Virtual reality software that plans the safe decommissioning of nuclear power plants and other nuclear facilities could save industry millions of pounds, according to its inventors.
Virtual reality software that plans the safe decommissioning of nuclear power plants and other nuclear facilities could save industry millions of pounds, according to its inventors. The software package, based on the work of University of Leeds engineers, lets planners work out the best way of breaking up and packing contaminated equipment while minimising workers' radiation exposure. It also shows in minute detail how radioactive waste can be stored in the smallest possible space, reducing the number of long-term storage containers needed. "Independent commercial contractors have estimated that just packing this waste efficiently could lead to literally millions of pounds being saved from the public purse," said Professor Richard Williams of the University of Leeds and co-inventor of the software. "This type of cost saving should accelerate the safe decommissioning of nuclear installations." The software is based on a general modelling tool that shows how oddly-shaped objects fit best together. Most other software packages used to solve packing problems can only handle simple and regular shaped objects - a scenario that does not reflect real life problems as accurately. It is also able to take into account the properties of the material that is being packed, for example, its level of radioactivity and how hard it will be to cut.
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