Tomsk Polytechnic University (TPU), in collaboration with TVEL JSC, has developed the world’s first non-destructive testing (NDT) system designed to inspect containers with radioactive waste (RW) without opening them. The breakthrough X-ray inspection system is the first of its kind globally and is aimed at improving safety, reducing costs, and accelerating certification of historical RW storage.
Globally, facilities store vast amounts of legacy radioactive waste, and verification of contents typically requires opening containers—an operation that is time-consuming, costly, and carries significant environmental and occupational risks. The system developed at TPU eliminates this need, delivering accurate, real-time data on a container’s internal composition in under two hours.
The technology, intended for deployment at Rosatom’s final waste isolation facilities, can perform up to four or five full inspections per work shift. This increases throughput while also enhancing worker and environmental safety.
Proprietary Betatron-Powered Imaging System
The system uses a betatron—a type of particle accelerator developed in-house by TPU—as the primary X-ray source. The platform includes an automated safety and control unit, custom mechanical components, and TPU’s own software for real-time tomographic imaging.
Operating similarly to airport baggage scanners, the betatron emits secondary X-rays that pass through RW containers. The software reconstructs a detailed 3D image, distinguishing materials such as metals, plastics, organic compounds, and liquids by their differing densities and radiation absorption properties.
“Our development makes it possible to exclude an opening operation, and the operator is at a safe distance and controls the system remotely. The demand for such technologies in the world is growing. The uniqueness of our system lies in the idea itself, as well as in the use of a betatron as a radiation source, in the overall design of the system, and, of course, in the software. All this combined has made it possible to create a system that not only scans a container quickly and remotely, but also clearly identifies the contents,” said German Filippov, Project Manager and Head of the International Scientific and Educational Laboratory of Non-destructive Testing at TPU.
The technology offers a compelling alternative to traditional inspection methods, reducing the risk of exposure, minimizing secondary radioactive waste generation, and expediting the classification of RW containers before long-term storage.
Strategic Relevance and Future Applications
The development is part of a broader push to modernize RW handling under the direction of Rosatom State Corporation, one of the world’s largest nuclear energy players. The integration of this system into nuclear waste processing infrastructure could transform verification workflows at multiple facilities across Russia and beyond.
The project is being led by TPU’s Engineering School of Non-Destructive Testing and Safety, underscoring the university’s growing role as a global center for high-impact nuclear safety innovation.
