Characterising encapsulated nuclear waste using cosmic-ray muon tomography

TL;DR

This study demonstrates the feasibility of using cosmic-ray muon tomography with a prototype system to distinguish between different materials inside nuclear waste containers, aiding future waste characterization.

Contribution

It presents the first experimental images of low- and high-Z materials within a concrete-filled steel container using muon tomography, advancing nuclear waste imaging technology.

Findings

Clear discrimination between steel, concrete, and sample materials.

Successful reconstruction of internal objects within a waste container.

Implications for future industrial nuclear waste characterization.

Abstract

Tomographic imaging techniques using the Coulomb scattering of cosmic-ray muons have been shown previously to successfully identify and characterise low- and high-Z materials within an air matrix using a prototype scintillating-fibre tracker system. Those studies were performed as the first in a series to assess the feasibility of this technology and image reconstruction techniques in characterising the potential high-Z contents of legacy nuclear waste containers for the UK Nuclear Industry. The present work continues the feasibility study and presents the first images reconstructed from experimental data collected using this small-scale prototype system of low- and high-Z materials encapsulated within a concrete-filled stainless-steel container. Clear discrimination is observed between the thick steel casing, the concrete matrix and the sample materials assayed. These reconstructed objects are presented and discussed in detail alongside the implications for future industrial scenarios.