Innovation Showcase

Nuclear plants, with their complex, interrelated processes, stand to benefit greatly from the application of artificial intelligence and machine learning. We are leading the nuclear industry in ground-breaking AI/ML applications to improve the efficiency and accuracy of power plant inspections and assessments. We collaborate with other organizations and academia to build holistic AI solutions using data, physics, SME insights, and statistical analysis. Our focus on automation, deep learning, natural language processing, and computer vision improves the safety and reliability of nuclear operations.

Insights

We are deploying artificial intelligence and machine learning in many aspects of our work, notably to enhance the ability of our subject matter experts to provide prompt and reliable advice. In one of our applications, machine learning enables us to reduce the time to identify the optimum sites for sampling pressure tubes from days to hours with commensurate savings on the critical path for an outage.

Some of our recent innovation projects include:

• Predicting reactor behaviour using AI + SOTAR physics using deep learning
• Design replications (drawing a comparison, text extraction, automation of processes dealing with markups) using computer vision
• Interpretation & automation of feeder inspection results using Natural Language Processing (NLP)
• Object detection using computer vision for fuel bundle & defect detection
• Improved Deuterium uptake assessments using machine learning

Future Outlook

The nuclear sector has undergone three generations of innovation, each leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) in different ways to transform how we operate and maintain facilities. We envision the third generation that integrates AI with robotics and advanced manufacturing to enable plants to self-inspect, make decisions on repairs and replacements, 3D print necessary components, and install them.

Our UK team is dedicated to developing innovative materials and methods to address operational challenges and sustainability objectives. These advanced materials aid in all power utility operations and industrial manufacturing aspects. Our outstanding material solutions include CableHeal, Progen, Nanocomp, and Anagen™.

Insights

CableHeal

CableHeal is a material with self-healing capabilities. This self-healing process is triggered by the environmental stimulus caused by cable fatigue or external damage. CableHeal is an asset for hard-to-access locations within a power distribution network, overcoming human intervention and maintenance risks. Our team has implemented this solution in underground and submarine cable settings. Underwater, if the cable is punctured, the sub-sheath swells, delivering the self-repair function.

Anagen™

Anagen™ is a self-healing dielectric fluid intended to replace cable insulation oils. When faced with cable fatigue, Anagen™ delivers a gel to the damaged area. This reduces maintenance and repair costs, increases asset lifetime, and increases the sustainability of fluid-filled assets.

Future Outlook

Advanced materials are set to revolutionize the utility sector, boosting energy network resilience and performance. By exploiting existing intellectual property and developing new materials options, we can extend the life of existing assets, improve the performance of future assets, and de-risk end-of-life options through decommissioning products. Our consultancy services provide expert assessment methods for life assessment, and in-situ testing can monitor asset health and remaining lifetime, contributing to network resilience by reducing the need for reactive maintenance. These materials will increase network capacity and resilience with improved performance characteristics such as increased breakdown strength, wider operating temperature windows, and improved longevity. Looking ahead, we anticipate that advanced/smart materials will play a crucial role in the development of Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) and Fusion, enabling technologies such as smart sensors and high-temperature materials that can withstand the extreme conditions of fusion reactors, ushering in a new era of clean energy generation and a more sustainable future.

We offer innovative technologies and services across the cable life cycle by combining our cable designs with technical expertise, lab, and field testing.

Insights

Low-voltage cables provide instruments, control, and power for critical equipment in nuclear and other applications. In these critical safety applications, it is important to understand the condition of the cables for current and long-term operation. Working in partnership with Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), we applied advanced diagnostic methods to assess low-voltage cables for key aging and damage mechanisms, including thermal aging, wet aging, and mechanical damage/wear.

We developed test application protocols for key cable diagnostic methods, including dielectric spectroscopy and polarization/depolarization to assess cable health. These methods are also coupled with advanced reflectometry methods to locate the proximate location of the defect(s). The approach was developed in the laboratory and validated in numerous field trials. We are advancing the methods in a project with the US Department of Energy to include radiation aging and the ability to discern between the major aging stressors based on the dielectric response.

This technology has been successfully applied across various reactor platforms, including PWRs, BWRs, and CANDU designs, to identify degraded locations for further assessment, trending, and local repair. This innovation project has allowed us to elevate our low-voltage cable testing capabilities to support the safety and reliability required for long-term plant operation well beyond the normal 40-year operating period.

Future Outlook

We envision a future where our Transmission and Distribution Technologies (TDT) team continues to embrace cutting-edge technologies to improve efficiency and reliability as well as to address the challenges posed by increasing energy demands. This includes using drones for cable assessment, implementing high-voltage cables compliant with new standards, and using innovative techniques to extend the lifespan of transformers. Our testing facilities for exoskeletons, electric vehicle components, and charging stations provide a one-stop shop for R&D testing and training services, contributing to a sustainable and electrified future. These innovations will lead to a more efficient, reliable, and responsive transmission and distribution network that can meet the growing energy demands of the future.

As modern medicine advances, the importance of medical isotopes cannot be overstated. These isotopes play a vital role in diagnosing and treating various diseases, including cancer, cardiovascular, and neurological disorders. The development of medical isotopes has been made possible through the close relationship between nuclear power generation and medical science. While some isotopes can be produced using cyclotrons or linear accelerators, others require the intense neutron flux of nuclear reactors to create them. Integrating nuclear power and medical science has led to life-saving breakthroughs and innovative medical procedures that have revolutionized the healthcare industry.

Insights

Bruce Power and Isogen (a partnership between Kinectrics and Framatome) have installed an innovative Isotope Production System (IPS), making Unit 7 the first power reactor in the world to successfully produce Lutetium-177 (Lu-177) at a commercial/industrial scale. Lu-177 is a medical radioisotope used for cancer treatment.

Future Outlook

Kinectrics' Centre for Medical Isotopes and Nuclear Chemistry is a global leader in producing life-saving medical isotopes. Our team of experts will transform innovative ideas and concepts into new Made-in-Ontario medical isotope products and services. The Centre aims to extend its capabilities across the medical isotope supply chain from stable isotope enrichment to international supply of the next generation of therapeutic and imaging isotopes for cancer treatment and diagnosis.

Recent advances in autonomous robotics have expanded the potential for robots to work in challenging environments such as nuclear plants. The technology now includes devices that walk, roll, snake, crawl, swim, and fly, which reduces costs and worker exposure. We have decades of experience working in nuclear environments in Canada and abroad. We have developed, sourced, and integrated various innovative inspection technologies to effectively and safely inspect nuclear sites.

Insights

One of our robotic inspection technologies is SPOT, otherwise known as KANINE, a state-of-the-art robotic platform. This technology navigates obstacles with mobility and speed, is integrated with custom artificial intelligence tools to process visual data and can be integrated with customized radiological monitoring payloads. KANINE can help with radiological characterization, the performance of automated visual site inspections, 3D mapping of a radiological area, and simple manipulation tasks.

We also have the Calandria Relief Duct (CRD) toolset. This toolset is the first of its kind and is delivered through the Moderator Relief Duct Inspection Equipment (MORDIE). MORDIE delivers several modules to visually inspect, NDE scan, and take scrape samples of the calandria relief ducts. The CRD MORDIE toolset is one of the most complex tools in the nuclear industry today.

Our other inspection technologies include the Circumferential Wet Scrape Tool (CWEST*) and the Tiny Rotating Ultrasonic Tube Inspection Equipment (TRUSTIE). CWEST* employs a rotating cutting head driven by an electric motor to perform an oxide cut to remove unrepresentative material. This tool removes nuclear safety risks by reducing workers' dose rating and lowering maintenance and operation costs. Next, TRUSTIE is our high-resolution tool used for ultrasonic thin-walled, small-diameter tubing inspections. This tubing is found in CANDU steam generators and heat exchangers, making this tool a standout within the Canadian nuclear industry.

*CWEST not available for sale outside of Canada until after November 30, 2027.

Future Outlook

The three generations of robotic technology include advances in propulsion technologies, deployment of disposable robots for time-consuming tasks, and the combination of robotics, advanced manufacturing, and AI for data assessment and replacement. These developments have opened new opportunities for the industry to operate more efficiently and safely.

We are committed to staying at the forefront of innovation and are continuously expanding our national and international facilities to showcase trailblazing projects and support innovation champions. Two of these facilities stand out: the GridSim power lab and the state-of-the-art laundry facility.

Insights

Our GridSim power lab is an innovative lab located in Toronto, Canada. This laboratory can test large-scale distributed generation power equipment and other medium voltage systems, including traction power substations over a wide range of voltages and frequencies. GridSim is a key location for our innovation champions, providing an R&D space to test and experiment with new higher-power products and systems. The facility is also geared to the interests of utilities, developers, manufacturers, and standard organizations to research, develop, test and certify new technologies supporting safe renewable power integration with the grid. This is the world's sole lab, containing; a dual bay design, variable 10MVA AC supply and variable 5MW DC supply.

Our 40,000 sq. ft state-of-the-art laundry facility is in Teeswater, Ontario, Canada and licensed by the CNSC. The facility's innovation highlights include the following:

• Novel Byproduct Recovery System (BRS) (Up to 80% recycled water)
• Each piece of clothing is embedded with an RFID and serialized, thereby enabling tracking of the full life cycle from pickup to wash through return shipping to the station (full traceability)
• State-of-the-art Laundry Management System (LMS) designed by Kinectrics
• Vertical Laundry Monitor (VLM) for automated radiological monitoring

Future Outlook

Looking towards the future, we are poised to remain a leader in the industry by utilizing cutting-edge technology and providing top-of-the-line facilities to support ground-breaking projects that will revolutionize the industry. By staying at the forefront of innovation, we will continue to drive progress and offer exciting new opportunities for its customers and partners.

Recently, we were selected for a first-of-a-kind opportunity to provide the engineering, procurement, construction, commissioning, operations, and testing of a new helium test facility (HTF) in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. This project aligns perfectly with our niche EPC and nuclear testing capabilities and has the potential to build on the company's Clean Energy Centre: Helius. This partnership with X-energy through a memorandum of understanding (MoU) demonstrates our commitment to advancing nuclear safety and licensing while driving progress through various design scopes. By leveraging cutting-edge technology and strategic partnerships, we are well-positioned to remain a leader in the industry and drive progress toward a safer, more efficient, and sustainable energy future.

Advanced manufacturing is a term that applies to a whole range of novel production techniques that allow components to be manufactured quicker, better, or at a lower cost. Advanced manufacturing techniques can produce components that conventional techniques cannot make. Additive manufacturing, the 3-D printing of components, is one technique that has captured the imagination and has already had considerable industrial success.

Insights

Before any new technique can produce a safety-related component in a nuclear plant, it has to be extensively investigated and the component's reliability proven. We use additive manufacturing to reduce lead times, ease challenges surrounding part obsolescence, reduce waste, and improve overall efficiency. We have state-of-the-art licensed facilities that allow for the qualification of additively manufactured parts for deployment in a power plant. Our Reverse Engineering (RE) team are expert in additively manufacturing parts for rapid prototyping and end-use production. Currently, the RE lab is developing a process to qualify 3D-printed nuclear components. This process can promote the use of 3D-printed parts in today's nuclear, commercial market.

Future Outlook

We envision advanced manufacturing applications for the nuclear industry in three generations. The first generation is already bringing benefits by producing high-accuracy components, while the second generation aims to enable remotely located reactors to print replacement parts when needed. The third generation combines robotics, advanced manufacturing, and AI to obtain and assess information about component life and automatically print and replace parts when necessary.

Discover the future of nuclear asset management with our innovative technologies that leverage Virtual and Augmented Reality. Our 360-degree laser scanning and photo services generate 3D/4D simulations integrated into digital twins, reducing site visits and minimizing the risk of design errors. With our Advanced Dose Exposure Planning Tool – Virtual Reality (ADEPT-VR), Building Information Modelling (BIM), and Laser Scanning technologies, we offer a comprehensive approach to nuclear asset management, paving the way for a safer, more efficient industry.

Insights

Virtual and augmented reality allows users to explore an environment's digital twin. We now offer 360-degree laser scanning and 360-degree photo services to generate 3D/4D simulations integrated into the virtual and augmented reality digital twins. These digital twins are then developed to include their unique surroundings. Our laser scanning services capture accurate, detailed metrology data using state-of-the-art technology. This technology performs interference assessments to confirm that a design is compatible with as-built configurations. The scanners capture a digital snapshot of a point in time for archiving and reference, which can be exported to the most common point cloud formats. These 360-degree scans reduce the frequency and duration of site visits and reduce field fabrication and installation costs by removing the risk of design omissions or errors.

At our company, we are leading the charge in developing innovative technologies to transform how we approach nuclear asset management. Our cutting-edge tool, Advanced Dose Exposure Planning Tool – Virtual Reality (ADEPT-VR), is the perfect solution for tracking and monitoring worker doses in CANDU plants. We are expanding its capabilities to include the ability to import various data. Our Building Information Modelling (BIM) technology uses a digital version of assets for engineering work, allowing for information-centric design basis engineering. Laser Scanning technology provides a digital 3D capture of physical assets, reducing the need for physical walk-downs and assets. Together, these technologies offer a comprehensive and forward-thinking approach to nuclear asset management, paving the way for a safer, more efficient industry.

Future Outlook

As the nuclear industry continues to push the boundaries of innovation, we believe the future will see increased use of Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR) and Mixed Reality (MR) technologies in areas such as training, maintenance, and remote operation. Our ADEPT-VR tool is just the beginning of what is possible in this exciting field, and we are committed to leading the way in developing new and innovative solutions that leverage AR, VR and MR to enhance safety, efficiency, and performance across the entire nuclear industry.

We are a leading company in the nuclear industry, providing innovative technologies for decommissioning and waste management. With direct project experience across all stages of the Decommissioning & Waste Management life cycle, Kinectrics has demonstrated its key competencies of strategic planning, safety analysis, regulatory support, engineering design, decontamination, waste treatment, dosimetry, active laboratories, licensed facilities, and site operations on operational, refurbishment, and decommissioning nuclear projects, both in Canada and internationally.

Insights

Our team has several innovative technologies to support Decommissioning and Waste Management, including:

• Wastewater management systems
• Universal Separation Process (USEP)
• Poly Chlorinated Biphenyls (PCB) destruction process
• PCB decontamination process
• SCEPTER™ process

Our Teeswater Laundry Facility (TLF) is a prime example of our commitment to sustainability. The TLF uses water treatment and recycling sub-systems to minimize water discharge into the municipal sewer system, using up to 80% recycled water. This technology ensures that wastewater from nuclear operations is treated responsibly and sustainably, minimizing environmental impact.

Our innovative process SCEPTER™ extracts and recovers the valuable isotope carbon-14 from waste ion exchange resins and reduces the volume of the processed resin. The SCEPTER™ process removes over 95% of the carbon-14 in spent ion exchange resins while minimizing environmental impact. The process is a mild chemical treatment that uses no highly hazardous chemicals and produces no environmental emissions. We set the standard for the modern and sustainable nuclear industry by providing cutting-edge solutions for nuclear decommissioning and waste management.

Future Outlook

Sustainability is a crucial issue as the global population continues to grow. The nuclear industry has an important role in achieving sustainable energy, and researchers are developing technologies to reduce, reuse, and recycle products from the nuclear fuel cycle. Recycled nuclear products show promise in long-lived beta-voltaic batteries that could generate power. However, sustainability in the nuclear industry is not just about fuel cycle management. Safe decommissioning of nuclear facilities is also crucial, focusing on minimizing waste volumes and reducing worker exposure to radiation. We envision approaches like waste minimization, autonomous robotics for monitoring and segregation, and material reuse and recycling to make the nuclear industry more sustainable and safer for workers and the environment.

The nuclear industry has historically focused on the engineering scale to minimize costs and produce significant amounts of electricity from a limited number of plants. However, there is a growing interest in building a larger number of smaller reactors to benefit from manufacturing scale and repeatability. These smaller reactors, known as Small Modular Reactors or SMRs, include modernized and miniaturized versions of existing water-cooled reactors and radical technological advances that use new fuels and coolants.

Insights

We are committed to contributing to developing and deploying next-generation nuclear technology worldwide. We aim to offer the most capable experts and advanced facilities and ensure stakeholder satisfaction. Our services include licensing, site evaluation, testing and qualification, procurement and fabrication, design engineering, and owner's engineering to support global SMR technology-related developments. Our expertise in safety and licensing, testing and qualification, and design engineering combined with these novel technologies enables us to be a one-stop shop for supporting SMR reactor deployment. While these technologies are innovative, they need solid conventional support to enable their deployment, so we are using our experience to help the innovators by:

• Applying our safety and licensing skills to advise on designs that regulators will find acceptable
• Preparing submissions for regulators that meet all their requirements
• Undertaking the tests needed to support regulatory submissions and investing in new test equipment to accommodate the new fuel cycles and coolants
• Using our OPEX to produce workable designs
• Development of novel technologies to meet the challenges and needs of SMRs

We expect to be with these SMR developers through the entire lifecycle of their technology. We are forming long-term relationships to enable us to grow together as these technologies are designed, built and operated worldwide.

Future Outlook

We envision supporting SMR technologies with the first generation focused on developing tests to support materials and components for new environments and efficient licensing methods. The second generation uses advanced manufacturing and artificial intelligence to improve reliability and reduce costs. The third generation aims to create autonomous, zero-dose, circular economy plants.

For a long-time, fusion research has developed slowly, in a linear fashion, through national research programs. But it has reached that stage of technology development where many concepts, backed by billions of dollars of commercial finance, are developing in parallel. Different from conventional nuclear fission in many ways, fusion also has many similarities, notably in the handling of radioactive materials and the management of radiation dose. We are applying our fission OPEX to these new fusion concepts to help turn them into a commercial reality.

Insights

As with our work on Small Modular Reactors, we are forming long-term relationships with fusion developers to help them prove the technology, design, build, and license the plants and then successfully and efficiently operate them. We are working to implement our innovative fusion technologies into the nuclear market. Our team of scientists and engineers have internally developed several tritium technologies, making us well-positioned to support the development of the fusion fuel cycle. Combining these novel technologies and our capabilities in safety and licensing, testing and qualification, and design engineering makes us a one-stop shop for supporting the deployment of fusion reactors.

Our current work is focused on the following:

• The fuel cycle (producing, processing, purifying, managing, and storing Tritium)
• Production of the stable isotopes that some use as fuel and others may need to breed their fuel
• Advising on safety and licensing issues
• Designing and building one-off high-tech research equipment and modules
• Development of novel technologies to meet the challenges and needs of the Fusion market

Future Outlook

As a part of our innovation in fusion technology, we are focusing on developing processes for producing, handling, purifying, and storing Tritium, optimizing the fuel cycle, and eventually, creating autonomous, zero-dose, circular economy plants.

As transmission and distribution lines age, their condition deteriorates, and strength is lost, creating the potential for catastrophic failure. To effectively manage these key assets, transmission and distribution line operators monitor the condition of their lines. Historically this has involved de-energizing, cutting out a sample for inspection in a laboratory, and effecting a repair using a sleeve—a time-consuming and expensive process.

Insights

We recognized the problem and brought together a range of technologies, including advanced non-destructive inspection equipment, to produce a remotely operated tool that can be deployed on energized lines.

Our LineVue® range of technologies can complete 8-12 surveys in a day, inspecting entire lengths of the line rather than just taking a few samples. Over 3,600 inspections have been completed with LineVue® providing detailed data on over 1 million km of line, saving our customers millions of dollars.

We offer LineVue® as part of a comprehensive inspection service, or you can lease it in a package that includes full training and ongoing assistance.

Future Outlook

We envision a future wherein the management of transmission and distribution lines will be revolutionized by our next generation of advanced non-destructive inspection equipment and remotely operated tools.

Electrical cables may be passive and often out of sight. Still, they are an essential component of any plant that is operated by electrical signals or requires power to be provided to equipment. In safety-related applications, they must be 100% reliable and are one of the top concerns for the long-term operation of nuclear plants. Over time cable insulation can degrade because of exposure to heat, moisture, radiation, chemicals, or even light, and as the exposure varies along the length of the cable, the degradation is often localized. With a typical nuclear plant having 5,000 to 15,000 low voltage cables, snaking down conduits, over cable trays, hidden behind walls, and buried underground, verification of the condition of the cables is a significant challenge.

Insights

To solve this problem, we leveraged collaborative funding to collect data from many cable aging experiments using multiple local and global inspection techniques. We then used this data to establish patterns that identify both if a cable is aging and where that aging is taking place.

Future Outlook

Now, operators of plants with mission-critical cabling (nuclear, aerospace, chemical production, and the military, for example) can use electrical testing to reliably establish the condition of their low-voltage cables, ensuring the reliability of their operations while avoiding unnecessary early re-cabling or risking the loss of reliability. We presently offer this service and are exploring other means of providing technical support.