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NUCLEAR ENGINEERING INTERNATIONAL | www.neimagazine.com May 201528

Targeting emergent technologies for D&DAdvances in wireless communications, data sharing technologies and scanning and pattern recognition capabilities could help to speed up and cut the costs of nuclear decommissioning projects. International research efforts are needed to bring promising technologies forward, says Harvey Farr.

The OECD/NEA report “R&D and

Innovation Needs for Decommissioning

Nuclear Facilities” was published in

2014. The report was the culmination of an

effort that began in 2011, which involved

the polling of member countries to identify

decommissioning R&D needs and promising

technologies in five themes:

1. Characterisation and survey prior to

dismantling;

2. Technologies for segmentation and

dismantling;

3. Decontamination and remediation;

4. Materials and waste management;

5. Site characterisation and environmental

monitoring.

The goal of this article is to update the

information in the report with new and

evolving technologies and their potential

D&D applications.

D&D managers are often reluctant to use

new technologies and innovations. But if

we are going to decrease the time and costs

of decommissioning, it is essential that we

start gaining knowledge and experience with

technologies that are already available in

order to capitalise on the rapidly expanding

capabilities of emergent technologies over the

next decade. There are two major objectives

for the near term R&D initiatives: develop

technologies for better, cheaper, faster

D&D; and start and maintain a continuous

improvement cycle.

R&D initiative recommendationsThere are many technologies emerging in

non-nuclear markets that can be adapted

and deployed to benefit decommissioning

efforts now, if the R&D costs are shared.

Based upon the knowledge gained from the

evaluation of emergent technologies, five

“broad spectrum” R&D initiatives and 14

“theme specific” R&D initiatives are proposed

for consideration by member states for

collaborative focus and funding.

The focus of this article is on the five broad

spectrum initiatives. They have application

across themes and provide capabilities

and architecture to support other D&D

innovations. They are centred around five

rapidly emerging technological capabilities

that are being integrated into nuclear reactor

operations and construction projects.

1. Internet of Things – RFID Tags and WiFi

Tags;

2. Location Aware Networks or Real Time

Locating Systems (RTLS);

3. Building Information Models (BIM);

4. Neurosynaptic Artificial Intelligence (AI)

and Pattern Recognition;

5. Expedited 3D CAD.

BIMs are 3D CAD models of the site with

data linked to coordinates. They allow project

management planning and status to be

maintained; users of tablet based work control

systems know where they are within the BIM

and have access to all the information about

structures or components in their vicinity.

These are also essential platforms

for developing interlocks and operator

assistance systems required to safely

and efficiently deploy remotely operated,

autonomous and semi-autonomous heavy

equipment and advanced laser based cutting,

characterisation and decontamination

technologies and to integrate many other

emergent capabilities into D&D.

Neurosynaptic AI can data mine and process

massive amounts of information from plant

drawings, system descriptions, procedures and

manuals and organise it within the BIM. It also

will enable more autonomous equipment use

because the faster, event driven processing

and neurosynaptic architecture has resulted in

robots that learn their environment from video

feeds, spot patterns to identify objects like

pedestrians or other equipment, and learn to

perform tasks from corrections made by human

operators such that over time less intervention

and oversight is required to perform tasks.

Pattern recognition coupled with location

awareness will enable robots and operators in

control centres to know where they are in the

BIM, what objects are they are looking at and

to pull all the information about that object from

the BIM.

Expedited 3D CAD will enable the BIM

to be constantly updated, automating

project management status and situational

awareness and allowing IoT and RFID data

to be tagged to up-to-date 3D CAD models.

This will greatly increase the mapping of

radiation and contaminant data and facilitate

use of geostatistics and kriging to map levels

in 3D. In addition to safety and logistical

considerations, the emergence of these

Plan projectDe�ne objectives & constraints.Bench mark previous experience.Review best available technologies.Project manager led multi-disciplinary integrated work plan &schedule development.

Assess project performanceEvaluate schedule, safety & workperformance.Review suggestions/lessons learned& target those for implementation &further evaluation.

Incorporate experienceResearch & evaluate targetedsuggestions.Document evaluation and lessonslearned results for benchmarkingfuture projects.

Perform projectApprove work instructions,permits & schedule.Perform tasks.Capture negative and postivesuggestions & lessons learned.

D&D continuousimprovement

cycle

Plan projectDe�ne objectives & constraints.Bench mark previous experience.Review best available technologies.Project manager led multi-disciplinary integrated work plan &schedule development.

AAAAssess project performanceEvaluate schedule, safety & workperformance.Review suggestions/lessons learned& target those for implementation &further evaluation.

Incorporate experienceResearch & evaluate targetedsuggestions.Document evaluation and lessonslearned results for benchmarkingfuture projects.

DPerform projectApprove work instructions,permits & schedule.Perform tasks.Capture negative and postivesuggestions & lessons learned.

D&D continuous improvement cycle

Xerafy RFID tags are being used to locate containers

at a French nuclear plant

IT & communications | Decontamination & decommissioning

www.neimagazine.com | NUCLEAR ENGINEERING INTERNATIONALMay 2015 29

capabilities will greatly increase information

sharing and the efficiency of project execution.

Internet of Things In the Internet-of-Things (IoT) sensors and

chips are embedded in devices, and data is

collected and transmitted in real time to onsite

servers or servers in the cloud for storage and

analysis. In a D&D setting, this could be water

processing pump speeds and flow rates; area

radiation monitor dose rates on demineraliser

beds and filters; weights, locations, and dose

rates on waste containers; hours of operation,

fuels use, and location of equipment; or even

personnel identities and locations.

Using IoT capabilities will enable radiological

and hazardous material data to be transmitted

and stored in the cloud in real time from

radiation survey instruments like data loggers

or 3D gamma cameras and from industrial

safety instruments such as oxygen, explosive

gas, volatile organic carbon monitors. IoT

technology was applied during the Japan

nuclear catastrophe, when numerous Geiger

counters owned by individuals were connected

to the Internet to provide a detailed view of

radiation levels across Japan.

Wireless sensors can also be used to monitor

the performance of modular equipment used to

replace the original plant hard-wired systems

such as HEPA units, water processing skids,

and to provide liquid and gaseous effluent

discharge information. Development of an

affordable, adaptable wireless communication

system that is easily deployed and maintained

in a D&D setting is critical to ensure the

technologies discussed in this article can be

brought to bear on decommissioning.

ABB has a modular, solar powered, private

wireless system for use in open pit mining.

The ABB Tropos wireless mesh technology

greatly reduces the need for large towers

and in some cases eliminates it altogether.

Routers, deployed on trailers around the pit,

“discover” each other automatically and

provide coverage for the entire pit. When

the pit topology changes due to new mine

sites, the trailers are simply moved to new

edges, creating coverage for mission-critical

applications within minutes instead of the

months needed for a tower-based design.

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags

can be used to tag information to an object or

person. This allows additional data to be stored

and retrieved in the cloud such as a person’s

training and qualifications, signature authority,

the chain of custody information on samples, or

equipment identification information.

Some nuclear plants are using RFID tags

on containers storing outage equipment to

allow a read out of their contents from a hand

held device. Similarly, information about

equipment can be tagged to an RFID that

uniquely identifies that piece of equipment

and information related to it. Monitors that

sense RFID tagged safety equipment for

personnel accessing construction sites are

already being tested and developed. AREVA is

installing RFID tags on nuclear reactor welds

in France in a building information model

(BIM) application. Nuclear Street reported that

the tags let inspectors identify pipe welds and

their accompanying radiographic images while

calling up quality control data, including the

weld date, serial number, GPS coordinates,

pipe diameter and the welder’s name. The

software that runs the system is hosted on a

local server. The French government’s PACA

labs is testing the project, known as Be-Tag.

Tags that are extremely rugged and resistant

to extremely high radiation doses are also

being developed in the USA.

Building Information Models IoT technologies can be augmented by

technological initiatives related to location

awareness and 4D (x, y, z, time) computer

assisted design (CAD) capabilities.

This technology is currently being used

by control and monitoring systems for heavy

equipment in construction, mining and

agriculture. The coupling of location awareness

of the bulldozers, hauling trucks, etc. within

a 3D CAD model of a mine is being used by

heavy equipment manufacturers to enable

tracking of equipment and personnel locations.

It also allows remote, semi-autonomous and

fully autonomous operation of the equipment

along with command and control tracking from

monitors in a control room.

Systems have been developed to work with

all types of mobile equipment, including trucks,

loading tools and auxiliary equipment as well

as machines from various manufacturers. These

systems can provide monitoring, assignment

and tracking tools to help industry work more

safely, productively and efficiently.

If we can muster the international focus

and collaboration to adapt such systems

to nuclear D&D, it may one day be feasible

to accomplish a major portion of the D&D

activities using heavy equipment remotely,

keeping personnel out of harm’s way. This

would reduce the safety and radiological

coverage requirements and greatly simplify

the planning and execution process.

These systems already exist, as does

fully capable, remotely operated heavy

construction equipment such as the

excavators, trucks, bulldozers, etc. used to

clear debris from Fukushima Daiichi. There,

heavy equipment was operated remotely

using X-Box™ controllers from command

modules in sea/land containers up to 2km

away. Groupe INTRA - INTervention Robotic

sur Accident, maintained by EDF, CEA, and

AREVA, used remotely operated excavators

and bulldozers to clear up the pathways. The

expansion of similar capabilities is being

vigorously developed and investigated.

Use of this type of system coupled with

location aware networks and building

information models may one day allow

decommissioning to be largely performed

from command centres.

Location Aware Communication NetworksReal Time Locating Systems (RTLS) are

available that use time-of-flight information

between wireless transmitters to triangulate

the location of an active RFID or WiFi tag

to within a few meters. Active RFID tags,

also called WiFi tags, are larger (e.g. wrist

watch size) than passive RFID tags (less than

1cm) because they contain a battery and

transmitter. Miniature power sources and

transmitters are under development promising

to shrink these devices to passive RFID sizes.

New RTLS systems can locate a WiFi tag

to within a few centimetres. This will enable

IoT information to be tagged to physical

coordinates in time and space throughout a

decommissioning facility. This means that

both dynamic and real time data as well as

facility design data can be linked spatially

and made available for download and

analysis in the cloud.

Remotely controlled machinery removes rubble at Fukushima (Source: TEPCO)

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NUCLEAR ENGINEERING INTERNATIONAL | www.neimagazine.com May 201530

A company is currently testing a

tablet based, paperless, work control and

document control system that enables work

orders, drawings, survey maps, etc. to be

downloaded, completed and updated in

the field. Scanning a bar code on a piece of

equipment allows it to be identified and all

document control information related to it

to be downloaded to the tablet in the field.

This capability is currently being tested at US

operating nuclear plant outages. Construction

based software such as Procore also has

project management, scheduling, and financial

tracking capabilities that can be accessed from

computers, tablets or smart phones. Wireless

location awareness capabilities will eliminate

the necessity of bar coding equipment.

RFID technology together with 3D CAD/

Geographic Information System (GIS) models

are being used to locate and track buried

commodities.

Radiation Safety and Control Services, Inc.

is currently working with Exelon to develop

exactly that kind of system for groundwater

protection and underground asset management

initiatives using GIS/GPS based location

awareness. A complete 3D CAD/GIS model of

the site including outdoor above ground and

underground commodities is being developed.

It shows piping runs, duct banks, storm drains,

pits, pumps, valves and positions them in

3D space linked to each asset’s information,

which is stored as a database. By knowing

the location of a tablet or smart phone,

objects within a certain radius can be tagged.

Data tagged with the 3D coordinates is also

uploaded in real time to the cloud. This could be

well monitoring data, such as water level, pH,

etc. Sample data on a well or systems giving

contaminants and concentrations or inspection

data, is collected real-time in the field. The

facility design and operation data as well as the

IoT data are stored in a GIS database such that

all the information related to systems, samples

etc. within a certain radius of a location can

be retrieved and the exact location of an

underground component can be identified.

The coupling of IoT data, location

awareness, and 3D digital models is

already being used to facilitate information

management and use of autonomous and

semi-autonomous capabilities. This will

enable significant efficiencies and safety

enhancements to be brought to bear on

decommissioning when one thinks about

the value of tagging and mapping data to

a 3D coordinate system and the situational

awareness and safety interlocks for remote

equipment that can be developed from

this. Efficiency gains include elimination

of the intermediate steps to map, survey

and analyse contaminant data; automated

schedule and status update capabilities;

automated inventory of equipment and

waste packages; and remote monitoring of

equipment.

In the construction and architect

engineering realms, systems that capitalise

on these capabilities are being developed.

Capabilities are being developed to tag project

completion information to the 3D digital model

of a facility under construction to enable real

time tracking of progress. This frees resources

from updating status and enables more focus

on predictive scheduling and optioneering.

Physical installation of IoT tagged materials

and items as well as real time tracking of work

order information allows a real time project

status to be maintained. BIM technologies

with sensors are also being used for

constructed buildings to track maintenance

and equipment performance and even usage

patterns of the occupants. The data are

uploaded in real time and can be used to aid in

increasing the efficiency and performance of

future designs.

R&D initiatives to bring IoT and BIM

technologies to bear on decommissioning

will provide the framework for integration of

robotic capabilities, data management (such

as geostatistical), and project management

capabilities that can improve the cost and

efficiency of decommissioning. 4D CAD

models are starting to be used to design, plan,

schedule and operate construction projects

in order to more efficiently plan and manage

complex projects where safety hazards

and conflicts between work groups have a

high potential. These technologies are also

being applied to planning deconstruction or

demolition projects. Électricité de France has

initiated a plant lifecycle management (PLM)

project for new build and existing nuclear

facility models, methodologies and tools able

to ensure that these construction requirements

are fulfilled. 3D data aims, in this context, to

provide not only the as-designed but also the

as-built representation of the geometry of the

facility components (HVAC, cable trays, pipes,

valves etc.) as well as their relative positions.

The PLM includes a database on information

related to the 3D CAD model. The goal is to

take into account the whole plant lifecycle:

engineering, building, operating, maintaining

and decommissioning. Algorithms and

computer modelling can be used within these

frameworks to determine the most efficient

sequences for specific activities.

Neurosynaptic pattern recognition Dynamic pattern recognition and 3D

CAD capabilities are rapidly developing

technologies that augment those discussed

above, especially in a changing construction

or decommissioning environment. Pattern

recognition is the ability to identify objects

from photographs or video feeds or to identify

correlations or relationships in data.

There have been initiatives to develop

neurosynaptic algorithms, computers, and

chips whose design is based upon studies

of the neural networks of mammalian

brains. The neurosynaptic architecture

has the potential to revolutionise the

computer industry by integrating brain-like

capability into devices where computation is

constrained by power and speed.

Systems of Neuromorphic Adaptive Plastic

Scalable Electronics (SyNAPSE) is a U.S.

Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency

(DARPA) funded programme that started

in 2008 to develop electronic neuromorphic

machine technology that scales to biological

levels. These efforts have developed several

different neurosynaptic chips that process

data much faster and more efficiently than

conventional chips ,resulting in vastly improved

pattern recognition and artificial intelligence

capabilities. The final phase of the DARPA

initiative, targeted to be completed in 2017, is

the fabrication of a multi-chip neural system

of 108 neurons (100 million) for installation

in a robot that performs autonomously at a

cat’s level of cognition. The ultimate vision is

to build a cognitive computing architecture

that approximates the number of neurons and

synapses estimated in the human brain.

These capabilities promise to speed the

introduction of robots into new areas of use

beyond the fixed position applications on

factory floors. A second wave of robotically

performed work is coming and it will be as

revolutionary for construction and material

handling applications as the first wave of

fixed position robotics was for manufacturing.

In August 2014 IBM announced the

release of its TrueNorth neurosynaptic

“ Pattern recognition and neuromorphic programing should be a high priority R&D initiative for the global D&D community ”

IBM unveiled its TrueNorth neurosynaptic chip in August 2014(Source: IBM)

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www.neimagazine.com | NUCLEAR ENGINEERING INTERNATIONALMay 2015 31

chips. Each TrueNorth chip consists of 4096

neurosynaptic cores arranged in a 64×64 grid

and is based on a brain-inspired computer

architecture. It is powered by one million

neurons and 256 million synapses.

In the near term TrueNorth can provide

an extremely efficient coprocessor to handle

sensor input, computer vision, AI (self-driving

cars), and other emerging spheres in personal/

wearable computing. These attributes will

surely rapidly expand the capabilities of

autonomous equipment and tracking and

control like systems. TrueNorth is also energy

efficient, consuming only 70mW during

real-time operation. At 400 billion synaptic

operations per second per watt this is about

176,000 times more efficient than a modern

CPU running the same brain-like workload,

and 769 times more efficient than other state-

of-the-art neuromorphic approaches.

In the UK, Stephen Furber of the University

of Manchester is working on a supercomputer

constructed from conventional digital-

based low-power computer chips. So-called

SpiNNaker now consists of 20,000 chips, each

of which represents 1000 neurons. Furber

expects that number will rise eventually to a

1-million-chip system representing 1 billion

neurons—about 1% of the neurons in the

human brain.

“Core”-type self-contained neural networks

operate in parallel, without a clock, in an

event-driven fashion and they integrate

memory, computation, and communication.

Individual cores can fail and yet, like the brain,

the architecture can still function. Cores on the

same chip communicate with one another via

an on-chip event-driven network via an inter-

chip interface leading to seamless scalability

like the cortex, enabling creation of scalable

neuromorphic systems. This technology is

already being used for pattern recognition in

live video feeds. IBM has a monitor streaming

video of Hoover Tower at Stanford University

looking down at the plaza, below. The system

is trained to recognise buses, cars, people, and

cyclists in the live video feed. As each shape

enters the scene, it’s briefly surrounded by a

splash of colour: purple for cyclists; green for

pedestrians; dark blue for cars; sky blue for

trucks; and yellow for buses.

These chips not only allow robots to

perceive their environment through pattern

recognition image processing, but to learn by

performing tasks while remotely controlled.

IBM’s neuromorphic team leader Dharmendra

Modha stated that neuromorphically

heightened perception will give robots

the wherewithal to navigate hazardous

environments, such as a damaged nuclear

reactor, “without guidance from a human

operator, beaming back data on radiation and

other conditions in real time.”

HRL Laboratories LLC is also working

on a neuromorphic chip, which can process

visual data fast enough to pilot a palm-sized

helicopter inside an office building and

recognise and explore rooms it has never

seen before. Another robot uses its video feed

to avoid furniture and make laps around an

office. If it bumps into someone’s leg and an

operator intervenes with a remote joystick to

steer it around legs, it learns and avoids them

on its own without intervention.

The same neurosynaptic architectures

that allow rapid pattern recognition from

images are being used to mine and organise

information. This technology has next

generation cloud and big data processing

applications as well. AI systems are being

used by DARPA to read thousands of peer

reviewed journals and formulate hypotheses

for investigation by researchers.

Examples of how neurosynaptic pattern

recognition technologies can be used in D&D

are:

1. Data mining applications such as

processing of blueprint and document

information to tag it to the 3D CAD/GIS

model of the BIM;

2. D&D pattern recognition capabilities

that will allow autonomous equipment

and their video feeds to control rooms to

identify objects, people, and equipment

to provide situation awareness, safety

interlocks, and progress updates;

3. Programming to train AI systems to

recognise components and equipment

using pattern recognition and BIM

coordinates. This will enable download of

information from the GIS database such as

drawings, material type, like component

weight, centre of gravity, etc.

In the same way that pattern recognition

technologies are being used to inventory

roadway assets, inventories of containers,

construction equipment, systems, and

structures can be developed using pattern

recognition algorithms for nuclear D&D

objects.

When these capabilities are coupled with

systems such as the Fukushima remotely

operated construction equipment, it is

easy to see why pattern recognition and

neuromorphic programming should be a high

priority R&D initiative for the global nuclear

decontamination and decommissioning

community. The use of remotely operated

or autonomous equipment will reduce the

planning and coverage required by removing

workers from the decommissioning work

zones. Intelligent autonomous equipment

with neurosynaptic processors could perform

many routine repetitive tasks.

IBM Research has built SyNAPSE University

to help interested parties build and program

complex neurosynaptic systems. It would be

worthwhile for the member states to consider

an R&D initiative that adapts the use of this

technology. The goal would be to develop

robotics capable of removing commodities

autonomously, eliminating the requirement

for scaffolding, tenting, local HEPA ventilation

radiation protection and industrial safety

coverage as well as all of the planning and

monitoring required to maintain compliance

with regulations to protect workers.

3D laser scanning of a nuclear plant by Russia’s NEOLANT

3D CAD model of Russia’s Rostov 3

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NUCLEAR ENGINEERING INTERNATIONAL | www.neimagazine.com May 201532

Expedited 3D CAD3D scanning technologies are also being used

to identify construction equipment patterns

that can be applied to pattern recognition

from video streams and are being developed

to automate updates of construction progress.

Developing such capabilities builds in

redundancy to RFID based and location

aware based BIM technologies for project

management, safety interlocks and for

deploying autonomous robots that will know,

for example, they are looking at a valve from

the live video feed, know which valve it is

based on the x, y, z, coordinates, and be able

to access all the information about it from the

BIM database in the cloud.

The ability to dynamically update the 3D

CAD/GIS BIM will be critical for efficient use

and deployment of the capabilities discussed

in this article. Current technologies such as

3D laser scanning are available and currently

being used. Russia has developed a BIM

system called Multi-D for nuclear facilities,

which uses 3D laser scanning (see NEI June

2014, p19). LED based scanning technologies

are being developed as an alternative to

laser scanning in order to provide smaller,

more dynamic 3D CAD imaging systems.

Photograph based 3D CAD modelling

capabilities are also being developed and

could facilitate the update of BIM CAD models

through video feeds and cameras on remotely

operated equipment, such as robots and

aerial drones. It may also be feasible to outfit

equipment with devices such as a Google

Project Tango tablet to more precisely update

and build 3D CAD environments.

Similarly the Fraunhofer Institute for

Applied Optics and Precision Engineering

IOF in Jena Germany is spearheading a

consortium whose goal is the combination

of competencies in optics/photonics, IT/

software engineering and electronics with

those from design, neuroscience, cognitive

science and human factors science. It may

one day be possible to use WiFi signals to

develop 3D CAD maps and sense changes

within the areas including human gestures

and falls, changes in equipment positions,

etc. These devices are also shrinking to chips

that process photos in an iPhone so that exact

replicas of small objects can be printed out on

a 3D printer.

Cheap, miniature 3D CAD mapping

together with pattern recognition and data

processing capabilities built on neurosynaptic

chips will unleash robotic technologies from

fixed position manufacturing applications

to dynamic complex applications such as

construction sites. Pattern recognition and

image processing coupled with location

aware BIM technologies will also be used to

automatically track and monitor construction

progress and schedule status.

A path forward for R&D initiativesExciting new technologies are emerging.

The next step is to adapt and develop

them, and integrate them for use in

decommissioning. This will require industry

consensus, collaboration, and focus. Broad

spectrum initiatives are necessary to lay the

groundwork. These capabilities must then be

paired with better project management and

interpretation tools such as paperless work

controls, geostatistics, and digital spatial

models. Developing such platforms now will

greatly assist in deploying and testing the

next generation of robotics and autonomous

equipment and other evolving technologies,

which need to be safely integrated into active

decommissioning projects.

The path forward to implement these

initiatives requires consensus among member

countries and sponsoring organisations

such as the OECD, IAEA, NDA, DOE and

EPRI. It would be advisable to assemble

a multinational team of seasoned D&D

specialists to identify lead technical experts

and companies on the applicable technologies

for each R&D initiative. Host DECON or

SAFSTOR facilities for field testing initiatives

should be solicited by the team and sponsors.

Personnel with experience in several

countries or on different continents could

lead multi-national teams of experts and

develop technologies that encompass

challenges unique to member countries,

such as waste minimisation, recycling and

reuse of materials. Organising such a team

and implementing the initiatives may be

better suited to a contractor or several such

firms in order to maintain focus and develop

technologies that integrate with one another.

Approved projects should be managed

and planned using an integrated multi-

disciplinary project planning process similar

to the ones adopted for outage management

and modification review and approvals

at commercial nuclear power plants (see

diagram above).

Project management personnel should

assemble and lead experts on the

technologies being developed and/or tested

to put together a scoping phase project,

plan, schedule, and budget that will meet

the needs of both the sponsors and the

host facility and if necessary provide a

basis for seeking additional sponsors for

funding. Upon approval and securing of

adequate funding, a detailed planning phase

resulting in a plan that integrates into the

host facilities decommissioning process will

be implemented. This plan will include an

implementation schedule/work breakdown

structure and provide metrics and details

by which performance can be measured for

meeting R&D objectives. ■

AcknowledgementsThe author would like to thank Gerard Laurent, Eric Darois, Greg Babineau, Mathew Darois, Nick Williams and Dave Fauver for their invaluable review and comments on this article.

About the authorHarvey Farr is Senior Project Manager & Health Physicist at Radiation Safety and Control Services. He was also a co-author of the OECD/NEA report “R&D and Innovation Needs for Decommissioning Nuclear Facilities.”

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facilities

Prepareschedule

Draft R&Dreport

Sponsor andstakeholders

commentR&D report

Prepare workbreakdown

structure andcost estimate

Draft detailedR&D plan,

WBS,schedule,

deliverables

Sponsorcomment ondetailed R&D

plan

Teamincorporates

sponsorcomments

and submitsto EDF

Perform R&Dimplementcontinuous

improvement

Review R&Dproject capturelessons learned

Identifypotentialfundingsource

OECD/NEAIAEANDADOEEPRI

Prepare R&Dproposals

Submit tofundingsources

Sponsorreview andcomment

Determine�nancial

assurancesand incentives

required

Obtain hostfacility

authorizationto proceed

Teamincorporates

sponsorcomments

and submitsto sponsor

Teamincorporates

sponsorcomments

and submitsto sponsor

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

No

No

No

How the multi-disciplinary project management process for R&D initiatives might work