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Public Funding for National Nuclear Laboratory Limited

Registration Number 03857752

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OPEn HPC theRmomechanical tools for the development of eAtf fuels (OPERA)

no public description

Strengthening the European Chain of sUpply for next generation medical RadionuclidEs (SECURE)

no public description

Fuel Recycle and Experimentally Demonstrated Manufacturing of Advanced Nuclear Solutions for Safety (FREDMANS)

no public description

HARmonised PracticEs, Regulations and Standards in waste management and decommissioning (HARPERS)

no public description

GEMINI For Zero Emission (GEMINI 4.0)

no public description

Low Cost Nuclear Phase 1

The project’s goal is to investigate and develop innovative approaches to nuclear power station design that will enable the development of a new type of nuclear power station that can provide electricity at rates competitive with other technologies such as renewables and Gas with carbon capture and storage (CCS). The project focusses on incorporating the latest digital technologies, factory production processes and waste reduction systems into an integrated design development programme. This project will act as proof of concept that the resulting power station design would meet societal, environmental, technical and commercial requirements. The consortium of 10 organisations delivering the project are targeting successful delivery of this initial phase of work within 16 months. Upon successful completion of this project, the consortium intends to continue development of the novel small modular nuclear power station design; with the expressed goal of deploying a fleet of these cost effective, low-carbon power stations through the 2030s and 2040s both in the UK and around the world. Ultimately, this will enable the UK to meet its carbon reduction goals, address the global climate change challenge and access an export market worth in excess of £200Bn by the 2030s. Successful delivery of this project will yield technologies, processes and tools that are also applicable to other novel power station designs, such as advanced modular reactors (AMR), future fusion programmes and other major infrastructure programmes.

Low Cost Nuclear Phase 1

Smart IMAging for Nuclear "SIMAN"

Public description This project will develop the use of 3D vision in alpha glovebox operations. It is led by SME i3D robotics with the National Nuclear Laboratory as a project partner. The team will develop a 3D stereo vision system that is capable of operation in alpha glovebox environments. This will allow glovebox operators to view the contents of a scene using 2D images or 3D models. Algorithms will also be produced to highlight objects which are deemed sharp or hazardous. A further aim of the project is to interface the systems with robotic and AI (RAI) technologies currently used in nuclear decommissioning. This will allow for autonomous cutting of gloveboxes as well as sorting and segregating nuclear waste. Through a combination of these aspects, the system will also be aimed at advancing the "no-arms-in-gloveboxes" where the contents of a glovebox will be displayed and controlled through robotic systems or teleoperations.

Alpha Glovebox Decommissioning Feasibility Study

"Recent studies and demonstration of new cutting techniques have identified that deployment of robots with lasers for remote cutting operations could offer significant benefit and go some way to achieve the desired outcome of safer, faster and cheaper nuclear decommissioning. However, there still remains significant uncertainty over the capability, integration and use of the technology, therefore there is a need to design, integrate and demonstrate the system(s) to enable size reduction of alpha contaminated gloveboxes and other large alpha contaminated items. This work will identify that laser cutting has real advantages over manual size reduction methods with the use of remote AI technologies. The robot laser cutting system with 7th axis control would consist of a manipulator arm type robot suspended from a movable track/crane/gantry. The robot would be a standard industrial robot -- for example, one from the KUKA KR series -- mounted underneath a movable platform. This platform would in turn be attached to a gantry crane (or similar) above a facility where the system was required. This would effectively allow the robot to be lowered in to the facility from above to perform manipulation tasks. The system needs to have an additional positional system for the platform being deployed. This would enable the position of the platform relative to some home position to be known at any given time. The robot would be programmed to know the position of its end effector relative to its base - which for this system would be the platform suspended from the gantry. Similarly, any tools would know positional data relative to the robots end effector. Thus, by applying the appropriate linear transforms from the home position, it should be possible to work out the exact position of the tool relative to the home position of the gantry. This would allow high accuracy operations to be performed by the robot in the facility. These might include high accuracy scans of a facility (using a point cloud scanning device), manipulation of items in the facility, size reduction, etc - any items which might otherwise be performed by a conventional facility with a stationary robot. The key aspects to success will be through the systematic project management ensuring: • Engineering design • Technology integration • Date fusion and data analytics • Software development • Laser and Fume management developments The output of the project will be a full feasibility study of the system."

Closed Loop Variable Buoyancy Lifting System for In-Pond Nuclear Retrievals

The in-pond harsh environment closed loop variable buoyancy lifting device relies on the Archimedes principle. Archimedes principle states that a body partially or completely immersed in a fluid is buoyed up by a force equal to the weight of the fluid displaced by the body. By changing the volume of displaced fluid, the device creates a variable lifting force. The novel application is to use a closed loop in which the inflation air is stored under pressure in a receiver. This compressed air inflates the variable displacement to provide lift. To submerge the air is transferred back into the receiver via a compressor and a series of control valves. The small observation class ROV systems currently being operated on the Sellafield site will be able to manoeuvre the suspended load. This can be most clearly demonstrated how historically during the era of canal transportation a horse could easily pull a fully laden 100 ton barge along a canal.

Influence of creep and geometry on strength of irradiated graphite components

The proposed work aims to improve the understanding of graphite fracture and irradiation creep behaviour by studying large specimens extracted from a reactor at end-of-service. This uniquely will enable valid fracture and creep data to be determined on material that had seen reactor conditions to high dose and weight loss conditions. Current data are determined on small specimens that are either unirradiated or irradiated in materials test reactors. In particular, the likely life-limiting failure mode is through a process known as keyway root cracking. Here a crack initiates at a sharp re-entrant corner; to study this failure mode in particular requires specimens of sufficient size to give a valid range of notch geometries. In addition, the relaxation of stress by irradiation creep is a key process to mitigate processes at sharp corners. No work on irradiation creep has been performed on corner geometries or at high tensile strain; both of these will be addressed in the current proposal. The results will allow the continued safe operation of reactors, enabling low carbon energy to be produced in the UK.

The University of Sheffield and National Nuclear Laboratory Limited

To develop computer software to enable the prediction melt viscosity for nuclear waste glass. This will be deployed in support of nuclear waste decommissioning R&D delivering significant improvements against the current baseline.

Hazmelt

This 3 year project will enable GTS to exploit the Apollo furnace technology plus glass science knowledge from the University of Sheffield, with direction provided by Sellafield Ltd and NNL, to develop the novel ‘Hazmelt’ thermal treatment process, capable of vitrifying a wide range of Intermediate Level Waste (ILW) streams. The Hazmelt process combines customised glass frits/oxide batch mixes with the ILW stream in a refractory lined melter which uses a novel electrode design (enabling a wide range of temperatures to be achieved) to melt, mix and vitrify the ILW to create a homogenised, highly durable end product with enhanced wasteform passivity and maximum volume reduction, offering a number of advantages over existing thermal treatment technologies for ILW. The project will demonstrate the Hazmelt technology through a series of furnace trials processing a range of simulated ILW compositions.

Immobilisation challenges with Post Operational Clean Out (POCO) residues

The post operational clean out (POCO) of the highly active liquor storage tanks at Sellafield site will require the removal and immobilisation of residual solids from the heel of the tanks. The solids are expected to contain high levels of molybdenum and zirconium which are insoluble fission by-products. Some of the older highly active liquor storage tanks will require washing and stripping of the compacted solids with an alkali reagent due to a lack of engineered methods of solids agitation, one of the preferred reagents is sodium carbonate solution. Both molybdenum and sodium have limited solubility in the current glass matrix used for immobilisation of high level waste (HLW) in the UK. This project aims to address this issue by developing a new and improved glass formulation and method of delivering the glass forming additives into the existing UK vitrification process. This will ultimately reduce the volume of HLW requiring final disposal and accelerate the high level hazard reduction programme at Sellafield.

Mosaicing for Automatic Pipe Scanning (MAPS)

This collaborative R&D project follows on from the successful “Mosaicing for Automatic Pipe Scanning (MAPS)” TSB Feasibility Study that confirmed the feasibility of a novel approach to combining optical hardware and advanced image processing techniques for interactive 3D remote visual inspection (RVI) of pipe work in the nuclear industry. The project aims to progress from this feasibility study to a ruggedized prototype which will be deployed and demonstrated in a range of test environments, both in the laboratory and on-site. The five member consortium includes Inspectahire (INS), University of Strathclyde (UoS), Wideblue Ltd and a nuclear site licence company and is led by National Nuclear Laboratory (NNL). The specification of the hardware will be driven by the supply chain companies (NNL and INS) and the nuclear site license company (SL), to meet both their existing needs and the emerging opportunities associated with reactor lifetime extension and new build programmes both in the UK and overseas. The combination of skills within the consortium is unique, and as such this proposal represents a unique opportunity to develop a world leading capability for nuclear inspection.

University of Strathclyde and National Nuclear Laboratory Limited

To embed hybrid modelling approaches using advanced data-fusion methodologies to process analysis, including scale-up techniques for translation of laboratory experiment based models to manufacturing processes.

Stability of Piezoelectric Materials for Nuclear Applications

This project will test whether a new piezoelectric material, for use in structural health monitoring systems, is suitable for use in nuclear power generation plants. The material's resistance to to radiation damage will be assessed by testing the functional properties of the material after exposure to various doses of radiation. If the radiation hardness is sufficient, the new material could then be successfully used as the basis of sensors that can be permanently installed in in nuclear power plants to continuously monitor the integrity of key components, such as vessels and pipes containing nuclear materials. The sensors would greatly enhance safety and reduce the operation and maintenance costs of the plant, leading ultimately to cheaper electricity.

Modular Radiochem Sample Analysis for Integrated Fast/Cost Efficient Workflow

MicroLab Devices is a micro SME based in Leeds and is working with the UK's National Nuclear Laboratory to develop intelligent instrumentation and special plastic cartridges to help the analysis of nuclear materials in a more cost and time efficient manner which represents an important function to enable the operation of nuclear facilities such as reactors as well as waste processing and storage sites through the UK, Europe and beyond. The system termed “RadSep” not only aids workers in the lab, but it is believed that it can be taken to the sample, to avoid highly active samples from being transported for analysis. This project looks to expand and develop further some of the technology to allow a greater impact to on radiochemical sample analysis, helping to impact positively on the environment, reduce operator exposure in line with the ALARP principle, driving down the repeat rate foe sample analysis therefore saving cost which public safety and future nuclear regulation.

Decommissioning and waste

Large amounts of infrastructure from the UK civil nuclear programme are to be decommissioned over the next 50+ years. During the decommissioning process it is often desirable to remove surface contamination in order to reduce hazard to workers and simplify further processing operations (e.g. providing man access for cutting and size reduction operations). Wet decontamination procedures are commonly employed for this purpose, which generate large volumes of liquid effluent. Management and disposal of effluent is a limiting factor in deployment of wet decontamination processes. This project looks to develop an existing electrochemical technology, in an innovative way, to manage the effluent at source to permit the use of the most effective decontamination solutions. The use of such reagents will speed up decommissioning and reduce decommissioning costs.

Development of Arvia™'s second generation electrochemical technology for the treatment of high-alpha contaminated organic wastes

The joint advancement of Arvia™'s second generation, newly patented organic destruction technology from a technology readiness level of 2/3 to 6/7 by testing it in the National Nuclear Laboratory's Central Laboratory on high-alpha contaminated organic wastes, for which current treatment options are suboptimal or non-existent. Recently Arvia™, a multi-award winning SME, has demonstrated the oxidation of low and intermediate level waste radioactive oil at a Magnox Ltd. site. Commercial opportunities in the treatment of high-alpha contaminated organic wastes have driven this further innovation of Arvia™'s technology. Arvia™ and NNL have access to expertise and facilities that will fully support the project objectives to design, build and test the technology and to evaluate its potential to be taken forward into an industrial product. An anticipated end user, Sellafield Ltd., has expressed written support of and commitment to the project.