Sellafield has been called the most dangerous place in the UK, the most hazardous place in Europe and the world’s riskiest nuclear waste site. At its heart is a giant pond full of radioactive sludge, strewn with broken metal, dead animals and deadly nuclear rods. The solution to clearing up Sellafield’s nuclear waste and retrieving the missing nuclear fuel? Robots, of course. And to tackle this mammoth task, the robots are being forced to evolve. Sellafield’s First-Generation Magnox Storage Pond is a giant outdoor body of water that’s the same size as two Olympic swimming pools. It was built in the 1960s to store used fuel rods from the early Magnox reactors – which had magnesium alloy cladding on the fuel rods – as part of Britain’s booming nuclear program. In 1974, there was a delay in reprocessing; fuel rods started corroding and the pond became murky. The pool was active for 26 years until 1992 and is now finally being decommissioned as part of the £1.9 billion spent each year on Sellafield’s mammoth clean-up operation. The pond contains about six metres of radioactive water and half a metre of sludge, composed of wind-blown dirt, bird droppings and algae – the usual debris that builds up in any open body of water. Unlike other mud, it conceals everything from dropped tools and bird carcasses to corroded Magnox cladding and the remains of uranium fuel rods. A number of robotic creations have been used to get to the bottom of the pool’s sludge but struggle to break through the hostile environment. Tethered swimming robots do not have the sensors to find objects in the fine mud, and lack the leverage to lift chunks of metal. Experience at Fukushima has shown robots that are not well adapted to the environment are a waste of time. Enter Cthulhu, a tracked robot that can drive along the pond bed, feeling its way with tactile sensors and sonar. The robot, which is currently in development, is approaching Sellafield’s problem differently. The robot will be able to identify nuclear rods and then pick them up. “Rather than trying to mimic a human, we’re building a robot that can do things humans can’t do with senses that humans don’t have,” says Bob Hicks of QinetiQ, which is leading the project. The name stands for ‘Collaborative Technology Hardened for Underwater and Littoral Hazardous Environment,’ but it’s also a nod to Cthulhu, the godlike alien created by HP Lovecraft: both are amphibious, dwell in strange surroundings, and have sensory feelers.

Wired 14th June 2018 read more »

Sweden’s nuclear fuel and waste management company (SKB) will meet a January deadline to submit new information in support of its application to build a permanent radioactive refuse store, and expects a decision by mid-2020, it told Reuters on Tuesday. SKB’s application for the nuclear waste repository, needed to replace an interim storage facility it is currently using, was dealt a blow earlier this year when an environmental court said it was not sure of the proposed plan’s safety. The company is working on additional requested research and will submit it by Jan. 7, 2019, a deadline set by Sweden’s environment and energy ministry, which will in turn rule on the application, said SKB spokesman Simon Hoff. “We have just received the request by the ministry to continue with the application and submit the additional documents by January 7. We are doing the research needed and will produce what is needed by then,” he said. The court’s objections to SKB’s application, otherwise supported by Sweden’s radiation safety authority, were due to concerns over the ability of the designed capsules to contain the nuclear waste in the long term. “After we hand the documentation, the ministry should decide on the application by the first half of 2020,” said Hoff. The permanent repository, designed to store up to 12,000 tonnes of spent fuel from Sweden’s nuclear plants, could take 10 years to complete and the country’s nuclear plant operators have raised concerns about the delays in authorising it.

Reuters 12th June 2018 read more »

Global Nuclear decommissioning services Market valued approximately USD 4.84 billion in 2016 is anticipated to grow with a healthy growth rate of more than 12.1% over the forecast period 2017-2025. Key factors which give growth to the nuclear decommissioning services market are Nuclear accidents, such as the Fukushima Daichii nuclear power plant accident in 2011, and rising political pressure for pre-closure of nuclear power plants, especially in the European countries, are expected to drive the market. The objective of the study is to define market sizes of different segments & countries in recent years and to forecast the values to the coming eight years. The report is designed to incorporate both qualitative and quantitative aspects of the industry within each of the regions and countries involved in the study. Furthermore, the report also caters the detailed information about the crucial aspects such as driving factors & challenges which will define the future growth of the market. Additionally, the report shall also incorporate available opportunities in micro markets for stakeholders to invest along with the detailed analysis of competitive landscape and product offerings of key players.

Industry Today 8th June 2018 read more »

Sellafield is seeking permission to store extra nuclear waste in a specialised facility on the site for up to 100 years. An application has been lodged with the county council to build two extra plant rooms in the existing Self Shielded Box Storage (SSBS) facility. The facility itself was granted permission three years ago and completed earlier this year. It is designed solely for the interim storage of boxes of waste from the Magnox storage pond which ceased operations 25 years ago. The waste would be stored in the facility as an interim measure until a long term disposal solution – such as a geological waste facility which the Government is currently consulting on – was created.

Whitehaven News 8th June 2018 read more »

As France’s EDF expands into new decommissioning markets, learnings at the group’s first pressurized water reactor dismantling is informing new cutting, tooling and waste strategies. A new partnership agreement between EDF’s decommissioning subsidiary Cyclife and Sweden’s Fortum highlights EDF’s aim to become a leader in the European nuclear decommissioning space. Cyclife and Fortum announced May 30 they will jointly develop services in nuclear decommissioning and waste management, focusing on the Nordic region. European nuclear decommissioning activity is on the rise as ageing fleets and energy policy shifts combine with stubbornly-low wholesale power prices. By 2020, some 150 European reactors will have reached a 40-year lifespan.

Nuclear Energy Insider 6th June 2018 read more »