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.

IAIN -- **I**ntegrated **A**lpha **IN**strument is an innovative, integrated tool which allows us for the first time to measure and characterise alpha activity remotely, more specifically plutonium on a range of materials such as concrete, The tool permits alpha activity to be measured and sampled providing complete characterisation in <150 seconds. This project integrates the ViridiScreen alpha detector and the ViridiScope laser sampler into a single tool with flexible and robust deployment options giving significant advantage over existing, largely manual approaches. IAIN is safe, clean and is designed with easy disposal of component parts which could become radioactively contaminated. It can be operated in difficult to access areas such as voids, cells and pipework and can be pre-programmed to carry out a sampling campaign, across a wall for example, with the realistic capability to sample and analyse up to 80 samples per day something which would currently take many months to achieve. No scaffolding is required and IAIN can be operated at heights up to 20m from the ground IAIN will use an integrated light detection and ranging system (Lidar) to record sampling positions and therefore has the potential for 3D alpha imaging permitting truly informed, interactive characterisation, something which is currently not available. IAIN will change the way characterisation plans are made in a wide range of nuclear decommissioning areas and has particular application in areas where nuclear fuel has been fabricated, stored or reprocessed, and in plutonium storage areas.

ViridiScope® is an innovative sampling tool for characterisation of nuclear contamination. It is designed to permit the safe, clean and fast sampling of surfaces such as concrete, plastic, wood, plaster and brick for a wide range of radionuclides and for elemental characterisation. ViridiScope® is robust and highly portable, and has been designed to be taken into high activity areas. It can be operated manually or deployed on a remotely operated vehicle and can be used in place of conventional drilling to remove material from a surface. Viridian Consultants has been working in partnership with end-user, Sellafield Ltd, which has allowed us to demonstrate ViridiScope® in a non-active area on site. That experience has set us in good stead to access the other end-users more rapidly but confirmed that it does not automatically open doors to other sites. The aim is to overcome resistance to change, a significant barrier that is endemic in the nuclear industry, and thus gain acceptance of this new approach. Field testing will show companies that the tool is fit for purpose and can deliver in real-world, user-facing projects with the performance needed for a wide range of application areas. We plan to do this by providing the SLCs undergoing characterisation activities with the use of a ViridiScope® on-site for a period of deployment with an ROV, commercial in-situ counting equipment, training and support to allow them to fully test and assess the sampling tool in an active operational environment with high levels of radioactivity. It will show that this technology can offer considerable advantage over conventional approaches, delivering characterisation rapidly, at least cost and with least effort. The UK Nuclear Decommissioning Authority is committed to speeding up the decommissioning of the UK’s legacy nuclear sites which is forecast to cost £117bn over the next 120 years; Sellafield’s Business and Technology Manager Mark Dowson, has suggested that, using ViridiScope®, the savings from separating Low level Waste (LLW) from Intermediate Level Waste (ILW) could ultimately save Sellafield Ltd tens, if not hundreds of £million. Viridian’s innovative nuclear characterisation sensors will be deployed in operating and decommissioning nuclear power plants to contribute to the secure, affordable and sustainable delivery of nuclear energy. The vision is for Viridian Consultants to develop disruptive innovation and become the ‘Go To’ company for nuclear characterisation sensors. The successful commercialisation of ViridiScope® is the key to our ultimate goal of industry acceptance and a route to market.

Throughout the UK and global nuclear markets, there are numerous and substantial long-reach challenges in asset integrity and decommissioning sectors which require new & disruptive technology. REACH is developing an innovative solution for long-reach remote access in Plant Life Extension (PLEX) and nuclear decommissioning markets. PLEX, driven by security of supply, requires remote inspections significantly beyond original plans and at an increasing frequency, with existing technology unable to meet these needs. In the decommissioning industry, many sites contain large spaces that preclude human entry and similarly require remote solutions. With the support of RACE and end-users, with their industry expertise & knowledge, OC Robotics will develop a new long-reach manipulator. The compact, modular system will use lockable links to traverse 10-20m drops; deploying snake-arms at the tip and carrying innovative tools, developed by Viridian Consultants and Createc, for inspection, characterisation & sampling of radioactive environments.

Levels of radioactivity in contaminated buildings on nuclear licensed sites are measured in a variety of ways including surface monitoring, but the only method of analysis for alpha-emitting radioactivity in situ is with the use of monitors which are easily contaminated and damaged by grit and dust, and cannot be used in inaccessible areas, such as pipes. The aim of this feasibility study is to produce ‘ViridiScreen’, a detector based on the measurement of UV light emitted by alpha particles interacting with air, and test whether it is sufficiently robust for operation in hostile, radioactive environments such as pipes, glove boxes and high activity cells. ViridiScreen will fill a gap in the company’s suite of characterisation sensors: the remote sampling tool, ViridiScope®, and ultimately the more sophisticated in situ measuring tool ‘ViridiScan’; making Viridian Consultants the ‘Go To’ company for surface characterisation in the nuclear decommissioning industry globally – a market estimated to be worth £600bn. This capability will speed up the characterisation process on nuclear sites and allow them to be decommissioned faster and more safely.

Kym Jarvis is the Managing Director of Viridian Consultants a microSME bringing innovative solutions to the nuclear industry. She is highly motivated with a track record as a successful research scientist and entrepreneur. She impresses others with her knowledge, enthusiasm, drive and determination. Her career marks her out as a role model for excellence and innovation through leadership. She is an enthusiastic mentor with the skills to motivate and inspire others. Her long term vision is to make nuclear decommissioning safer, cleaner, faster and more cost effective. To do this she plans to develop a handheld tool for complete characterisation of materials in the nuclear decommissioning and homeland security environments which will come to market within 10 years. This new device will reduce risk and radiation dose to the operator and will make Viridian the ‘Go To’ company for surface characterisation in the nuclear decommissioning industry world-wide. The project is to test the concept of a new tool, ViridiScreen which will measure radioactive contamination on a surface and, in real time, remove a small amount of that surface for detailed analysis. This is an innovative solution which could realise savings of many billions of pounds to the UK tax payer and the global nuclear industry.

ViridiScope® is an innovative sampling tool for characterisation of nuclear contamination. It is designed to permit the safe, clean and fast sampling of surfaces such as concrete, plastic, wood, plaster and brick for a wide range of radionuclides and for elemental characterisation. ViridiScope® is robust and highly portable, and has been designed to be taken into high activity areas. It can be operated manually or deployed on a remotely operated vehicle and can be used in place of conventional drilling to remove material from a surface. Viridian Consultants has been working in partnership with end-user, Sellafield Ltd, which has allowed us to demonstrate ViridiScope® in a non-active area on site. That experience has set us in good stead to access the other end-users more rapidly but confirmed that it does not automatically open doors to other sites. The aim is to overcome resistance to change, a significant barrier that is endemic in the nuclear industry, and thus gain acceptance of this new approach. Field testing will show companies that the tool is fit for purpose and can deliver in real-world, user-facing projects with the performance needed for a wide range of application areas. We plan to do this by providing the SLCs undergoing characterisation activities with the use of a ViridiScope® on-site for a period of deployment with an ROV, commercial in-situ counting equipment, training and support to allow them to fully test and assess the sampling tool in an active operational environment with high levels of radioactivity. It will show that this technology can offer considerable advantage over conventional approaches, delivering characterisation rapidly, at least cost and with least effort. The UK Nuclear Decommissioning Authority is committed to speeding up the decommissioning of the UK’s legacy nuclear sites which is forecast to cost £117bn over the next 120 years; Sellafield’s Business and Technology Manager Mark Dowson, has suggested that, using ViridiScope®, the savings from separating Low level Waste (LLW) from Intermediate Level Waste (ILW) could ultimately save Sellafield Ltd tens, if not hundreds of £million. Viridian’s innovative nuclear characterisation sensors will be deployed in operating and decommissioning nuclear power plants to contribute to the secure, affordable and sustainable delivery of nuclear energy. The vision is for Viridian Consultants to develop disruptive innovation and become the ‘Go To’ company for nuclear characterisation sensors. The successful commercialisation of ViridiScope® is the key to our ultimate goal of industry acceptance and a route to market.

ViridiScan is a new tool for on-site, in-situ surface characterisation in nuclear decommissioning applications. It will allow rapid, cost-effective measurement of radionuclides in building materials and will result in considerable cost saving through the better segregation of waste. Currently, samples are removed from surfaces by drilling, exposing the operator to considerable dose and then sent to a laboratory for analysis. ViridiScan combines a proven laboratory technique for the measurement of isotopic composition with a new approach for removal of a sample from a contaminated surface using a laser. The laser head can be used to sample in confined spaces where conventional sampling is not possible. Limited depth profiling may also be possible so that the distribution of radionuclides within a material can be better understood. The need for human intervention at the sample face is removed providing a safer working environment.