IS-Instruments has demonstrated the latest standoff Raman instrumentation at the BECBC Nuclear Engagement event.
Background
The BECBC (Britain’s Energy Coast Business Cluster is engaging the market on behalf of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) and Cumberland Council. The purpose is to explore clean energy development on land near Sellafield.
Additionally, the BECBC frequently hosts events related to the nuclear industry. These include networking opportunities, sector-specific meetings, and technology showcases. Furthermore, BECBC is driving market engagement for clean energy development at Sellafield and leading the Pioneer Park masterplan.
Part of the mission for nuclear decommissioning is to make the process faster and less expensive. It is also vital to minimise contaminated waste and ensure greater safety for human operators. Through a Game Changers call managed by FIS360, ISI developed technologies for remote glovebox mapping. These technologies can also identify harmful substances within them. Importantly, scientists have long-recognised Raman as a suitable technique for analysing materials. However, radioactive environments present numerous challenges.
For instance, adhesives and coatings in instruments degrade quickly. Ionising radiation can also cause spurious signals. In addition, high gamma and neutron backgrounds can overwhelm the relatively low-intensity Raman scattering. Therefore, optics must be protected from radiation damage. At the same time, systems must extract weak signals in high-background conditions. Equally important, instruments need robust designs so probes can survive long-term in radioactive environments.
ISI’s Role
ISI responded to these challenges with the RP1000 standoff Raman probe. Operators can mount the probe on a robotic unit and deploy it into the glovebox or nuclear cell. The probe can take measurements from up to 3 metres from the target sample. The probe sends the Raman signal back to the HES spectrometer, which sits outside of the radioactive environment, via a fibre. Whilst the probe becomes radioactive waste, the more costly spectrometer is preserved, thereby reducing costs and waste volume. By deploying the probe remotely, human operators can remain outside of the hazardous environment.
“Nuclear decommissioning is one of the biggest environmental challenges of modern society. It was a pleasure to demonstrate a technology that enables safer dismantling of legacy gloveboxes whilst also helping to reduce waste and costs. We’re looking forward to the next stage in the development and continuing to support this critical sector.” ~ Dr Jonathan Storey.
Mounting the system on a robotic platform the instrument demonstrated the flexibility required for deployment within the nuclear sector.
