Muon Imaging Applications for Nuclear Waste Management and Decommissioning

  • Matthew Ryan National Nuclear Laboratory, Central Laboratory, Sellafield, Seascale, Cumbria CA20 1PG, UK
  • David Mahon School of Physics & Astronomy, University of Glasgow, University Avenue, Glasgow G12 8QQ, UK; Lynkeos Technology Ltd., No 11 The Square, Glasgow G12 8QQ, UK
  • David Ireland School of Physics & Astronomy, University of Glasgow, University Avenue, Glasgow G12 8QQ, UK
  • Simon Gardner School of Physics & Astronomy, University of Glasgow, University Avenue, Glasgow G12 8QQ, UK; Lynkeos Technology Ltd., No 11 The Square, Glasgow G12 8QQ, UK
  • Ramsey Jebali School of Physics & Astronomy, University of Glasgow, University Avenue, Glasgow G12 8QQ, UK
  • Ralf Kaiser School of Physics & Astronomy, University of Glasgow, University Avenue, Glasgow G12 8QQ, UK; Lynkeos Technology Ltd., No 11 The Square, Glasgow G12 8QQ, UK
  • Craig Shearer National Nuclear Laboratory, Central Laboratory, Sellafield, Seascale, Cumbria CA20 1PG, UK
  • Guangliang Yang School of Physics & Astronomy, University of Glasgow, University Avenue, Glasgow G12 8QQ, UK; Lynkeos Technology Ltd., No 11 The Square, Glasgow G12 8QQ, UK
  • Anthony Clarkson School of Physics & Astronomy, University of Glasgow, University Avenue, Glasgow G12 8QQ, UK; Lynkeos Technology Ltd., No 11 The Square, Glasgow G12 8QQ, UK
DOI: https://doi.org/10.31526/jais.2022.256
Keywords: muography, nuclear waste, characterization, monitoring

Abstract

In the UK nuclear industry, muon imaging is gaining traction as a credible option in the toolkit of techniques for monitoring and inspection of waste packages arising from decommissioning activities across the
UK nuclear estate. Since 2009, the UK National Nuclear Laboratory has collaborated with the University
of Glasgow and Lynkeos Technology Ltd. to develop muon imaging techniques for such applications. In
this paper, we review our experiences in imaging typical waste forms such as vitrified products and corroded sludge. The requirements and expectations of stakeholders and plant operators with regard to waste
monitoring are examined, and the constraints and challenges of deploying and operating muon detection
instruments on nuclear-licensed sites are discussed.

Published
2022-08-05
How to Cite
[1]
M. Ryan, “Muon Imaging Applications for Nuclear Waste Management and Decommissioning”, Journal of Advanced Instrumentation in Science, vol. 2022, Aug. 2022.
Issue
Volume 2022
Section
International Workshop on Cosmic-Ray Muography (Muography2021), Ghent, Belgium
Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Journal of Advanced Instrumentation in Science (JAIS) is an open access journal published by Andromeda Publishing and Education Services. The articles in JAIS are distributed according to the terms of the creative commons license CC-BY 4.0. Under the terms of this license, copyright is retained by the author while use, distribution and reproduction in any medium are permitted provided proper credit is given to original authors and sources.

Terms of Submission

By submitting an article for publication in JAIS, the submitting author asserts that:

1. The article presents original contributions by the author(s) which have not been published previously in a peer-reviewed medium and are not subject to copyright protection.

2. The co-authors of the article, if any, as well as any institution whose approval is required, agree to the publication of the article in JAIS.