- The Institute of Corpuscular Physics (CSIC-UV) is working with the person responsible for the safety of nuclear power plants in Spain to implement a new waste management system.
- The IFIC device, which combines medical imaging techniques and artificial intelligence, is capable of performing dynamic tomography scans of the radioactive activity of nuclear waste containers.
The Nuclear Safety Council (CSN), the only body responsible for nuclear safety and radiation protection in Spain, has granted funding to develop a new project at the Institute of Corpuscular Physics (IFIC), a joint centre of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) and the University of Valencia (UV). This is the Proton project, which aims to develop evaluation methodologies to test a tomographic technology developed at IFIC that allows the visualisation, analysis and control of nuclear waste activity. The project team will take measurements and test these evaluation methodologies at the Garoña nuclear power plant (Burgos).
This project stems from a collaboration that began in 2015 between an IFIC research team led by CSIC scientist Francisco Albiol and the National Radioactive Waste Company (ENRESA). They developed a series of disruptive technologies that enable dynamic tomography of gamma radiation from radioactive isotopes in nuclear waste, thus facilitating waste classification and reducing costs in the process of decommissioning nuclear power plants, which are estimated at around 4,000 million euros in Spain.
Until now, static procedures have been used to determine the activity and dose of a radioactive waste container. ‘The technology we have developed at IFIC allows a more agile tomographic reconstruction independent of the shape of the container and the position of the detectors, taking advantage of the recognition of the environment through artificial intelligence and vision, as well as tomographic techniques adapted from medical imaging,’ explains Francisco Albiol.
However, this technology requires an evaluation by the regulatory body, the CSN, before its incorporation into the industry. In this context, the main objective of the Proton project is to familiarise the CSN with the use, advantages and limitations of the technology developed by IFIC, as well as to collect relevant aspects for calibration and handling. ‘During the project, the aim is to evaluate portable and geometry-independent gamma-ray tomography devices in order to ensure their ability to estimate the distribution and quantification of activity and dose accurately,’ summarises the project coordinator at the CSN, Juan González Cadelo.
Tests at the Garoña nuclear power plant
For the correct evaluation of the technologies developed, the project members have among their objectives to go to the Garoña nuclear power plant (Burgos), where measurements will be taken and the methodologies implemented will be tested. Currently, a prototype has already been validated for the tomographic reconstruction of gamma activity and its three-dimensional distribution in nuclear waste containers, which has led to several patents being obtained for these developments.
This project aims not only to provide confidence-inspiring criteria for the technology to characterise nuclear waste, but also to meet industry regulatory requirements and establish boundaries to ensure the proper functioning of this innovative technology. ‘With Proton, we hope to significantly improve nuclear waste assessment and management processes, thus contributing to safety and efficiency in the nuclear industry,’ concludes Albiol.