An Introduction to Nuclear Industrial Archaeology

Erin I. Holland (), Yannick Verbelen, Dean T. Connor, Tomas Martin, Matthew Higginson and Thomas B. Scott
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Erin I. Holland: Interface Analysis Centre, H.H. Wills Physics Laboratory, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TL, UK
Yannick Verbelen: Interface Analysis Centre, H.H. Wills Physics Laboratory, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TL, UK
Dean T. Connor: Interface Analysis Centre, H.H. Wills Physics Laboratory, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TL, UK
Tomas Martin: Interface Analysis Centre, H.H. Wills Physics Laboratory, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TL, UK
Matthew Higginson: Atomic Weapons Establishment, Aldermaston, Reading RG7 4PR, UK
Thomas B. Scott: Interface Analysis Centre, H.H. Wills Physics Laboratory, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TL, UK

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 7, 1-21

Abstract: The legacy of the early days of the Atomic Age consists of many problematic sites worldwide, including radioactive waste dumps, uranium mines, spent fuel reprocessing plants, and defunct processing and enrichment plants. Although nature quickly reclaims abandoned sites, any remaining radioisotopes can pose a threat for millennia to come, long after the benefits gained from nuclear technology have faded. The field of nuclear industrial archaeology specialises in finding and characterising these sites to support local communities and site owners. Where maps and building plans have been lost, nuclear archaeologists deploy state-of-the-art analysis techniques on the ground to unravel the current state of legacy sites, and quantify the remaining radioactive inventories to the standard required by the nation the site is located within. The objectives of nuclear industrial archaeology are varied and site dependent. Whether the objective is to puzzle the forgotten history of activity back together or safeguard and recover dangerous radioactive materials, nuclear industrial archaeology adapts radioanalytical laboratory and site-surveying techniques in order to understand the site and allow scientists to communicate this information to support remediation efforts. This paper discusses current methodologies alongside a case study.

Keywords: nuclear forensic analysis; legacy waste; nuclear forensics; XRF; isotopic fingerprinting; microscopy; sampling techniques; in-situ analysis; nuclear industrial archaeology; photogrammetry (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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