Development of a mobile muography system for civil engineering and nuclear applications

STFC RCUK创新奖学金将支持格拉斯哥大学获奖研究员David Mahon博士进行尖端研究和开发，将其转化为创新的3D成像系统，用于民用核能和土木工程行业的商业化和部署。格拉斯哥大学的核物理小组在被称为宇宙射线造影术的无损检测领域进行了世界领先的研究，该领域使用自然产生的背景辐射(宇宙射线µ子)来提供复杂的屏蔽结构的高分辨率3D图像，这些结构无法使用传统形式的成像辐射，如X射线或伽马射线进行检查。从2009年到2016年，该研发项目从英国核退役管理局和Sellafield Ltd.获得了480万GB的资金，以开发一种创新的解决方案，以应对社会面临的最大和最复杂的挑战之一-安全、省时和经济高效的核废料储存。MUOGRATION技术是检查英国大量受到严重屏蔽的核废料桶库存的唯一手段，可以提供有关废料类型、数量以及最关键的是其降解程度的重要信息。这项研究于2016年从UofG剥离出来，成立了Lynkeos Technology Ltd.，这是英国第一家专门从事这项突破性技术的公司。2017年4月，Lynkeos获得了一份价值160万GB的Innovate UK合同，将在核工业中商业化并部署一种首款(FOAK)自传系统，以检查遗留废物容器的内容物。这一第一代系统是与行业内的主要利益攸关方，即国家核实验室和塞拉菲尔德有限公司共同开发的，用于对500升中级废物桶进行成像，并在识别这些容器中的小块铀碎片方面取得了极大的成功。这个泡沫系统将在2018年4月之前在普雷斯顿的国家核实验室设施中部署，然后进行工业成像试验。在STFC RCUK创新奖学金期间，Mahon博士将研究和开发第二代图谱系统的设计，以帮助应对民用核和工程行业的新挑战。这些包括对更大的核废料包裹和塞拉菲尔德遗址上的遗留筒仓进行成像。此外，最近与土木工程行业的接触突显了被动识别桥梁内钢筋锈蚀的可能性，以防止未来的结构故障。这两个新的应用领域都需要更大、更便宜、更便携的探测器技术，这些技术将由格拉斯哥大学作为该奖学金的一部分进行开发，并与Lynkeos合作进行商业化。Mahon博士将与这两个目标市场接触，为其独特的挑战开发定制解决方案，并评估这些市场的国内和国际规模。特别是，他将与国家核实验室和塞拉菲尔德有限公司的代表密切合作，在普雷斯顿的行业试验中进一步验证这项技术，并将Lynkeos Muon成像系统商业化，以便预期未来在塞拉菲尔德工厂的部署。这项创新技术具有无与伦比的潜力，可以为该行业和英国纳税人减少1亿GB的退役成本，并提高核工业的安全性。在STFC作为这项为期三年的创新奖学金的一部分的支持下，这项创新将成功地从学术研究过渡到产业部署。通过这样做，它将为我们的经济带来巨大的提振，并巩固英国作为令人兴奋的字迹领域世界领导者之一的地位。

This STFC RCUK Innovation Fellowship will support Dr David Mahon, an award-winning researcher at the University of Glasgow, to perform cutting-edge research and development into an innovative 3D imaging system for commercialisation and deployment within the civil nuclear and civil engineering industries. The Nuclear Physics group at the University of Glasgow perform world-leading research in the non-destructive testing field known as Cosmic-ray Muography, which uses naturally-occurring background radiation (cosmic-ray muons) to provide high-resolution 3D images of complex, shielded structures that cannot be inspected using conventional forms of imaging radiation e.g. X-rays or gamma rays. From 2009 until 2016, this R&D project received £4.8 million of funding from the UK Nuclear Decommissioning Authority and Sellafield Ltd. to develop an innovative solution to one of the biggest and most complex challenges facing society - the safe, time-efficient and cost-effective storage of nuclear waste. Muography technology is the only means of inspecting the UK's vast inventory of heavily-shielded nuclear waste drums and can provide vital information regarding the waste type, its volume and most critically, its degree of degradation. This research spun-out from the UofG in 2016 with the formation of Lynkeos Technology Ltd. - the first company in the UK specialising in this ground-breaking technology. In April 2017, Lynkeos was awarded a £1.6 million Innovate UK contract to commercialise and deploy a First-Of-A-Kind (FOAK) muography system within the nuclear industry to inspect the contents of legacy waste containers. This first-generation system has been developed with key stakeholders within the industry, namely National Nuclear Laboratory and Sellafield Ltd., to image 500 litre Intermediate Level Waste drums and has been highly successful in identifying small fragments of uranium within these containers. This FOAK system will be deployed at the National Nuclear Laboratory facility in Preston by April 2018 ahead of industrial imaging trials. During this STFC RCUK Innovation Fellowship, Dr Mahon will research and develop the design of a second-generation muography system to help address new challenges within the civil nuclear and engineering industries. These include the imaging of larger nuclear waste packages and legacy silos on the Sellafield site. Also, recent engagement with the civil engineering industry has highlighted the potential to passively identify the corrosion of reinforced steel tendons within bridges to prevent structural failures in the future. Both of these new application areas require larger, cheaper and more portable detector technologies, which will be developed at the University of Glasgow as part of this fellowship and commercialised in collaboration with Lynkeos.Dr Mahon will engage with both target markets to develop custom solutions to their unique challenges, as well as assessing the size of these markets, both nationally and internationally. In particular, he will work closely with representatives from the National Nuclear Laboratory and Sellafield Ltd. to further validate this technology in industry trials at Preston, and to commercialise the Lynkeos Muon Imaging System for its anticipated future deployment on the Sellafield site. This innovative technology has the unrivalled potential to reduce the cost of decommissioning for the industry and the UK Taxpayer by many £100 millions, as well as improving safety in the nuclear industry. With the support of STFC as part of this three-year Innovation Fellowship, this innovation will be successfully transitioned from academic research into industrial deployment. In doing so, it will provide a massive boost to our economy and consolidate the UK's position as one of the world leaders in the exciting field of muography.