Developing a digital twin for validation of packing optimisers used for nuclear decommissioning

When sorting and packing nuclear waste items, the current practice typically involves human operators wearing full PPEs and/or remotely controlled robotic arms. Major constraints of the current practice include short working shift, large support team, low efficiency, long project duration and high cost. The use of autonomous robotic systems is now an accepted future technological trend, as in principle they can overcome all the major constraints of the current practice, by embedding forward planning based on info from modern scanning technologies, by eliminating human operators’ exposure to harmful radiations, and by making continuous 24/7 operation possible. Some supervisors of this PhD project were involved in a recently completed feasibility demo project (OptiSort), funded by IUK (Innovate UK) and NDA (Nuclear Decommissioning Authority). While the demo project successfully integrated some state-of-the-art technologies into an autonomous system and showcased its potentials, it also revealed some gaps to be filled before the system can be deployed for real-world applications. SATURN_Nuclear_CDT