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Characterisation Services Developments
Nuvia, NNL and Canberra Framework
(ian.adsley@nuvia.co.uk)
April 2012
Introduction
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14:30 – Characterisation Service Developments – Representatives from Nuvia
Ltd, Serco Ltd (Dave Worrall) and Babcock International Ltd
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Nuvia first on – so I’ll try and keep to time..
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Nuvia head one framework with partners of NNL and Canberra
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NNL laboratory – large handling capacity - samples
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Canberra portable systems, gamma camera and neutron detection
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Nuvia bulk systems for ‘big’ projects
• 1 Waste Characterisation Services
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2 Transport Services
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3 Very Low Level Waste Disposal Services
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Nuvia Framework
• The existing capabilities – of NNL lab – and Canberra Instruments –
equipment and service supply - are pretty well known
• As are those of Nuvia who generally use characterisation in support
of ‘big’ engineering remediation projects – so I’ve concentrated on
what is ‘new’ and what has been done under this framework contract
• Put another way seeing I have limited time I’ve just done a few slides
on some of the newer capabilities rather than the ‘baseload’
capabilities
• I suppose it is worth mentioning that because of the nature of the
industry in some of the more interesting and progressive areas there
is some competition in newer technologies – as there should be.
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NNL
• Main resource under the contract is the capability to open and sample
containers – drums/HHISOs and perform laboratory analysis to UKAS
standards for radiochemical and chemical species.
• Newer areas – ‘ILW’ analysis – this will become more important in
‘differentiation’ between the higher level LLW and ILW.
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Preparation of samples for radiochemical, physical and analytical characterisation.
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Activity levels up to 20mSv h-1 gamma
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Visual assessment of samples.
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Diverse sample matrices handled.
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Analysts with high level of experience
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Handling of dry active material.
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NNL - RadBall®: The Technology
RadBall® is a novel, passive, radiation detection device which
provides 3D visualisation of radiation from areas where effective
measurements have not been previously possible.
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Canberra
• Contract – portable and fixed measurement systems – HHISO monitor
at LLWR
• Drum/Container assay
• Gamma cameras – neutron measurements
• Technical consultancy – computer modelling etc.
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New for the UK market - Canberra
• Mobile Characterisation Services.
Extensive experience of trailer-based assay system deployment for US
DoE sites. Can extend to UK.
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Nuvia capability
• I’ve delayed that until a short section to discuss ‘characterisation’.
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Are we sure what we actually want from waste characterisation?
My favourite quote from Tom and Jerry
Spike – ‘Son, dogs bury bones’
Tyke – ‘Why Dad?’
Spike – ‘I dunno son, but dogs bury bones’
Is it the same with waste characterisation – do we do something because
we’ve always done it? New contract should make everybody ‘think!’.
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Characterisation
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For my last talk on this subject I said to Richard Hunter there were about 20 different
talks I could give on this topic
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However as the ‘key’ issue I think it has to be appreciated that characterisation is one
small – but very important – factor in the whole waste management plan for a particular
project.
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In the past this has sometimes been somewhat piecemeal – ‘temporary PCM stores’
with no real plan – FISPIN characterisation for fission product wastes that are then
exposed to rain so most of the Sr90 ‘disappears’ – ‘gross’ techniques for fingerprints –
lack of process between decommissioning, waste and assay teams.
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So if we now look at checking some of these ‘stored characterised wastes’ there may
well be a few surprises in store I’m afraid.
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Or putting it another way – ‘Tradition’ – versus more modern measurement methods
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Hopefully things are better nowadays – but it does need the ‘overall’ waste
management plan of the complete process
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Aim of this section of the meeting
• Two issues for this session:• a/ What is there that people have used and will use to characterise
wastes in the first place …or in other words the ‘first’ characterisation
measurement?
• b/ Experience of working on the ‘second’ measurement under the
LLWR framework contract – and also in the case of this particular talk
the EA framework contract
• And of course – whose measurement is ‘right’? – what does a
difference in the results mean? – who is liable?
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Requirements
• Waste costs are now real! For some sites they were not in the past.
• You have to actually demonstrate what you have got to
LLWR/EA/SEPA satisfaction.
• LLWR reducing total volume of waste from 4Mm3 to 1Mm3 so a LOT of
waste is going elsewhere and there is a LOT of waste to characterise!
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Bigger ‘unit’ volumes - drum to bag monitoring
• In 2005 Bulk Monitoring Workshop at NPL
• ‘Agreement’ to use 1m3 bags PROVIDED there wasn’t something
nasty in the middle!
• That means one has to be confident there aren’t any big ‘point’
sources.
• Monitor land – or HP monitoring or specific items of buildings
• Conveyor or ‘trench’ monitoring
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To ensure bulk waste had no large point ‘nasty’ sources
Trench Monitoring
Conveyor for
radium dials sorting
Chernobyl conveyor
10mSv/h at 10cm (!)
Video on stall
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GEM - Bulk Monitoring - Spoil Heap Bucket Monitoring in CZ6 at OP
NICOLE winner 2010 - Network for Industrially Contaminated Land in Europe
Video on stall
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HiRAM Bag monitoring – old and new trailer mounted system
Over 20,000 bags (and 20,000 drums) and counting – videos.
PACTEC bags on right.
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Remediation of large contaminated site – units m3.
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General land and spoil
monitoring - over 2M
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Conveyor – 200,000 –
radium dials mainly
Plus Chernobyl system
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GEM bag monitor – 20,000
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HiRAM – 600
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Building clearance - DQO/VSP – or ‘whole room measurement’
‘Delicensing’ issues – Oldbury and Harwell
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Median
LoD
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Frequency
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Challenges with characterisation measurements
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NDA DRP LOT 3 – Site Clearance R&D – Dave Worrall of SERCO will say more about
this in the next talk
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Tradition – some wastes have been ‘tried to be’ characterised for over 20 years – and
still haven’t been because of the approach.
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Tradition – some wastes characterised by some ‘interesting’ approaches in the past –
and still await off site disposal
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Large area light items such as ducting – suggest R&D effort
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Pu contaminated materials – Nuvia/RSRL papers at ICEM 2011 – RSRL DO NOT have a
temporary PCM store – others do!
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Mixed ILW and LLW wastes – nimonic springs – control rods in vaults
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New limits – can be hard to achieve
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New challenges of mixed ILW and LLW wastes - 3D and 2D mapping
3D - In vaults – 2D - nimonic springs in MAGNOX swarf
Actual source distribution
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Activity MBq 0.015
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Measured count distribution
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Computed source distribution
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Activity Bq 15000
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IAEA approved method
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Nuvia Support to New Routes for VLLW/ LA-LLW
• In order to divert waste from the LLWR vaults one option is to utilise
landfill routes permitted by the EA to take VLLW and also Low Activity
LLW.
• One such route recently opened is the ENRMF facility operated by
Augean plc.
• For the nuclear industry this route is available through a service
provision offered by LLWR which also includes other similar routes
• Augean plc, RSRL and LLWR will no doubt provide more details on
recent developments at this conference…
• However…
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Nuvia HiRAM measurements
• Nuvia assurance monitored the first nuclear industry wastes to go to
the new ENRMF route from RSRL, for the EA, before the VLLW was
disposed through a service provided by LLWR, to be sent to ENRMF.
• This was reassurance monitoring for the regulator in addition to the
work completed to characterise the waste by RSRL
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Stoneyhill VLLW
• Nuvia SITA NORM plant at Stoneyhill became fully operational on the
5 October 2012.
• To date it has carried out descaling for 4 North Sea operators on a
variety of contaminated components. These include tanks and piping
and we are currently in negotiations for dealing with larger
components such as risers and Christmas trees.
• Nuvia SITA NORM is staffed with fully qualified personnel and
managed by Ewan Hill. The facility has two high pressure water
jetting containments and substantial layup and strip down areas. The
waste products are conditioned in cement and steel drums suitable
for land disposal.
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Radium scale processing at Stoneyhill
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The End
• Hope this was the sort of thing required
• Either questions now/later? or…..
• ….over to Dave Worrall
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