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Opportunities for Technology Transfer into UKs
Nuclear Decommissioning Dominic Chadwick School
of Mechanical, Aerospace Civil
Engineering, University of Manchester September
9th 2009
DIAMOND Decommissioning, Immobilisation and
Management of Nuclear Waste for Disposal
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Outline

• Objective To reduce safely the tax payers
  nuclear decommissioning liability
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• The decommissioning opportunity
• Workshops consolidating knowledge from nuclear
  and non-nuclear sectors
• The General Case Integrated Waste Algorithm (GIA)
• Summary
• Acknowledgements
• University of Manchester Nuclear Engineering
  Decommissioning Group
• Professor Bernard Kelly, University of Manchester
• Dr Andrew Lowe, University of Manchester
• Miss Denise Lee, University of Manchester

DIAMOND Decommissioning, Immobilisation and
Management of Nuclear Waste for Disposal
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UK Nuclear Decommissioning

• 70 billion nuclear decommissioning legacy
• Timescale of 100 years
• Over 70 of nuclear decommissioning liabilities
  at the Sellafield site,
• - 4 types of reactor
• - Legacy Ponds
• - Fuel processing plant....
• World market for decommissioning in excess of
  500 billion

DIAMOND Decommissioning, Immobilisation and
Management of Nuclear Waste for Disposal
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Uncertainty

• Plant constructed over 7 decades, records are
  often inaccurate
• Many cells inaccessible therefore the inventory
  unknown
• Difficult to characterise cells without man
  access
• Methods and technologies required to decommission
  these cells are not currently available
• Difficult to place costs and timelines on a
  project with high uncertainty

DIAMOND Decommissioning, Immobilisation and
Management of Nuclear Waste for Disposal
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Experience

• Vast levels of knowledge built up over several
  decades
• Currently knowledge is in isolated packages
  spread across the industry.
• - Crucial to combine
• Other industries may experience similar problems
  to those of the nuclear decommissioning
• They are likely to provide innovative thinking to
  solving long standing problems

DIAMOND Decommissioning, Immobilisation and
Management of Nuclear Waste for Disposal
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UNDEF

• University of Manchester Nuclear Decommissioning
  Engineering Forum
• Provide innovative solutions to the
  decommissioning problem
• Generate value for money research topics
• Ensure the UoM progresses with assistance and
  approval of the nuclear industry

DIAMOND Decommissioning, Immobilisation and
Management of Nuclear Waste for Disposal
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Participants
DIAMOND Decommissioning, Immobilisation and
Management of Nuclear Waste for Disposal
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Generating Ideas

• DIAMOND consortium funded UoM 20k to establish
  technology transfer in the nuclear industry
• Professionally facilitated workshops held by UoM
• Facilitator removed barriers to innovation
  through a variety of techniques
• Generate ideas
• Over 1000 revolutionary and evolutionary ideas
  generated

DIAMOND Decommissioning, Immobilisation and
Management of Nuclear Waste for Disposal
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Sense Making
DIAMOND Decommissioning, Immobilisation and
Management of Nuclear Waste for Disposal
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Research Projects
Robotics - Rhino Ferret Cutting - Endoscopic
Laser Cutting Compaction - Mathematical Size
Optimization Scabbling - Seldinger
Technique Characterisation - Tomography Waste
Extraction - Isolate Pipe Work Knowledge
Management - Cumulative Learning
DIAMOND Decommissioning, Immobilisation and
Management of Nuclear Waste for Disposal
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The General Case Integrated Waste Algorithm - GIA

• Level 1 Steps used in decommissioning
• Used at Sellafield
• IMechE professional qualification
• Level 2 Intelligent Assistant
• Compares all strategies of decommissioning in
  terms of total waste, cost and time.
• Rapidly answers What ifs
• Concept proved and presented internationally
• Level 3 Artificial Intelligent Assistant
• Capable of harnessing innovation and new
  technology

DIAMOND Decommissioning, Immobilisation and
Management of Nuclear Waste for Disposal
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Who Will Use GIA?

• Site License Companies
• - Sellafield, Dounreay...
• UoM already working with key stakeholders, such
  as
• - Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA)
• - Nuclear Installations Inspectorate (NII)
• - Environmental Agency (EA)
• GIA will quantify the advantages gained from new
  technologies
• It is to be used as a decision assistant

DIAMOND Decommissioning, Immobilisation and
Management of Nuclear Waste for Disposal
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Bringing The Knowledge And Experts Together
DIAMOND Decommissioning, Immobilisation and
Management of Nuclear Waste for Disposal
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Summary

• Wide range of technical opportunities within
  nuclear decommissioning
• A truly cross disciplinary UNDEF produced over
  1000 ideas
• Key PhD projects identified
• GIA can provide quantitate business cases to
  potential research projects

DIAMOND Decommissioning, Immobilisation and
Management of Nuclear Waste for Disposal
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Questions?
Thank you Any Questions? Contact
Details Tel [phone] dominic.chadwick_at_postgr
ad.manchester.ac.uk
DIAMOND Decommissioning, Immobilisation and
Management of Nuclear Waste for Disposal