Issue link: https://htpgraphics.uberflip.com/i/1385717
LEAD RESEARCHER: YANNICK VERBELEN One of the most persistent misconceptions of the general public and even nuclear professionals is around the concept of "nuclear waste". There is no such thing as "nuclear waste", only nuclear materials that are mixed with other materials and are waiting to be sorted and separated out. My contribution to RAIN is focused on designing and developing the next generation of radiation detectors and integrating them in automated inspection and handling systems. Some of these prototypes have already been deployed and tested in Fukushima and Chornobyl, but a lot of work remains to be done. With enough multi-disciplinary research and development, over time, I aim to turn "nuclear waste" into a memory of the past. SUMMARY // Precise radiation detection remains a critical requirement in the design of automated remote inspection or remote handling solutions for nuclear materials or robots operating in nuclear environments. There is no one-fits-all detector, and depending on the intended application and deployment conditions, the requirements vary substantially. During the RAIN project, RAIN researchers from Bristol University have field tested radiation detectors in scenarios ranging from surveying decommissioned uranium mines in Arizona, preparing the decommissioning of defunct Soviet-era industrial uranium/thorium extraction facilities, fallout mapping in the Fukushima Nuclear Exclusion Zone, to inspecting the infamous Shelter Object ('Sarcophagus') at the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant. Each of these deployments poses different requirements to detectors, in particular gamma radiation detectors. MODULAR SCINTILLATOR DETECTORS 32