Nuclear 

Sampling & Characterization

Simplified


New Millennium Nuclear Technologies International, Inc (NMNTI) established in August 2007, is a small business, located in Lakewood, Colorado. It has a team of professionals with a long history of successful expertise in nuclear facility reactor characterization and environmental engineering services, including management, decontamination & decommissioning of nuclear facilities. NMNTI's Quality Program is based on ISO9001:2015 accreditation.

NMNTI developed and implemented TruPro® a unique and patented sampling and characterization technology to attain rapid representative sampling and characterization of sub-surface matrices at nuclear facilities.

Utilizing this new and significantly more efficient profiling approach; activity and volume reduction of various segregated waste streams is achieved that leads to a basis for controlled disposal and release of concrete, soil and rock at reduced cost, time and risk. TruPro® is a Patented Technology, which is a concrete / asbestos / rock and soil sampling and profiling tool and provides a superior approach to concrete or bulk material sampling and analysis to the traditional dry coring techniques.  For sampling and characterization of the nuclear reactor internal activated components uses a proprietary TruProBit® a metal sampling Technology. 

The equipment produces a profile of radiological or chemical contamination through the material being studied in near real time at any angle or direction.  The drill head is used to penetrate hard surfaces.  This causes the bulk material to be pulverized as the drill travels through the radioactive media efficiently transmitting a representative dry sample of bulk material to the specially designed, two-stage vacuum sample retrieval unit that prevents cross contamination of the clean retrieved samples.  No circulation medium is required with this profiling process; therefore, no spreading of contamination occurs and the only by-product from drilling is the sample.  Samples are analyzed quantitatively in the field in near real time producing actionable data. This allows dynamic confident decisions to be made to affect project focus and direction.

NMNTI has profiled and helped decommission and dismantle 12 nuclear reactors, SONGS Units-1, 2&3, San Onofre, California, Omega West Reactor Los Alamos National Laboratory, New Mexico, the TRIGA University of Illinois Research Reactor, ENRESA Vandellós Unit 1 graphite-gas N.P.P. Spain, Jose Cabrera Reactor, Spain, HIFAR reactor, ANSTO – Australia, NPD Reactor – CNL, Rolphton Canada and numerous US Department of Energy highly contaminated facilities and Fort Calhoun, Omaha, Nebraska and also Kewaunee nuclear power plant, Two Rivers, Wisconsin. NMNTI has also successfully profiled, characterized, and helped dismantle nuclear facilities, and performed the final status survey. NMNTI played an integral part in the decommissioning plans. nuclear site decommissioning strategy development of Brennilis STE for ELECTRICITE de FRANCE-CIDEN (EDF) and investigations of EDF Bugey 1 Characterization, and Chinon A2 all used graphite. Representative subsurface sampling, gamma radiochemical characterization, and profiling at depth using TruPro®. This experience in decommissioning, dismantling design, and meeting waste acceptance criteria and regulator approval and confidence is paramount to the successful completion of nuclear reactor decommissioning by upfront representative sampling and characterization of nuclear facilities being decommissioned and the development of the optimum safety and cost-effective decontamination and site-specific dismantling processes. and operational documentation and safety cases to be implemented in these very hazardous nuclear environments with NMNTI having no safety issues ever.  Actual NMNTI examples of critical decommissioning and dismantling process strategy development, and plant robot commissioning:

EDF's EL4 Heavy Water Reactor Characterization of Activated Concrete and Metal Samples from the Reactor Bioshield and Reactor Vessel Core Components –Brennilis, Brittany, France. The EL4 reactor is being decommissioned by EDF, who identified and established upfront characterization to help define the best alternative for the facility's final dismantling and decommissioning phase. 

The ITER Sampling Station Machine is presently in the design and safety analysis phase of decommissioning and IO is planning for the final stage of decommissioning more than 50 years hence.  The ITER Sampling Station Machine is being configured to incorporate the advanced sampling and characterization features of the patented proprietary sampling process to quantify tritium profiles of tungsten divertor plates whose works define the best alternative for the final dismantling and decommissioning phase of the facility.

Development of the detailed decommissioning plans including the post closure safety case requires verification of the radiological inventory.  The majority of the radiological inventory within the ITER facility is associated with activation of reactor core components that include the Divertor, Blanket first wall, Port plug front parts (ICH, ECH, Diagnostics) Cryopumps, IVVS/GDC, TBM, RH & HC equipment.  The Radwaste process systems for the management of very low, low and medium radioactive waste, and the Remote Handling systems use approximately 90% of the space within the Hot Cell Complex.  The remaining floor surface is used for miscellaneous systems which are designed and procured by other participant countries (Domestic Agencies), in particular the Air Detritiation System (DS) and the Port Plug Test Facility (PPTF).   New Millennium Nuclear Technologies International Inc. (NMNTI)  provided IO conceptual representation of the Sampling Station Machine and risk analysis on the impact on the Hot cell facility.

NMNTI Radwaste Management & Decommissioning team specializes in establishing optimum process conditions for a wide variety of bulk materials in controlled environments where decontamination and decommissioning processes need to be optimized for cost and time efficiency. NMNTI has provided sampling & characterization, representative sample and data production, activity profiling, waste volume estimation, technical reports, and environmental engineering products and design services to our nuclear client base since 2001. Not only do we offer site-specific products and services in very challenging environments, in addition, but we also provide custom-engineered, turnkey solutions tailored to project-specific requirements
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