Characterisation and monitoring using in-ground assets

Sellafield Ltd would like to explore new game changing technologies and techniques which could help develop a deeper understanding of groundwater hydrology, water flow and surface and sub-surface contamination to create a 3D picture of sub-surface heterogeneity within MSSS and the wider Sellafield site.

This call for innovation is open to applicants from any sector including industries such as oil and gad, mineral mining, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and water. Sellafield are seeking a proof of concept project which could be deployed in a real environment as soon as is practicably possible.

Challenge aims

Sellafield would like to explore techniques and technologies which may deliver significant improvements over the current practices employed.

Applications are invited for technological solutions to meet part or all of this challenge, which may be broken down into the following categories:

1. Deployment of equipment to support data gathering – what techniques could be used to support data gathering to:

• a. Increase the number of areas data can be collected from
• b. Obtain data without the need for groundworks
• c. Obtain data through novel instrumentation on drilling rigs

2. Gathering and analysing new data – how can Sellafield improve the quality of data through the use of alternative sensing, measurement, recording or analysis techniques?

• a. Increase the quantity of collected data
• b. Modelling of complex and interacting groundwater flow fields
• c. Perform real-time remote analysis and characterisation including of radionuclides

3. Data cleaning and analysis of existing datasets – how can better information be extracted from existing datasets?

• a. Obtain new insights into existing datasets e.g. using data mining techniques

Please download the challenge statement for a full description of the challenge aims, current practice and the solutions Sellafield are seeking.