Game Changers Lunchtime Technology Talks December 2025

Game Changers Technology Talk webinars are aimed at anyone who is interested in technical innovation in the nuclear industry, learning about cutting-edge research developments and understanding how the Game Changers programme helps solve challenges that can’t be met with off-the-shelf solutions.

December's session featured the following talk:

ABACUS: Advanced In-Ground Characterisation Technology 

Speakers: Malcolm Joyce (Hybrid Instruments Ltd), and Heather Chouman and John Heneghan (Sellafield Ltd) 

This Game Changers Lunchtime Technology Talk explored ABACUS (Advanced Blind-tube Apparatus for Characterisation of Underground Sources) – a new in-ground measurement technology designed to improve the ability to assess land quality problems associated with non-naturally occuring radioactivity, in-situ, where significant interventions are not possible. Malcolm Joyce – Technical Director of Hybrid Instruments and Pro Vice Chancellor at Lancaster University – outlined the scientific principles behind ABACUS, its development towards in-field testing at TRL 7, and its future potential. Heather Chouman – Senior Technical Advisor, Sellafield Ltd – discussed Sellafield’s ‘Characterisation and Monitoring Using In-Ground Assets’ challenge and the benefits the technology could bring.

The talk highlighted how ABACUS aligns with Sellafield’s ambition to enhance understanding of groundwater behaviour, improve surface and subsurface contamination monitoring, and generate richer, more actionable data without extensive groundworks. Attendees gained insight into how this technology could contribute to building a 3D picture of sub-surface heterogeneity across the Magnox Swarf Storage Silo (MSSS) and the wider Sellafield site.

Watch the Recording

Or view on Vimeo here.