REACH Deployment Platform

Project

Game Changers

Benefits

There is a reduced risk to workers through reduced dose uptake as REACH would remove the need for workers to access hazardous areas. An increased range of decommissioning activities would also be possible as it allows for characterisation of congested and hazardous areas. REACH provides a simpler solution to accessing and operating in complex environments, reducing the need for costly solutions to be engineered.

Current Status

Proof-of-concept project for REACH began in May 2023. This will develop REACH from the initial prototype into a fully designed, UKCA-marked and actively tested item.

Delivery Partners

Game Changers (FIS360 Ltd and NNL), Eadon Consulting Ltd

Contact Details

Andrew Owens, Jonathan Norman

technical.innovation@sellafieldsites.com

The facilities on the Sellafield site need to be characterised to understand the radiochemical, physical and chemotoxic conditions of the facilities and wastes to reduce uncertainties, develop decommissioning strategies and forecast waste arisings. However, using sensors in areas of interest that are constrained, congested and/or hazardous remains a big challenge and an area requiring further investment.

Radioactive reprocessing cells are particularly challenging to characterise due to their high radiation levels, contamination (radiological and chemical), space and access constraints. Therefore, there is a need for a platform that provides ‘through wall’ capability, which can be deployed at a range of heights with extensive reach and the capability to navigate a cluttered environment.

Recognising this challenge, the POCO capability development team launched a challenge statement through the Game Changers programme for ‘long reach deployment solutions in hazardous environments’. One of the potential solutions is Eadon Consulting’s Remote Extendable Access, Characterisation and Handling (REACH) arm.

REACH has been developed as a high payload capacity, modular system for long-range mapping, data collection and tool deployment in hazardous environments. It offers a reusable and configurable toolkit that can be adapted to suit different instruments, tools and environments. REACH improves efficiency and safety whilst reducing deployment preparation time and cost.

The design is modular to aid deployment and not directly linked to or associated with the device being deployed. This means that there is a possibility for multiple different devices to be used, with a range of different applications beyond characterisation. REACH carries all the workings such as cabling internally. These internals are protected from the external environment, and it can be deployed horizontally or vertically.

The REACH proof-of-concept project will be completed over the course of 18 months with the aim of an active demonstration in a reprocessing cell in late 2024.