The LongOps project was funded by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA), the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and TEPCO as a collaborative research project to develop digital tools to enable faster, safer and more cost-effective decommissioning. From Japan, the focus was the decommissioning of the Fukushima Daiichi reactors. In the UK, it was Windscale Pile 1 at NDA’s Sellafield site and UKAEA’s Joint European Torus (JET) fusion machine in Culham.
Novel research results covered special software design, teleoperated haptic systems, machine learning, massive data-asset management, and long flexible robots for faster, safer and more cost-effective decommissioning.
FDR promotes a global exchange of information on technologies, operations, management and safety for the research and development activities on decommissioning and dismantling of the Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear poowerplant. Following the successful meetings held in 2019 and 2022, FDR2024 was held in 10th-13th October 2024 in Fukushima, Japan, welcoming over 200 researchers from around the world.
Rob Buckingham, Executive Director, UKAEA commented: “Through our presentations on the achievements of the LongOps project, we have demonstrated a leading collaborative research approach between government, industry and academic sectors. This approach will increasingly be important to apply research into application to bring fusion energy to reality and for the decommissioning of JET and facilities in Sellafield and Fukushima. The potential of exploitation of remote maintenance technologies in other industrial facilities is also significant.”
At FDR 2024, Rob Buckingham gave a plenary speech entitled “The benefits of a digital twin in support of complex long-term remote operations.”
The following UKAEA researchers presented on robotic and digital technologies for hazardous environments which were developed under the LongOps project:
- Kaiqiang Zhang, Principal Robotics Research Engineer, RACE (Remote Applications in Challenging Environments) – “Efficient and Safe Fuel Debris Retrieval Utilising Long-Reach Manipulators Through Advanced Control Techniques and Motion Planning”
- Harun Tugal, Senior Robotics Research Engineer, RACE – “Advancing Evaluation Methodologies for Bilateral Telerobotic Systems in Hazardous Environments”
- Ipek Caliskanelli, Principal Robotics Research Engineer, RACE – “Software development principles for nuclear applications, requirements capture and verification process” (presented by Kaiqiang Zhang on behalf of the author)
- Salvador Pacheco-Gutiérrez, Head of RAICo Technology – “Enhancing Nuclear Decommissioning Through Integrated Sensor Data, Advanced Visualisation and Asset Management: LongOps, What Is Next?”
- Muhammad Rashid Maqbool, Senior Control Systems Engineer, RACE – “Development of datasets and machine learning models to enhance perception for Fukushima Daiichi Decommissioning” (presented by Salvador Pacheco-Gutierrez on behalf of the author)
The UKAEA researchers discussed the applications of multidisciplinary technology to nuclear decommissioning practice with researchers and engineers from reputed universities including The University of Tokyo, Tohoku University and Fukushima University, research institutes including Japan Atomic Energy Authority (JAEA), Japan’s National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology (QST) and Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, and leading industrial partners including Hitachi-GE Nuclear Energy, TEPCO and Tousou Mirai Technology.
The academia and industry cohorts expressed the importance of enhancing international collaborations, especially between UK and Japan, and focusing on research oriented by engineering practice.
The conference chair Professor Koji Okamoto, the Head of Collaborative Laboratories for Advanced Decommissioning Science (CLADS) at JAEA, indicated the need for maintaining a strong, close research collaboration in the field of decommissioning between the UK and Japan in response to common critical challenges in the sector.
At the banquet closing the Day 1 programme, Rob Buckingham called for the formation of “Young Decommissioners” – an international initiative to form a group of talented and diverse people who will lead decommissioning work in the future.
Rob Buckingham said: “Decommissioning is a normal part of a nuclear facility’s lifetime, both in fission and fusion, and a key step in the delivery of a reliable, safe and affordable low-carbon source of energy. It’s an exciting and meaningful area which requires innovative ideas and international collaboration to shape the future.”
If you are interested in collaborating with RACE, please send an email to contactus@race.ukaea.uk.
