SMART CITIES
of energy and carbon management .
Automation in the nuclear industry – Manon Higgins-Bos , National Nuclear Industry Nuclear power has played an increasing role in the generation of energy in the West . In the UK the National Nuclear Laboratory occupies an instrumental role in helping the country ’ s industry deal with decommissioning and waste . We approached Manon Higgins-Bos , Strategic Development Manager , to discuss how automation is starting to inform serious change .
What do you believe are the greatest challenges to digital implementation in the energy industry ? How can we work to overcome these barriers ? The energy industry hasn ’ t always been at the forefront of digital implementation – we can learn from industries such as automotive and engineering . Working collaboratively is one area that is challenging , but also a huge opportunity . Energy projects often involve many different parties and even though the intention to share knowledge is always there , it doesn ’ t always happen . This can be a particularly true in the nuclear sector , where a plant ’ s lifetime is more than a century , spanning several generations of employees . A key aspect is the decision-making process and looking at what point in the journey the plan to collaborate starts .
For example , at NNL , we may work on a decommissioning programme where we will have strict timescales for the removal of waste . Sometimes materials may need to be tested for radioactive levels at the laboratory and pulling together that information , including waiting for results and feedback , can be a time-consuming process . Linking digital tools is one way to streamline this process , helping to get a clearer idea of timescales and remove any cost uncertainties .
What do you believe is the most important emergent technology within the industry and how could this potentially change the world for all of us ? The role of robotics within decommissioning projects is important and we are learning from the way they ’ re being deployed at legacy facilities where radiation levels
42 June 2018