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VR for Nuclear Decommissioning: Rehearsing Work That May Only Be Performed Once
Relevant case studies
Author: Spark Team
VR for Nuclear Decommissioning: Rehearsing Work That May Only Be Performed Once
Nuclear decommissioning creates an unusual training challenge. Much of the work is effectively one-off. Facilities change continuously as plant is characterised, cleaned, dismantled and removed, and the task that must be performed may have little precedent.
In this environment, practising repeatedly on the real asset may be impractical or impossible.
Bespoke Virtual Reality (VR) can create a digital rehearsal environment before personnel or equipment enter the facility. Augmented Reality (AR) can then potentially assist authorised personnel with contextual information as decommissioning progresses.
Why Decommissioning Is Ideal for Digital Rehearsal
Decommissioning programmes may involve:
Unknown or changing plant conditions.
Radiological contamination.
Restricted access.
Legacy equipment.
Remote handling.
Complex dismantling sequences.
Temporary structures.
Waste segregation and packaging.
The facility itself is also disappearing as work progresses.
A digital model can preserve an accessible representation of a configuration even after physical changes have occurred.
IAEA Recognition of Digital Decommissioning
The IAEA has identified digitalisation as an important enabler for nuclear decommissioning, including 3D simulation, visualisation, VR and AR. It has also documented increasing use of digital tools, virtual reality and robotics to improve decommissioning planning and execution.
The UK's NDA is pursuing a similar direction. Its strategy effective from March 2026 specifically lists augmented and virtual reality and digital twins among technologies intended for adoption across the group.
Rehearsing a Dismantling Sequence
Consider a contaminated item of plant that needs to be cut into sections and transferred into approved waste containers.
Before the physical operation starts, a VR simulation could allow workers to rehearse:
Accessing the work area.
Confirming equipment identity.
Establishing the work zone.
Positioning tools.
Following the dismantling sequence.
Managing removed sections.
Responding to unexpected conditions.
Packaging the simulated waste.
Leaving the area correctly.
The exercise can be repeated until the proposed sequence is understood.
Use the Simulation to Challenge the Plan
Decommissioning VR does not have to be restricted to training after the method has already been defined.
Engineers can enter the virtual environment during planning and ask:
Can the operator physically reach the cut location?
Where will removed material be placed?
Could an extraction route become blocked?
Will the tool collide with existing equipment?
Can two workers safely occupy the required area?
Finding a problem during digital rehearsal is preferable to discovering it during a radiologically constrained intervention.
Combine Reality Capture with VR
Legacy facilities may not have perfect modern CAD or BIM records.
Reality capture technologies can therefore be valuable. Laser scanning, photogrammetry and other forms of three-dimensional capture can create spatial data that is subsequently optimised for an immersive application.
The NDA's current research interests explicitly refer to capturing digital data using technologies such as LiDAR, presenting data through VR or AR and using digital twins to represent physical systems.
AR for the Changing Decommissioning Worksite
During field execution, appropriately controlled AR applications could potentially provide:
Approved dismantling sequences.
Component identification.
Reference imagery.
Known radiological information.
Inspection points.
Waste categorisation information.
Remote expert assistance.
The application would need to recognise that a decommissioning environment changes. Information shown to users must therefore be linked to controlled, current data rather than an obsolete static model.
Capture Knowledge Before People Leave
Decommissioning programmes can span generations.
Experienced workers who understand legacy plant may retire long before the overall programme concludes.
Immersive applications offer another mechanism for capturing some of that knowledge.
A subject-matter expert can help define:
Correct routes.
Equipment relationships.
Known constraints.
Task sequences.
Expected abnormal conditions.
That knowledge can then become part of a repeatable training environment for future personnel.
Reduced Exposure Through Better Preparation
VR does not itself reduce radiation. What it can potentially reduce is unnecessary time spent developing familiarity while inside an environment where exposure must be managed.
If personnel already know the route, recognise the equipment and understand the procedural sequence, more of the real intervention can be devoted to productive work.
This aligns naturally with the wider nuclear objective of minimising unnecessary exposure and maintaining risk as low as reasonably practicable.
Spark Builds Decommissioning Simulations Around the Real Challenge
Spark does not sell generic nuclear decommissioning simulations.
Every solution is bespoke.
We can build around a specific facility, work package, item of plant, remote system or dismantling sequence using client-approved digital information and SOPs.
Conclusion: Practise the One-Off Job More Than Once
Decommissioning work may only happen once physically, but that does not mean personnel should only experience it once.
VR provides an opportunity to rehearse unique interventions repeatedly before committing people and equipment to the real environment.
AR can then provide carefully governed contextual assistance as the physical facility changes.
Together, these technologies can help nuclear organisations reduce uncertainty, retain knowledge and approach challenging work with greater operational readiness.
To discuss a bespoke VR or AR solution for nuclear decommissioning, contact Spark Emerging Technologies.
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