The QUANTOM project, funded under the German BMBF FORKA programme for the dismantling of nuclear facilities, ran from September 2018 to June 2023 and was coordinated by Dr Laurent Coquard of Framatome. The partners were the Aachen Institute for Nuclear Training (AiNT), led by Dr Bo Fu, and the Fraunhofer Institute for Scientific‑Technical Trend Analyses (FINT), led by Dr Theo Köble. The aim was to develop a non‑destructive, quantitative analysis system for 200‑litre radioactive waste drums, enabling rapid verification of material declarations and reducing the need for costly, time‑consuming drum opening.
The core technology is a prompt and delayed gamma‑neutron activation analysis (P&DGNAA) system that measures gamma spectra while a neutron generator irradiates the drum. QUANTOM introduces a novel iterative mass‑quantification algorithm that models neutron transport within the drum using a diffusion approximation of the neutron‑transport equation. For each iteration, the neutron flux is calculated spatially and energetically inside defined partitions of the drum until the computed composition stabilises. This deterministic modelling satisfies physical boundary conditions and yields a unique, spatially resolved mass distribution. The system also measures the drum as a function of rotation angle, providing additional spatial resolution that has not been implemented before.
A key innovation is the fully automated multielement analysis of complex prompt‑gamma spectra, which is worldwide unique and has been patented. The automation eliminates the need for expert‑driven spectral interpretation, drastically reducing analysis time and operator exposure. The measurement platform is housed in a mobile container, allowing on‑site operation at waste storage sites and eliminating the need for transport of drums that are subject to regulatory delivery obligations. Regulatory approval was obtained from the Cologne district authority under §12 Abs. 1 Nr. 1 of the German Radiation Protection Act in 2019, and extended in 2020 to permit measurement and storage of drums up to 3 × 10⁹ times the release limit.
After full assembly and commissioning in October 2020, the system underwent a comprehensive calibration and parameterisation programme. Validation campaigns from 2021 to 2023 used homogeneous and inhomogeneous reference materials as well as real radioactive waste drums from public inventories. The results, published in the European Physical Journal Nuclear, demonstrate that QUANTOM can reliably determine whether a groundwater‑hazardous substance is present in a drum in an unacceptable amount, thereby enabling the exclusion principle for waste qualification. The system’s performance also facilitates verification of material‑vector‑based waste descriptions, simplifying re‑qualification of legacy waste, cutting costs, and reducing radiation exposure.
International recognition followed: QUANTOM earned second place in the European Commission’s Nuclear Innovation Prize (2022) and first place in the EDF Pulse Awards (2023). These accolades underscore the system’s contribution to safer, more efficient radioactive waste management and its alignment with the FORKA research field of non‑destructive analysis and declaration of (legacy) waste.