Part 2 of 2 Parts (Please read Part 1 first)
Globally, decommissioning costs for nuclear power plants range from one billion to one and a half billion dollars per one gigawatt plant. The cost of dismantling nuclear facilities associated with the fuel cycle, research reactors, and nuclear laboratories also needs consideration.
Furthermore, environmental challenges emerge when it is planned to either restore decommissioned nuclear sites to their original state or prepare them for future use. There is a considerable risk of the release of harmful nuclear materials and other pollutants in the event of any minor accidents. The ecological response must be assessed carefully and balanced with the imperative to maintain the site’s functionality and manage risk. These risks include the possibility of catastrophic collapse.
Recently there has been a great deal of progress on robotic technologies and artificial intelligence. Experts are increasingly focused on extending the autonomous operations of robots into more intricate yet harsh environments. There was a recent article in the journal Robotics that discussed special robots which are now being developed to perform complex tasks during nuclear decommissioning.
Handling objects in nuclear environments poses two primary challenges. One is dealing with unknown objects and ensuring their safe manipulation without breaking or dropping them. Haptic intelligence and leveraging tactile sense in contemporary robotics have enhanced the safety of grasping before and during object manipulation.
Recently, a novel approach employing fiber-optic tactile sensors for detecting surface cracks has been developed. This technique offers distinct advantages, designed with nuclear decommissioning in mind. It is intended for use with remotely operated robots. Fiber optics is advantageous because it is not affected by gamma radiation. This provides a potential alternative to electrical cables for nuclear power plant applications.
C-Tech is a company registered in the U.K. It has been carrying out research studies for the past ten years to develop an innovative electrochemical nuclear decontamination system that is much less expensive the current methods.
The first technological innovation announced by the company was its advanced electrolytically assisted surface decontamination (EASD) system. This technology offers controlled, rapid, and cost-effective methods for dissolving surfaces with the use of nitric acid as the medium.
This technology facilitates the removal of radioactivity from contaminated metal by leveraging accelerated electrolytic dissolution of the contaminated metal surface. The resulting radioactive dissolved metal is transferred into the nitric acid effluent. The result of this technique is processed downstream using conventional methods.
Electrochemical Nuclear Decontamination (ELENDES) technology is poised to revolutionize the removal of contaminated organic matter from the aqueous effluent before downstream processing.
ELENDES consists of electrochemically oxidating insoluble organic waste materials at nuclear sites. This effectively eliminates the organic matter that contains radioactive content from the waste material. This advanced electrochemical nuclear decontamination solution provides a safe and efficient means of removing contaminated organic from nuclear waste.
Several challenges still face the process of nuclear decommissioning. The complex planning and safe execution of this process is a major hurdle. The recent technological advancements in robotics and industrial equipment ensure that nuclear decommissioning will become safer and less expensive as time progresses.