Automating Low-Level Nuclear Waste Sorting: Enhancing Efficiency, Safety, and Scalability in Laurentis Energy Partners Facilities

Abstract

Objective: Automation is used in numerous industries; waste management is one example. In this work we design a LLW Automation to improve LEPs process. The goal is to reduce the amount of radiation workers are exposed to, improving the consistency of radiation measurements, and improving the overall efficiency of LLW processing. Worldwide, LLW accounts for over 90% of nuclear waste produced from hospital, industries and nuclear fuel cycle. LLW includes various contaminated items requiring delicate handling. Methods: The apparatus automates three key aspects of the process, weighing the bags, performing 360° gamma radiation measurements, and tritium measurements. Workers involved in the sorting process has been reduced by a factor of 4. Allowing a single worker to operating one or multiple apparatuses simultaneously. The apparatus ensures a standardized method of measuring is applied to every bag passing through LEPs sorting facility eliminating inconsistencies introduced with human intervention. Finally, the apparatus features a modular design, enabling future expansions with new detectors. Conclusion: The apparatus is successfully able to reduce the workers needed for LEPs process by 75% transitioning from 4 workers to 1. While the apparatus may not provide meaningful time savings in its current state, projections with automation ready detectors and parts can improve productivity by 75% (1 unit), and up to 95% (5 unit). It provides significant times savings for LEP through standardized gamma and tritium measurements thus reducing human error and optimizing processing using less workers. Significance: The automation not only improves LEP's process, but also prepares LEP's facilities for higher radiation handling capacity and volumes. The modular design enables expansion and scaling. It allows new technologies and capabilities to be introduced later. Finally, this device improves the efficiency and safety of nuclear waste management through automation.