International team to develop remote-controlled machines to clean-up nuclear sites

Engineers are developing remote-controlled submersibles to help in the clean up of nuclear sites.

The technology is being designed to assess radiation – particularly neutron and gamma ray fields – under water to check the safety and stability of material within submerged areas of nuclear sites such as Fukushima Daiichi.

The technology could also be used to speed up the removal of nuclear waste from decaying storage ponds at the Sellafield Reprocessing facility in Cumbria, thereby shortening decommissioning programmes and potentially delivering cost savings.

Led by engineers at Lancaster University - and involving colleagues at Manchester University, Hybrid Instruments plus partners in Japan - the EPSRC-funded research project will develop a remote-controlled vehicle that can go into these environments to assess radiation levels.

The Fukushima nuclear plant was struck by a tsunami following an earthquake in March 2011. Three of the plant’s six reactors were damaged and had to be flooded with seawater to keep them cool and prevent more damage.