Meet the Decommissioning Innovations Team

At the forefront of technological advancement, CNL’s Decommissioning Innovations team develops and deploys innovative solutions to support decommissioning projects across CNL's nuclear sites. This team of technology enthusiasts excels at gathering critical data in difficult-to-access and highly radioactive environments, leveraging state-of-the-art robotics, advanced radiation detection systems, and industry-leading laser scanning technologies. Their work helps transform how decommissioning challenges are approached, making projects safer, smarter, and more efficient.

Virtual Models, 360° Tours, and Digital Asset Management

When the COVID-19 pandemic required CNL’s decommissioning workforce to quickly adapt to remote work, the Decommissioning Innovations team played a key role in maintaining project momentum. To overcome restrictions on field access and site walkdowns, the team rapidly deployed an internal virtual-tour capability that enabled staff to explore facilities remotely while maintaining public health and safety requirements.

Today, these immersive 360° tours allow engineers, planners, and project teams to virtually navigate complex and hazardous environments, take accurate measurements, and evaluate equipment layouts within an interactive 3D workspace. As these capabilities became integrated into day-to-day operations, the team expanded its digital data collection program to include high-resolution laser scanning of difficult-to-access areas using specialized robotic platforms.

The team continues to evaluate and deploy innovative technologies that enhance the quality and accessibility of field data within CNL’s digital environment. To support this growing ecosystem of digital assets, the Point Cloud Asset Management (PCAM) system was developed to organize virtual tours, manage point cloud data, and maintain revision control as facility conditions evolve over time.

Virtual Model of the NRX Reactor Building

360 Photo Tour of the NRU Reactor

An Interactive 3D Sandbox Showcasing Movable Heavy Equipment for Planning and Visualization

Laser Scanning a Radiologically Challenging Environment

Robotic Deployment and Technology Integration for Enhanced Data Captures

Robot-Assisted Data Collection in Hazardous Environments

A robotic platform performs high-resolution laser scanning within a confined space, enabling safe and efficient collection of critical facility data.

Robotic Platforms for Remote Inspections and Data Collection

CNL has a wide variety of robots including tracked, wheeled, quadrupedal, and humanoid robots and both indoor and outdoor drones. In this photo, an indoor inspection drone operates alongside a quadrupedal robotic platform equipped with a communications signal booster, extending operational range and enabling reliable data collection in complex environments.

Remediation Rex – Quadruped Robot

CNL also has a large quadruped robot called Remediation Rex, which was built to autonomously collect contamination data over a large outdoor area.

Example of Remediation Rex's Mission Software

Equipped with an underside-mounted radiation detector and designed to withstand challenging terrain, Remediation Rex can navigate complex environments and recover independently following a fall. The system collects radiation dose rate and isotope identification data, which is transformed into an intuitive, GPS-referenced radiation heat map. This real-time visualization enables teams to quickly identify radiological hotspots, better understand site conditions, and support informed decision-making for remediation and decommissioning activities.

Dose Rate Mapping – 3D Cubes

To support the characterization of complex radiological environments, the Decommissioning Innovations team developed RAVPAK, a compact and modular system designed to create three-dimensional maps of radiation and contamination within facilities. RAVPAK can be integrated with a wide range of robotic platforms and is compatible with virtually any radiation or contamination detector, providing a flexible solution for diverse site conditions and operational requirements.

Surface Contamination Mapping – 2D Squares

Using LiDAR-based spatial mapping, the system combines radiological data with detailed 3D facility models to create intuitive visualizations of contamination and dose rates. These datasets can be seamlessly integrated into CNL's virtual tour platform as interactive layers, allowing users to toggle between 3D dose-rate cubes and surface contamination maps. This capability provides a clear understanding of radiological conditions, supporting safer planning, improved hazard identification, and more informed decision-making during decommissioning and remediation activities.

3D Gamma Radiation Scanning

The Decommissioning Innovations team leverages advanced 3D gamma radiation scanning technology to rapidly characterize radiological environments with minimal field time. By collecting data during just a few walkthroughs of an area, these systems generate detailed three-dimensional radiation maps that reveal the location and intensity of radioactive sources.

When combined with high-resolution point cloud data, the resulting radiation information can be overlaid onto detailed 3D facility models to create intuitive radiation heat maps. This provides planners, engineers, and field personnel with a clear understanding of radiological conditions, enabling safer work planning, improved hazard assessment, and more informed decision-making throughout decommissioning and remediation projects.

Gamma Radiation Heat Maps

3D Gamma Radiation Scanner

Waste Estimation Services

Accurate waste forecasting is a critical component of successful nuclear decommissioning. Leveraging high-resolution 3D facility models, the Decommissioning Innovations team provides advanced waste estimation services that help project teams better understand and plan for the materials that will be generated during demolition and dismantling activities.

By analyzing detailed digital models, the team can calculate material volumes, identify waste streams, and estimate waste quantities. These capabilities are further enhanced by integrating radiological characterization data directly into the 3D environment. Radiation and contamination datasets can be overlaid onto facility models, allowing teams to assess not only how much waste will be generated, but also the expected radiological classification of each waste stream.

This integrated approach improves waste planning, supports disposal strategy development, and helps reduce uncertainty throughout the decommissioning lifecycle, enabling safer, more efficient, and more cost-effective project execution.

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