The 12th International Conference on Environmental ... - Events

Session 54-55 Abstracts
Photochemical reduction of metal ion valence states to aid in heavy metal deposition has already been extensively studied [1],
with reductive manipulation also being achieved with uranium and plutonium simulants (Ce) [2]. Importantly photooxidation of a
variety of metals, including neptunium [3], has also been achieved. Here we report on the potential application of this technology
to metal dissolution.
4) THE DEVELOPMENT OF A PROTOTYPE OF A MULTI-ARM ROBOTIC SYSTEM FOR DECONTAMINATION
AND DECOMMISSIONING (D&D) APPLICATIONS WITHIN THE NUCLEAR INDUSTRY - 16017
Mohamed J. Bakari, Derek W. Seward, Taylor C. James,Lancaster University (UK)
<strong>The</strong>re are many challenges that will be faced for decades to come in the development of remote handling and robotics for the
nuclear industry in the UK. This paper discusses the development of a robotic system for D&D applications.
With the use of the modern development path of robotics, this paper shows that MARS-ND is a good example of a robotic system
specifically designed for decommissioning applications. <strong>The</strong> paper will also demonstrate the complexity of such a system by
considering a number of aspects including the need for mobility; control; sensors; effective system design; and integration using
modern tools that are available „off-the-shelf‟, or to be ordered with modified specifications to meet the design requirements for
use in D&D application. <strong>The</strong>se modern tools allow a single mechatronics engineer to design, integrate, interface, build and develop
a high-level control system when compared to the traditional way of building a similar robot.
5) A REVIEW OF VORTEX AMPLIFIER DESIGN IN THE CONTEXT OF
SELLAFIELD NUCLEAR OPERATIONS - 16063
Martin Birch, John Tyndall Institute of Nuclear Research (UK); Raymond Doing, Sellafield Limited (UK);
Johathan Francis, University of Central Lancashire (UK); Darren Parker, Land Securities Trillium (UK);
Guobin Zhang, School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering (UK)
Vortex amplifiers have for over 30 years been used to ensure containment of glove-box ventilation in the event of a barrier
breach, the most likely such breach being damage to the glove itself. Containment is achieved using fluidic principles to control
the glove-box depression and ventilation rate under both normal and emergency conditions; in the event of such a breach vortex
amplifiers can switch quickly between these two states without recourse to electrical, pneumatic or manual intervention.
This paper begins by summarising the developments in vortex amplifier design used at the Sellafield site by successive companies
engaged in fuel technology, reprocessing and decommissioning (British Nuclear Fuels PLC (BNFL), BNFL Engineering
Limited, British Nuclear Group and Sellafield Limited). <strong>The</strong> main reasons for design changes have been practical issues of set-up,
cleaning, filter and waste minimisation, and space limitations. <strong>The</strong> development culminates in the use of a smaller version of the
vortex amplifier (VXA) which is a nearly exact geometrical scaling of its predecessor and which has been standard design for over
a decade. Initial use of this device, the mini-VXA, led to a substantial increase in the amount of inert gas needed to maintain the
required oxygen-depletion conditions within the glove-box, implying some escape.
6) DEVELOPMENTS IN THE LONG TERM PRESERVATION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION
FOR NUCLEAR DECOMMISSIONING - 16412
Jon Tilbury, Christina Tealdi, Tessella, (UK)
<strong>The</strong> biggest threat to providing long term access to this managed information is the rate of technology evolution. <strong>The</strong> files and
datasets generated today may be unreadable by the software and systems in use in one or two decades. Also data is increasingly
complex with intricate interdependences between data objects, for example web sites and CAD drawings. Also, digital objects
increasingly have behaviours that mean printing to paper or non-interactive formats such as PDF, may result in vital information
being lost. <strong>The</strong> need for sophisticated active preservation of these records is thus essential.
<strong>The</strong> nuclear industry is not alone in facing these challenges and much pioneering work has been performed in academia and
by national archives and libraries. In order to perform long-term digital preservation, it is necessary to (i) understand the technology
of the material being stored, (ii) be able to decide whether this technology is obsolete (and if so, what to do about it) and (iii)
perform verifiable actions to remove the causes of this obsolescence (e.g. via format migration) or (iv) provide new approaches to
delivering environments in which the original software can run (e.g. via hardware emulation).
This paper will cover developments in the digital preservation and archiving field based on this pioneering work. It will draw
on the lessons of EC funded research projects such as Planets and KEEP. It will also present the lessons from national archive initiatives
in the UK, Netherlands Switzerland and beyond, and show how these are applicable to the nuclear industry.
SESSION 55 - REGULATORY COMPLIANCE, RADIOLOGICAL SURVEYS, AND FACILITY RELEASE
1) RADIOLOGICAL, TECHNICAL AND FINANCIAL PLANNING FOR DECOMMISSIONING
OF SMALL NUCLEAR FACILITIES IN SWEDEN - 16177
Rolf Sjöblom, Tekedo AB (Sweden); Staffan Lindskog, Swedish Radiation Safety Authority (Sweden)
On November 1st 2008, a new ordinance came into force in Sweden. It extends the implementation of nuclear liability to all
nuclear facilities and companies, regardless of size. <strong>The</strong> Government has authorized the Swedish Radiation Safety Authority (SSM)
to issue further regulation as warranted and appropriate, and commissioned the same Authority to oversee the implementation.
Consequently, SSM is presently conducting research in order to establish a basis for the implementation of the ordinance to
smaller facilities and enterprises. <strong>The</strong> goal is to enable finance to be assured in an efficient manner so that any burden on the companies
can become as small as possible.
Thus, functional requirements are identified, and used as a basis for various investigations. <strong>The</strong> aspects include technical and
cost calculation prerequisites, as well as various domains of law: the environmental code, radiation and nuclear safety, financial
reporting, and criminal law.
126