Sellafield monitors nuclear waste with NPL technique

The HAIS technique was developed by NPL using digital image correlation technology, an imaging technique well suited for monitoring integrity and conditions of materials.

Encapsulated waste products have been stored at the Sellafield site for years, and the range of waste products is expected to increase over the next decade as the site evolves.

Inspection of the waste stores is vital for safe storage, but the process is time-consuming. In-situ measurements and deployment techniques are required to demonstrate control and allow appropriate mitigating action where necessary, and reduce dose to workers who currently provide ad-hoc measurement capability.

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Using HAIS, regular inspections can be carried out up to 16m deep into low-level waste stores. HAIS deploys a camera vertically into an inspection port and takes a series of images of the waste storage at pre-determined points.