Development of a radioactive contamination assessment system for energy sector pipework

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The traditional energy industry, relying on nuclear fuel, oil and gas, operates a large number of facilities at or at least nearing the end of their useful life. Quite often these installations empty kilometres of pipework which could potentially be contaminated by natural occurring radioactive materials or radioactive substances as part of the industrial processes. The safe operation and later decommissioning of these facilities poses a major challenge for the operators and society in general. As part of this, the classification of sections of pipework according to their residual radioactive contamination and segregate it into recyclable materials and materials for final disposal.Potentially contaminated pipework is often very difficult to access, especially without putting workers in harm's way. This project proposes a solution in that a directionally sensitive detector for gamma-rays emitted by harmful radioactive materials will be sent through these pipes to report where on the inside of the pipe a radioactive and harmful residue resides. A TRL3 prototype has been developed and this project will elevate it to TRL5 showing a proof-of-concept device ready for mounting on a suitable robotic vehicle.This challenge will be met by researchers from the School of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Glasgow, each contributing their world-leading expertise in the development of radiation sensors, electronics for detector systems and analysis and control software. The team is already closely working with stakeholders in the relevant industries to guide the direction of their research. The resulting system will provide a complete solution for assessing gamma, X-Ray and neutron-emitting radioactive contamination through pipes and provide the necessary information to classify and segregate these into harmful or recyclable waste with millimetre precision.