ViridiScope®: field-testing an innovative new sampling tool for the nuclear market

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ViridiScope® is an innovative sampling tool for characterisation of nuclear contamination. It is designed to permit the safe, clean and fast sampling of surfaces such as concrete, plastic, wood, plaster and brick for a wide range of radionuclides and for elemental characterisation. ViridiScope® is robust and highly portable, and has been designed to be taken into high activity areas. It can be operated manually or deployed on a remotely operated vehicle and can be used in place of conventional drilling to remove material from a surface. Viridian Consultants has been working in partnership with end-user, Sellafield Ltd, which has allowed us to demonstrate ViridiScope® in a non-active area on site. That experience has set us in good stead to access the other end-users more rapidly but confirmed that it does not automatically open doors to other sites. The aim is to overcome resistance to change, a significant barrier that is endemic in the nuclear industry, and thus gain acceptance of this new approach. Field testing will show companies that the tool is fit for purpose and can deliver in real-world, user-facing projects with the performance needed for a wide range of application areas. We plan to do this by providing the SLCs undergoing characterisation activities with the use of a ViridiScope® on-site for a period of deployment with an ROV, commercial in-situ counting equipment, training and support to allow them to fully test and assess the sampling tool in an active operational environment with high levels of radioactivity. It will show that this technology can offer considerable advantage over conventional approaches, delivering characterisation rapidly, at least cost and with least effort. The UK Nuclear Decommissioning Authority is committed to speeding up the decommissioning of the UK’s legacy nuclear sites which is forecast to cost £117bn over the next 120 years; Sellafield’s Business and Technology Manager Mark Dowson, has suggested that, using ViridiScope®, the savings from separating Low level Waste (LLW) from Intermediate Level Waste (ILW) could ultimately save Sellafield Ltd tens, if not hundreds of £million. Viridian’s innovative nuclear characterisation sensors will be deployed in operating and decommissioning nuclear power plants to contribute to the secure, affordable and sustainable delivery of nuclear energy. The vision is for Viridian Consultants to develop disruptive innovation and become the ‘Go To’ company for nuclear characterisation sensors. The successful commercialisation of ViridiScope® is the key to our ultimate goal of industry acceptance and a route to market.