the surface and seeing differently. The radiation coming out of the surface has the history of its journey through the concrete embedded in it in the form of ‘scatter’. To most, this scatter is an unwanted contaminant in a measurement, but we realised it contained the very information we needed.
“Createc is about the ideas and innovation, taking technology and applying it to a different problem. Once we have the principles in place and we know it works, we look for partners with connections in the market to work with us to turn our innovation into a commercial product.”
Rob Phillips, energy sector director, Costain, said: “This technology advancement is a perfect example of industry collaboration and the role Costain is playing to nurture supply chain innovation.
“We can provide the domain knowledge and engineering expertise to establish the best approach to deployment of the technology developed by Createc and ensure this smart solution can be brought to market rapidly.”
The D:EEP technology was highly commended in the NDA Group Supply Chain Awards collaboration category. It also achieved a Sellafield Business Excellence Gold Award relating to its use in a Pile Fuel Storage Pond dewatering trial.
ENDS
Notes to Editors
Costain helps to improve people’s lives with integrated, leading edge, smart infrastructure solutions across the UK’s energy, water, transportation and defence markets. We help our clients improve their business performance by increasing capacity, improving customer service, safeguarding security, enhancing resilience, decarbonising and delivering increased efficiency. Our vision is to be the UK’s leading smart infrastructure solutions company. We will achieve this by focusing on blue chip clients whose major spending plans are underpinned by strategic national needs, regulatory commitments, legislation or essential performance requirements. We offer our clients leading edge solutions that are digitally optimised through the following five services which cover the whole lifecycle of their assets: future-shaping strategic consultancy; consultancy and advisory; digital technology solutions; asset optimisation and complex programme delivery. Our culture and values underpin everything we do.
For more information visit www.costain.com
About Createc:
Createc creates technologies which solve some of the world’s most challenging problems.
The team at Createc is motivated by, and focused on, using their scientific and engineering skills to have a positive impact on society, both locally and globally.
They are behind some of the world’s most advanced technologies in robotics and computer imaging.
Based in Cockermouth in Cumbria, with an office in Oxford, Createc works in the civil nuclear, medical, aerospace, defence and security sectors.
Createc is widely recognised in the nuclear industry for its success in innovation and problem solving. It has pioneered some of the latest technology which is being deployed around the world to provide accurate, and readily-available, radiological information as well as demonstrating its credibility for developing and implementing many game-changing products such as N-Visage® which has been commercially deployed at Sellafield, and extensively at the Fukushima site in Japan.
The Createc team is a diverse mix of technical experts from fields such as Computer Vision, Robotics, Nuclear Measurement and Optics, with an agile engineering team that can efficiently build prototype systems and develop them into full products.
Createc is also committed to the development of a robust, high-value-added, 'post Sellafied' supply chain in Cumbria.
Each summer the Createc internship programme welcomes up to four students into the company to work as graduates, paid a graduate salary. Createc has funded four PhDs to date, and Createc staff have authored, or co- authored, a significant number of academic papers which have stimulated further research.
Createc’s achievements have been recognised by two Queen’s Awards for Innovation and International Trade.
For further information visit www.createc.co.uk