CHANCE · Project

Better Ways to Check What's Inside Nuclear Waste Containers Without Opening Them

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chance-h2020.eu

Imagine you have thousands of sealed barrels of radioactive waste and you need to know exactly what's inside — but you can't open them. Right now, existing methods miss certain hidden radioactive materials, especially ones that don't give off strong signals. CHANCE developed three clever workarounds: measuring the heat waste gives off (calorimetry), using cosmic ray particles to scan large containers like an X-ray (muon tomography), and detecting tiny traces of gas leaking out (cavity ring-down spectroscopy). Together, these give waste managers a much clearer picture of what they're storing and burying — without ever breaking a seal.

By the numbers

Innovative non-destructive characterization techniques developed and tested

Partner organizations in the consortium

European countries represented

Total project deliverables produced

Working calorimeter prototype delivered

The business problem

What needed solving

Europe has accumulated decades of conditioned radioactive waste in sealed containers, and existing characterization methods cannot reliably identify all the radionuclides inside — especially hidden compounds with weak gamma signals and the contents of large-volume packages. Without accurate knowledge of what's inside, waste management organizations face rejected shipments, disposal delays, and regulatory non-compliance when trying to move waste to final geological repositories.

The solution

What was built

The project built and delivered a working calorimeter prototype for measuring heat signatures of hidden radionuclides, tested muon tomography for scanning large waste containers, and validated cavity ring-down spectroscopy for detecting trace outgassing — totaling 23 deliverables across 3 complementary non-destructive waste characterization techniques.

Audience

Who needs this

National radioactive waste management agencies (ANDRA, Nagra, SKB, NDA)Nuclear decommissioning contractors handling legacy wasteNuclear power plant operators preparing waste for final disposalRadiation measurement and instrumentation manufacturersRegulatory bodies and technical safety organizations overseeing waste acceptance

Business applications

Who can put this to work

Nuclear Waste Management

enterprise

Target: National radioactive waste management organizations (like ANDRA, Nagra, SKB)

If you are a waste management organization struggling with uncertainty about the exact contents of legacy conditioned waste packages — this project developed 3 complementary non-destructive testing techniques, including a working calorimeter prototype, that reduce measurement uncertainties on radionuclide inventories. This means more accurate waste declarations and smoother compliance with disposal facility acceptance criteria.

Nuclear Decommissioning

enterprise

Target: Companies managing nuclear plant decommissioning and waste conditioning

If you are a decommissioning contractor dealing with large volumes of legacy waste containers that need re-characterization before final disposal — this project tested muon tomography for non-destructive interrogation of large-volume radioactive waste packages. This could replace costly and risky physical sampling campaigns, cutting characterization time and worker dose exposure.

Nuclear Instrumentation & Services

mid-size

Target: Manufacturers of radiation detection and measurement equipment

If you are an instrumentation company looking to expand your product line for the nuclear waste characterization market — this project validated 3 innovative techniques across 12 partner organizations in 8 countries, including a calorimeter prototype. Licensing or co-developing these techniques opens a market driven by Europe's growing need to characterize decades of accumulated waste before geological disposal.

Frequently asked

Quick answers

What would it cost to adopt these characterization techniques?

The project data does not include specific cost figures for the equipment or techniques. However, calorimetry and cavity ring-down spectroscopy are established measurement principles adapted here for nuclear waste, which typically means moderate equipment costs compared to building entirely new technology. Contact the coordinator for pricing of the calorimeter prototype.

Can these techniques work at industrial scale on thousands of waste packages?

Muon tomography was specifically developed to handle large-volume radioactive waste, which is the hardest category to characterize non-destructively. The project tested and validated all 3 techniques with input from an End-Users Group of waste management organizations, suggesting practical applicability. Scaling to full facility throughput would require further engineering.

What is the IP situation — can we license these techniques?

The project was funded as a Research and Innovation Action (RIA) with 12 partners across 8 countries. IP arrangements would depend on the consortium agreement. The coordinator, ANDRA (France's national radioactive waste agency), would be the first point of contact for licensing or collaboration discussions.

Do these methods meet regulatory requirements for waste acceptance?

A key task of CHANCE was specifically mapping the links between waste acceptance criteria and available characterization technologies to identify gaps. The techniques were developed to complement and supplement existing non-destructive assay methods, directly targeting regulatory compliance needs for waste disposal.

How mature are these technologies — are they ready to deploy?

The project produced a working calorimeter prototype (confirmed by deliverables) and tested all 3 techniques. Based on available project data, these are at the validated prototype stage — proven in controlled conditions but requiring further engineering for routine facility deployment.

Can these integrate with our existing waste characterization workflow?

The 3 techniques — calorimetry, muon tomography, and cavity ring-down spectroscopy — were designed as complementary and supplementary to current non-destructive assay methods, not replacements. This means they plug into existing workflows to fill specific measurement gaps, particularly for hidden radionuclides with weak gamma signals.

Consortium

Who built it

The CHANCE consortium of 12 partners across 8 countries is heavily research-oriented, with 7 research organizations and 3 universities making up the bulk of the team. Only 1 industrial partner participates (8% industry ratio), and there are zero SMEs — this is a classic research-heavy consortium typical of nuclear safety projects. The coordinator is ANDRA, France's national agency for radioactive waste management, which is a major end-user itself and lends strong credibility. The 8-country spread (Belgium, Germany, Finland, France, Italy, Poland, Romania, UK) covers most of Europe's significant nuclear waste inventories. For a business looking to engage, the path runs through ANDRA and the established End-Users Group that represented waste management organizations during the project.

AGENCE NATIONALE POUR LA GESTION DES DECHETS RADIOACTIFSCoordinator · FR
INSTYTUT CHEMII I TECHNIKI JADROWEJparticipant · PL
THE UNIVERSITY OF SHEFFIELDparticipant · UK
FORSCHUNGSZENTRUM JULICH GMBHparticipant · DE
TEKNOLOGIAN TUTKIMUSKESKUS VTT OYparticipant · FI
COMMISSARIAT A L ENERGIE ATOMIQUE ET AUX ENERGIES ALTERNATIVESparticipant · FR
AGENZIA NAZIONALE PER LE NUOVE TECNOLOGIE, L'ENERGIA E LO SVILUPPO ECONOMICO SOSTENIBILEparticipant · IT
STUDIECENTRUM VOOR KERNENERGIE / CENTRE D'ETUDE DE L'ENERGIE NUCLEAIREparticipant · BE
POLITECHNIKA WARSZAWSKAparticipant · PL
UNIVERSITY OF BRISTOLparticipant · UK
REGIA AUTONOMA TEHNOLOGII PENTRU ENERGIA NUCLEARA - RATENparticipant · RO

How to reach the team

ANDRA (Agence nationale pour la gestion des déchets radioactifs), France — the national radioactive waste management agency. They coordinated the 12-partner consortium and host the End-Users Group.

Order a report on this consortium See AGENCE NATIONALE POUR LA GESTION DES DECHETS RADIOACTIFS profile →

Next steps

Talk to the team behind this work.

Want an introduction to the CHANCE team or a detailed brief on how these waste characterization techniques could fit your operations? Contact SciTransfer — we connect businesses with EU research teams.

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