Viridian Consultants Ltd

On-site characterisation is faster & more cost-effective The pressure to #decommission #nuclear sites more quickly has resulted in a need to speed up characterisation of the site prior to demolition, which is why there is a growing interest in on-site measurements as an alternative to sending samples off-site for analysis. The idea is to emulate the off-site accredited labs but close to where the samples are collected, to save time. Unfortunately, if they continue to be collected in the current form, the same time-consuming procedures will be required to process the samples. Laser sampling with #ViridiScope is much quicker and cleaner than traditional drilling or scraping for #characterisation of building materials such as #concrete, but the key advantage is that ViridiScope samples are collected in a form ready for direct measurement using commercial counting equipment without any further grinding or sieving. This means that realistically, on-site measurements can be made for up to 100 samples, with reporting on the same day, allowing decisions to be made on the spot.  

Remote training and ViridiScope Online training courses are fine for desk-based learning but what happens when we want to demonstrate operation of equipment, explain details of applications and emphasise safety precautions? Use of pre-recorded videos are useful for aspects of practical #training, but they don’t allow the user to ask specific questions or request further clarification during the demonstration. At Viridian we have found that #remote training can be a very effective tool. This month we trained a technologist in Canada on the operation of #ViridiScope. The training covered the usual introductory talks around safety and operational procedures, then our engineer demonstrated the procedure for deployment of the #laser sampler. The trainee was able to ask questions, seek clarification and ask for any aspect to be repeated. Most importantly, the trainee was then observed operating ViridiScope to sample a test material, which was compared against the required standard. The result was another member of Canadian Nuclear Laboratories signed off as competent to operate ViridiScope at Chalk River. #remote training

Kym at the Buckinghamshire Business First workshop, Presenting 'Top Tips – Grant preparation and application techniques' with Emma Fadlon, Investment Projects Lead and Programme Director CyberASAP, Innovate UK. One top tip: get advice on how to present your business case - not all innovators are experts on how to prepare a cash flow forecast!

Kym is at the Buckinghamshire Business First workshop today, contributing our experience at Viridian Consultants, as part of the session on 'Leveraging Innovate UK Business Connect' 

Proud that MD, Kym Jarvis, has been asked to speak at this Business First workshop

Kym met up with HausBots at Goodwood Festival of Speed It was rather an appropriate venue, since speed is the key advantage of remote characterisation and we've been working with Jack Cornes of HausBots on deployment of our laser sampler, ViridiScope, on their wall-climbing robot. It was great to see their climber being shown off at the Goodwood event at this weekend. #robot #remote #characterisation #viridiscope #robotics

Project managers want to know how easy it is to use ViridiScope as part of their #characterisation toolkit. Perhaps we should ask the people who have used our #sampling tool on site. Our training session lasts just three hours before we are able to designate a site sampling team fully competent to start work. Feedback we have received from them, and associated health & #safety teams, include ‘very light and easy to use’, ‘no noise, so no need for ear defenders’, ‘no dust #contamination’, ‘shorter sampling time meant reduced exposure’. If you would like more information, a demonstration or simply to have a chat, click the message button on this page.

Shh... can you hear ViridiScope at work? A major advantage of our sampling tool – it is very quiet In fact, sampling with ViridiScope is so quiet, it does not require the user to wear ear defenders and workers can communicate without shouting. Other means of #sampling, such as drilling and scraping, require noisy power tools, creating not only dust but a great deal of noise. Busy #decommissioning #nuclear sites are accustomed to the sound of hammering and drilling, but surveying work carried out in buildings, such as #laboratories that are still in use, can cause significant disturbance to the occupants. If this is something that challenges your initial #characterisation for #radioactivity, #toxic metals or #asbestos, we can discuss how laser sampling can help. 

We were recently asked about asbestos contaminated materials Reducing hazards associated with sampling asbestos on nuclear plants Asbestos was used widely in construction of power plants to protect against fire and the inventories of waste from #nuclear plants in the UK include large volumes. According to the NDA, the #Trawsfynydd site alone has an inventory of over 410 m3 of #asbestos contaminated material (#ACM) within the bio-shield. There is an issue with off-site #characterisation of #radioactive waste for asbestos since laboratories accredited for asbestos may not be able to accept radioactive material, and laboratories #accredited for #radiometric measurement are generally not licensed for identification of ACMs. More importantly, there is a risk to operators if ACMs are removed using drills or other tools that create dust. The advantage of using #ViridiScope is safety because the sample is collected under vacuum with no dust created. The sampling head can be used manually but equally well on a #robotic system, 20 metres from the control system and collection station. This means it can reach inaccessible spots at height, in #drains, #pipes and other hazardous areas. The pods are sealed and ready for safely transporting to an on-site laboratory, or off-site, where the sample can be removed and analysed by the usual accredited procedures. There is no dust created during the process and therefore it is inherently safer, faster and cleaner than the existing methods of currently available for sampling asbestos. To demonstrate the technology, a range of ACMs provided by the industry were tested in our North Wales workshop. The collection pods were sent to an accredited laboratory, where #chrysotile and #amosite were identified in asbestos #insulation board and asbestos #cement. Blanks were run between collections to ensure there was no cross contamination and the original ACMs were tested by the laboratory to confirm our results. The nuclear industry has described ViridiScope’s ability to sample asbestos in highly radioactive areas as ‘#game-changing’. Viridian is looking forward to deploying its #laser technology for asbestos outside the nuclear sector with equal success.

Sampling a painted surface for alpha contamination A client asked whether ViridiScope could sample through paint and into the contaminated concrete underneath. It is sometimes the case in legacy buildings, where #radioactive #contamination has occurred, that walls or other surfaces have been painted over to reduce exposure from #alpha emitters such as plutonium. This means that the usual #monitoring tools will not reflect the true nature of the hidden activity. If the area is to be characterised, samples must be removed from below the paint layer for analysis. We showed that our #laser sampler can penetrate through paint and into the surface below, allowing the operator to collect material for subsequent analysis. The sample is collected on a supported filter and can be counted in situ for alpha/beta and gamma activity without further treatment. The surface is characterised in a matter of minutes, with detection limits for alpha activity down to 0.1 Bq/g. If you would like more information on #detection limits for #beta and #gamma activity, or have any questions about #ViridiScope, please contact us at [email protected]