1. R&D and Innovation in support of
current operations
Prof Graham Fairhall
Chief Science and Technology Officer
National Nuclear Laboratory
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Presentation title - edit in the Master slide

2. Background
•UK long history of nuclear energy
•R&D over past 60 years has
underpinned nuclear development
•Significant R&D programmes
ongoing within National Nuclear
Laboratory and industry
•Over 30 UK Universities involved
in nuclear research

3. UK Objectives
Building a Future: R&D and Innovation
1. Fission-related research programme consistent
with the UK’s nuclear aspirations (fuel, reactors,
fuel cycles, waste management, decommissioning,
disposal).
2. World-leading facilities supporting national and
international customers
3. International R&D programmes with UK as a
partner.
4. Nuclear innovation to underpin commercial success
in domestic and global markets.
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4. Current civil nuclear programme
•Magnox, Advanced Gas Reactor
and Sizewell PWR reactor
operation
•Fuel cycle plant operations
•Legacy waste and
decommissioning programme
•Spent fuel management and
waste management
•Disposition of Plutonium and
Uranium
•
4 Geological
disposal of radioactive

5. Capabilities
• Extensive R&D capabilities in UK across nuclear fuel cycle with subject matter experts in key
areas
- examples: Fuel development, nuclear physics, materials, actinide science, waste behaviour,
robotics, waste processing, environmental science ..)
•Extensive capability in UK Universities undertaking basic science and supporting industry
•Significant industry focussed R&D and capabilities in a range of companies – large nuclear
organisations e.g Sellafield Ltd and smaller companies
•Majority of applied R&D capability in National Nuclear Laboratory
5Wide range of experimental and modelling skills
•

6. Approach to R&D
Active glove box experiments
Laboratory scale fuel development
Lab scale
Non active
Pilot plant
Non active
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Full scale vitrification
development facility
Lab scale
Active
Full scale
active
Sellafield site

7. Integrated multi-scale modelling
Reactor
core
Reactor
System
Components
Reactor
Simulation
Strategic
Assessments
Fuel
assembly
Fuel
Element & Cladding
Fission gas release
Unit
processes
VASP
LAMMPS
ENIGMA
Microscale
Mesoscale
-
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NEXUS
ANSYS-FLUENT
ORION
Integration codes and SAFETY CASES
Engineering
components
Modelling & Simulation Capability
System
TOOLS
CODES

8. Nuclear R&D Facilities

9. UK Nuclear Universities
•Over 300 full time academics in nuclear
research
•30 collaborative projects, 30 Universities
•Involvement of national laboratories and
industry and international universities / labs
•Examples: DIAMOND (Waste management/
decommissioning), AMASS (waste disposal),
MBase (actinide separation), NNUMAN
(manufacturing and fuel), BIGRAD
(environmental/ waste behaviour), Fuel
cladding, materials ..
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10. Process plant inspection
1. Black Cell
2. CAD
Recreations
Inspections
3. Engineered
Mock-ups
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4. Inspection
Solutions

11. Current reactor support
Examples of R&D
•
Post Irradiation Examination of fuel
and materials
•
Reactor core modelling
•
Reactor and station plant chemistry
•
Materials behaviour
•
In situ inspection techniques
•
Fuel design and licensing for life extension
•
Spent fuel dry storage and disposal assessments
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12. Support for spent fuel management
Fast
reactors
ADS
cycle
Thermal
Reactors
Fuel Cycle Modelling using
ORION software
Fuel storage
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Magnox reprocessing flowsheet R&D

13. Legacy waste management
Range of facilities from early nuclear programmes
•
Fuel storage ponds
•
Waste silos and tanks
•
Windscale Pile
•
Reprocessing facilities
•
Vaults
Major R&D programmes to:
•
Reduce radioactive hazard
•
Accelerate the programme
•
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Reduce the costs
Waste sampling

14. Deep geological disposal R&D
Package Performance
Waste Performance
Post Closure
Understanding
UK Inventory
Spent Fuel
High level waste
Novel Wasteforms
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Radionuclides in the
Environment

15. Innovation – waste management and
decommissioning
Muon tomography
Robotics –
Lasersnake
Characterisation – underwater swarms and Radball
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Thermal treatment of waste

16. Summary
•Major R&D programmes over the past 60 years supported the development of the UK
nuclear industry
•Extensive capabilities and subject matter experts in Universities, the National Nuclear
Laboratory and industry undertaking basic research through to industrially applied R&D
•R&D programmes underpinning current nuclear operations and legacy waste management
and decommissioning
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