PDF - Sellafield Ltd

Annual review 2010/11
A Nuclear Management Partners company operated under contract to the NDA
Delivering
excellence
through
our people
2
Sellafield Annual Review 2011
SELLAFIELD LTD OVERVIEW
Continuing
our journey
towards being
a world class
company:
At Sellafield we have one of
the largest and most diverse
decommissioning portfolios in
the world today, with a total
value of approximately £23bn
Sellafield Annual Review 2011
SELLAFIELD LTD OVERVIEW
Sellafield Ltd Overview
Under the ownership of Nuclear Management
Partners (NMP), we are safely delivering nuclear
decommissioning, waste management and
commercial operations and by continually raising
our performance we will achieve the Nuclear
Decommissioning Authority’s (NDA) vision to
become the site and workforce of choice for
potential new missions.
NMP’s focus is on making Sellafield safer,
cleaner, more productive, more cost-effective,
and a better neighbour each and every day.
With a diverse portfolio that stretches across
the North West of England and spans the entire
history of the UK’s civil nuclear industry, our
challenge is unique.
• S
afer – establish and sustain a world class
safety culture at Sellafield while reducing risk
to workers (through high-hazard reduction).
Nuclear decommissioning, managing, processing
and storing low, intermediate and high level
waste, reprocessing used nuclear fuel and
manufacturing new fuel; our ten thousand
strong workforce is delivering all of this and more
at Sellafield in West Cumbria, Capenhurst in
Cheshire and Risley in Warrington.
We commit to maintaining our engagement with
our employees, customers, regulators and local
communities around our sites.
The NDA selected NMP to manage Sellafield’s
diverse mission of decommissioning, nuclear fuel
manufacturing, and spent nuclear fuel recycling,
because of its world-leading expertise and track
record in all of these functions.
NMP is a consortium of the world’s leading
nuclear industry experts. NMP comprises three
companies:
• U
RS, which manages more US government
nuclear clean-up projects and sites than any
other company.
• A
MEC, the leading UK nuclear engineering
and project management company.
• AREVA
operates the French fuel cycle
programme – the industry’s model.
By doing so, NMP will make Sellafield Ltd fit for
purpose and help build the bridge to the UK’s
green and safe energy future. Specifically, NMP
focus on the following:
• C
leaner – maximize the reduction of risk to
the public and the environment by cleaning
up what needs it the most first (accelerated
high-hazard reduction).
• M
ore Productive – apply best-in-class project
management and workforce development
practices from around the world to boost
productivity and accelerate the achievement
of site and project milestones.
• M
ore Cost-effective – pursue initiatives to
clean up the site and recycle fuel at the
lowest cost to the UK taxpayer.
• B
etter Neighbour – minimise the impact of
accelerated clean-up and organisational
change on workers and our host
communities through smart planning, pursuit
of new site activities, and support of the
Energy Coast Master Plan.
NMP promised to bring in nationally and
internationally recognised business and technical
experts from its parent companies to help deliver
the current Sellafield mission and to position the
site, its workforce, and West Cumbria for future
missions as defined in the Energy Coast Master
Plan. We are fulfilling that promise: with an
Executive team comprising the highest calibre of
experienced professionals from across the globe
and 70 experts from NMP’s parent companies
currently working at Sellafield.
Many of these experts quite literally ‘wrote the
book’ on the areas of their expertise.
• T
hey bring to the UK’s decommissioning
effort lessons learned from the US’s quartercentury-old nuclear clean-up programme, the
largest and most successful programme of its
type in the world.
• T
hey bring different views and perspectives,
which will help Sellafield Ltd reach its full
potential.
• T
hey are bringing a multitude of proven, world
class processes, management tools, and
templates that they helped design. These will
save UK taxpayers millions of pounds.
• T
hey are mentoring Sellafield Ltd managers
and employees, preparing them for future
leadership responsibilities.
• T
hey are partnering with staff to develop new,
standardised training programmes that will
prepare our workforce to deliver current and
future work.
• T
hey are critical team players in our journey to
establish Sellafield as a Centre of Excellence.
In the short time they have been here, these
experts have teamed with Sellafield Ltd staff
to help achieve more than £140 million in cost
savings through efforts such as organisational
restructuring. They work on other teams
that have delivered a multitude of other
accomplishments including developing the new
Lifetime Plan, reducing paperwork and other
bureaucracy, and improving project management
and communications.
CONTENTS:
Sellafield Ltd Overview 2
Chairman’s Summary 4
Managing Director’s
Summary 5
Achievements:
April May June July August September
October November December January February
March
6
8
10
12
14
16
18
20
22
24
26
28
Corporate Responsibility 30
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4
Sellafield Annual Review 2011
CHAIRMAN’S OPERATIONAL REVIEW
Sellafield Ltd Operational Review
Chairman’s
Summary
In this, my second annual review as
Chairman of Nuclear Management
Partners, owners of Sellafield Ltd, I
would like to focus on the progress that
we have made in delivering the Nuclear
Decommissioning Authority’s mission
of risk and hazard reduction and safe
operations at their Sellafield, Capenhurst
and Risley sites.
Progress on sites such as Sellafield is often
measured in tonnes, containers and numbers
of buildings decommissioned. Such metrics
are important and are included in this review of
performance.
However, these metrics do not tell the complete
story. They do not highlight the hours, days and
weeks of work that our employees undertake in
order to reach these performance targets.
The following report does this through the
eyes and voices of our world class employees.
It demonstrates the hours, days, weeks
and months of dedication and disciplined
professionalism that go into delivering projects
that may only be visible for a few hours.
Sellafield’s greatest resource is its people. The
men and women who operate the site are,
collectively, the greatest concentration of nuclear
expertise in Europe. I am pleased that this
year has seen us continue to supplement and
complement the Sellafield Ltd team with experts
from the parent organisations – URS, AMEC
and AREVA.
Tom Zarges
Chairman
Sellafield’s greatest resource is its
people. The men and women who
operate the site are, collectively, the
greatest concentration of nuclear
expertise in Europe.
Working together and with the supply chain
during the 2009/10 financial year, these people
have delivered ground breaking projects,
advanced our high hazard and risk reduction
mission and operated Sellafield’s suite of
complex nuclear facilities.
They have done this safely and diligently and
during a year of great change for the Sellafield
Ltd organisation. The organisation is looking
within itself, asking searching questions and
making the changes necessary to become a truly
world class delivery organisation.
Hazard and risk reduction at Sellafield
Change is not always a comfortable process,
and it is rarely easy. Our employees have lived
through these changes and have still focused
on safely completing the important work that
we have to do at these sites. I would like to
thank them for their continued dedication and
diligence. Your continued efforts will ensure the
best possible future for Sellafield Ltd.
Our people are our greatest resource
Sellafield Annual Review 2011
MANAGING DIRECTOR’S OPERATIONAL REVIEW
Sellafield Ltd Operational Review
Managing
Director’s
Summary
In February of this year I took up the post
as Managing Director of Sellafield Ltd.
Taking up this role means continuing to
deliver the NMP mission at Sellafield;
that means focusing on demonstrating
real benefits for the site, the local
community and the UK taxpayer. In
demonstrating that we can deliver, it
is evident that we have a lot of to be
proud of over the past year.
Todd Wright 2010/11 Highlights
Let me begin with safety. April 2010 saw
the launch of our Peer to Peer Observation
Programme. Primarily about looking out for one
another, over 23,000 ‘peer to peer’ observations
have been completed by over 5,600 employees.
Proving that such improvement programmes do
work – during 2010/11 we demonstrated that we
can deliver sustained Lost Time Accident (LTA)
free periods – including during the summer when
we worked over 6 million hours without an LTA.
This is a great achievement. In addition, we have
also had a sustained environmental event free
period – 241 days in fact – the best performance
for over 4 years.
However, nuclear safety remains a key focus
area. While we’ve had two nuclear safety wakeup events in the past year, our revitalisation effort
has seen us bring in key personnel to help assist
with our corrective actions and improvement
plans. A new nuclear safety policy and
associated training programme will ensure that
Sellafield Ltd’s excellence in the field of nuclear
safety is realised during the coming year.
In terms of core mission accomplishments
during 2010/11, we have a lot to be proud
of. While these are detailed later in this
document some of those highlights include:
• S
uccessfully transferring over 200,000 litres
of legacy radioactive liquid waste from the
50-year-old Magnox Swarf Storage Silo to a
treatment plant
• C
ontinuing to stabilise conditions at the
high-hazard facilities and completing the
work necessary to advance high-hazard risk
reduction including:
– R
emoving 16 skips from the Pile Fuel
Storage Pond
–Desludging 6 of 12 decanning bays in the
Pile Fuel Storage Pond
– A
ctive commissioning of the First
Generation Magnox Storage Pond
purge unit
– A
ctive commissioning of the Pile Fuel
Cladding Silo off gas system
• C
ompleting the Calder Hall asbestos removal
project (the largest project of its type in
Europe at the time)
• S
ubstantially improving the performance of
the Sellafield Mox Plant, resulting in Japanese
investment that will allow continued operation
of the plant
• C
ompleting the first-ever returns of highly
active waste (to Japan and Netherlands)
Todd Wright
Managing Director
• C
ompleting the construction of the Sellafield
Product and Residues Store (a world class
facility for the storage of fissile nuclear
material) ahead of schedule and under
budget.
While we have demonstrated that we can and
are delivering for our customer, our regulators,
our stakeholders and the communities around
us, our challenge over the coming years is to
prove that we can continue to deliver and deliver
with confidence.
We can continue to
deliver and deliver
with confidence
However, there is still much to do and 2011/12
will be a pivotal year in securing our long
term success and presence. The continued
implementation of the Integrated Change
Programme will ensure that we continue to
advance risk and hazard reduction – safely and
cost-effectively, while increasing stakeholder
confidence in all aspects of our operations.
• Asset conditions collectively are the key risk
• W
e are and will be swarming those issues
to improve performance and make contract
extension a ‘no-brainer’
• W
e will continue to leverage our corporate
capability through reachback
• Build and strengthen our workforce
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Sellafield Annual Review 2011
APRIL
APRIL
6
MAY
JUNE
JULY
AUGUST
SEPTEMBER
KEY ACHIEVEMENT
Safety
Achievement for
SPP1 Team
Site preparation on the SPP1 project was completed in September 2007, with
the first concrete pour of the new structure taking place in May 2008. MP for
Copeland, Jamie Reed pressed the button to start the pour, as well as receiving
a cheque for £1,000 for charity – the result of excellent performance in the SPP1
safety accumulator scheme.
On 1 April 2010 a massive achievement for all involved on
the Sludge Packaging Plant (SPP1) Buffer Store construction
project was achieved as the teams reached seven years, and
over 1,000,000 man-hours worked without a Recordable Injury
or Reportable Incident.
7 years, and over 1,000,000
man-hours worked without a
Recordable Injury or Reportable
Incident
SPP1 will be responsible for receiving legacy sludge from
the First Generation Magnox Storage Pond and safely
storing it ready for future processing into a product
suitable for long term storage or disposal.
Since then, the team have successfully completed construction of the structure
walls and roof slab, and also taken delivery of the Effluent Collection and the first
sections of the Bulk Storage Vessels which form a vital element of the sludge
retrievals programme for the Magnox Storage Pond.
This is a significant achievement given the complex nature of the project. Due to
its location and the close proximity of adjacent facilities, conventional construction
processes could not be used. Instead tasks such as pouring concrete and fixing
1,100 tonnes, or 110 miles of steel reinforcing bar have had
to have significant manual involvement. To have maintained
our exemplary safety record this year and delivered such good
progress is a great achievement.
Safety is the name of the game for the SPP1 team
Karl Mason
SPP1 Project Manager
Sellafield Annual Review 2011
OCTOBER
NOVEMBER
DECEMBER
JANUARY
FEBRUARY
MARCH
APRIL ACHIEVEMENTS
Calder Hall
decommissioning
The journey towards a safer, cleaner and
more efficient Sellafield often presents
challenges that might surprise the casual
observer.
Members of the public could be forgiven
for thinking that the most hazardous work
undertaken on site involves radioactive materials
– but that isn’t always the case.
The point was proved when one of the largest
asbestos removal projects in Europe was
completed as part of decommissioning the
Calder Hall nuclear power station in March 2010.
In all, 2,300 tonnes of asbestos cladding was
removed from the heat exchangers, turbine
halls and associated plant in a five year project
involving almost one million man hours of work.
Ian Williams, Project manager said: “Not only
did the project involve working with a known
carcinogen, but much of the work was also
carried out at height.
“Scaffold towers over 36m tall had to be built
around the sixteen heat exchangers on the
outside of the reactors. These formed the
structure for asbestos tents which prevented the
release of asbestos and ensured ventilation for
the workers.
“At any one time, we had some 100 men
working in arduous and confined conditions and
we’re very proud of our safety record. At no time
were any workers exposed to asbestos because
of our safe working practices and adherence to
regulations.
Capenhurst Safety 1st
Launch best ever
Peer to Peer Observation
Programme is launched
The 2010 launch of the Capenhurst Safety
1st campaign was hailed as the best ever
since its inception in 2006.
April 2010 saw the launch of the Sellafield
Ltd Peer to Peer Observation Programme.
The observations can be in any work situation,
whether on plant, in the office, working
outdoors, or travelling on and around our sites.
There have been over 23,000 observations to
date, with more than 16,100 at-risk behaviours
identified.
“Since Calder Hall was closed in 2003, the
asbestos was no longer kept at a constant
temperature and its stability couldn’t be
guaranteed.
“Therefore, a method of safely removing the
asbestos in line with strict regulations was piloted
and a contractor engaged. A total of £27.58m
was sanctioned for the project. However, the end
cost was £26.25m, a saving of some £1.33m.”
Stuart MacVean, Sellafield Ltd’s Spent Fuel
Management Director, added: “We are working
very hard to accelerate the clean-up and
remediation work at Sellafield and the fact that
this project was successfully completed on
time and within budget demonstrates our total
commitment to the job.”
Dr Ian Hudson, NDA Head of Programmes
for Sellafield, also added: “This is an excellent
achievement for the team. The asbestos removal
from Calder Hall is a major step forward in the
overall decommissioning programme.
Fundamentally about looking out for one
another, Peer to Peer is about engaging in
conversations regarding our actions and
providing feedback to each other.
Designed to change the behaviours of
employees by making lasting improvements that
benefit everyone both at work and at home, the
2010 launch saw the highest attendance by
both employees and visiting stands to the Shop
Floor led event.
Head of the Capenhurst site Nick Welch said:
“The Safety First Campaign has demonstrated
consistently how passionate Capenhurst
people are. This event was a great example
of commitment and engagement in the
fundamentals of success, namely safety.”
Andy Hurley, Disciplined Operations Programme
Manager “The Peer to Peer process is a
key element in improving safety across the
business. Fundamentally it’s about stopping
friends, family and colleagues getting hurt.
It’s about looking after each other, observing
behaviours, praising positive safety and
helping people to understand the potential
consequence of unsafe actions.”
“The success of this project demonstrates how
hazards can be effectively reduced through well
managed, safe operations.”
The largest asbestos removal project in Europe is
completed at the former power station
The peer to peer programme is about
looking out for one another
7
Sellafield Annual Review 2011
APRIL
MAY
8
MAY
JUNE
JULY
AUGUST
SEPTEMBER
KEY ACHIEVEMENT
Hazard Reduction
progresses in
Legacy Pond
The milestones formed part of an ongoing programme of work to install a suite of
sludge retrievals equipment into the pond and to clear space to facilitate the start
of retrievals.
The completion of two major milestones in May has seen the
project team responsible for cleaning up the historic Pile Fuel
Storage Pond make major progress in Hazard Reduction.
We also had to have facilities in place to enable us to export the skips, in this case
the ability to empty them of sludge and wash them down. For this, we had to tie in
with the new skip tipper and skip wash machines installed as part of the sludge
retrievals project.
The desludging of six of the Withdrawal and Decanning Bays,
together with the export of 16 redundant fuel skips from the
pond has made room on the pond floor for further desludging
and clean-up operations to continue.
Throughout these operations, the pond needed to remain at a constant level. As
we were introducing water into the pond to clean the bays, we had to constantly
monitor and manage water levels and pump out excess water as necessary.
Long periods of rain before Christmas meant that additional water could not be
introduced into the pond so we experienced some delays, then we had a really
hard freeze which meant that the instrumentation froze. In addition, when the
winds reach a certain speed, cranes can’t be operated. All of these factors added
to the complexity of the project.
A redundant fuel
skip is lifted out
of the pond
As with decommissioning any facility we faced a range of challenges during this
work. Many of the processes, techniques and equipment for retrieving the sludge
from both the pond and the bays was new to us on site and we had to adapt it to
suit our particular conditions – although water jet lancing is a standard technique,
we had to manage it in a confined, highly radioactive environment and it had to
be right first time. Adapting or fixing parts once the system had been into the
radioactive water wasn’t an option.
Due to the site’s mobility programme, the team was supplemented by staff from
other Operating Units, so we had the challenge of ensuring that everyone was
familiarised with the building as well as planning work to
get most benefit. Everyone worked well as a team to achieve
these successful milestones, and it is very encouraging as we
plan for the future.
7 months ahead
of schedule
Tony Calvin
Facility manager
Sellafield Annual Review 2011
OCTOBER
NOVEMBER
DECEMBER
JANUARY
FEBRUARY
MARCH
MAY ACHIEVEMENTS
Capenhurst receives
RoSPA award
Safety success for
ILW team
In May 2010, Sellafield Ltd’s Capenhurst site
received the “highly commended” award in
the Chemical Industry Sector at the Royal
Society for the Prevention of Accidents
(RoSPA) awards ceremony.
April 2010 marked a milestone for Sellafield’s
Miscellaneous Beta Gamma Waste Store
(MBGWS) team, as they reached 13.7 years
worked without a lost time accident.
The RoSPA Awards are about reducing the
number of accidents and cases of ill-health at
work as well as ensuring that organisations
have good health and safety management
systems in place.
Mike Baily, Head of Environmental, Safety and
Quality at Capenhurst spoke of his delight
at winning the award stating “This is another
fabulous achievement for a small site like
Capenhurst, another step up from last year,
and a resounding reinforcement of all the
work our team as individuals and collectively
do to support the Capenhurst Safety First
programme.”
The MBGWS facility, which has been
operational for 20 years, is the sole facility of
its type in the UK, providing safe and secure
storage for intermediate level waste. The facility
employs some 30 people.
Andrew George, manufacturing manager for the
facility, said “The team are justly proud of their
safety record and are to be congratulated for
their continued safe operations of the facility.
“They have set a new and impressive record of
630 days of operations without a minor injury.
This sits alongside an equally impressive 5,020
days without a lost time accident, that’s almost
14 years!”
13.7 years
without a lost
time accident
The commitment of employees at
Capenhurst to the site’s Safety First
programme is improving performance
and has been recognised by RoSPA
A proud performance: the waste
teams reach a major safety milestone
9
Sellafield Annual Review 2011
APRIL
JUNE
10
MAY
JUNE
JULY
AUGUST
SEPTEMBER
KEY ACHIEVEMENT
First two High
Active Waste
shipments are
received
The completion of the first two HAW
returns is a major achievement that
has been years in the planning.
2010 saw the successful delivery of the first ever shipments of
High Active Waste (HAW) from the UK to overseas customers as
part of the Vitrified Residue Returns Programme.
Completion of the first returns is great news and demonstrates the capability
developed by Sellafield Ltd and INS to support the HAW repatriation programme
over the next ten years.
With shipments undertaken from the UK to Japan
and the Netherlands, the first two consignments
were received safely, securely and in full regulatory
compliance by June 2010.
The returns programme will greatly reduce the quantity of this type of foreign
waste stored at Sellafield.
HAW arises from the reprocessing of used
nuclear fuel. Returning the waste to overseas
customers fulfils contractual obligations and
also UK government policy, which states that the
waste from reprocessing should be returned to
the country that benefited from the reprocessed
fuel. The HAW returns programme is
being completed in conjunction with
International Nuclear Services (INS).
The first return was delivered by
Sellafield Ltd and INS. As well as
construction of the Residue Export
Facility, several workstreams had
to be undertaken including making
ready a flask marshalling and
storage facility, purchasing new
internal and external rail wagons,
leasing of flasks, refurbishments at
Barrow port and preparing the ship
for sailing.
The first Japanese shipment consisted of a single 113 tonne flask containing
28 stainless steel containers of solid high active waste (HAW) which was
transported in January 2010 from the Sellafield site. This was followed by the
Dutch shipment of one flask, also containing 28 stainless steel containers of
HAW in March 2010 which completed the return of all Dutch
HAW from the UK.
John Brocklebank
VRR Programme manager
Sellafield Annual Review 2011
OCTOBER
NOVEMBER
DECEMBER
JANUARY
FEBRUARY
MARCH
JUNE ACHIEVEMENTS
Minister praises “World
Class” Sellafield
Sellafield Ltd becomes
a full member of WANO
Having just been appointed the new
Secretary of State for Energy and Climate
Change, Chris Huhne acknowledged the
importance of Sellafield during a visit to the
site during the summer.
At an extraordinary general meeting in
Paris in June, Sellafield Ltd became a full
member of the World Association of Nuclear
Operators (WANO).
Just two weeks into his new post, Mr Huhne
spoke of the ‘Progress, professionalism
and desire to get the job done’ that he had
witnessed during the fact finding visit.
Mr Huhne was accompanied by Energy
Minister Charles Hendry who also took the
opportunity to praise the ‘world class’ level of
expertise and skill.
Speaking about the success of the visit,
Tony Fountain, Chief Executive of the NDA
commented: “We are delighted to have
welcomed both the Secretary of State and
Energy Minister to our most significant site so
early into their term of office.”
The WANO mission is to maximise the safety
and reliability of nuclear power plants worldwide
by working together to assess, benchmark and
improve performance through mutual support,
exchange of information, and emulation of best
practices.
Sellafield Ltd was the first non-reactor nuclear
site to become a member of WANO and has
been involved with the organisation since 2002
when Thorp was the first plant to benefit from
a peer review. The Company then became joint
members in 2006.
Speaking at the meeting, Bob Jones, now
former Programme Manager Nuclear Safety,
and EHS&Q delivery, said: “Through our
membership we have access to a vast wealth
of knowledge and experience and benefit from
this directly through receiving and participating
in WANO missions. With membership the
obligations upon us increase but opportunity
to have a say in how WANO is run will also
increase.”
In partnership with International
Nuclear Services we are safely
returning high level waste to its
country of origin
Mr Huhne with George Beverage (left)
and former MD, Bill Poulson
11
Sellafield Annual Review 2011
APRIL
JULY
12
MAY
JUNE
JULY
AUGUST
SEPTEMBER
KEY ACHIEVEMENT
Sellafield Mox
Plant proves it
can deliver
Ian Hudson, Sellafield Operations Director, Nuclear Decommissioning Authority
(NDA), came to site to meet workers from the plant as they celebrated the successful
completion of an order for 16 fuel assemblies for EON’s Grohnde reactor. He said:
“I am encouraged by the work that is going on in the Sellafield Mixed Oxide Plant
(SMP). There is a long way to go before it gets to where it needs to be, but they are
making significant improvements.
July 2010 saw a major boost for the Sellafield Mox Plant as
the improving performance of the facility has sealed new
investment.
SMP Director Graham McKendry said: “I am pleased that the Grohnde campaign
has been successfully completed. SMP has to prove itself to our customers – and
successful completion of orders, such as the one for Grohnde, demonstrates our
ability to produce high-quality fuel.”
With the Japanese Utilities making a commitment to fund
SMP’s continued operation and new rod line (subject
to continual improvements), key to securing this
investment was the successful completion of the fuel
campaign for German customers EON, which saw 16
fuel assemblies made for their Grohnde plant.
Securing contracts with Japanese utilities requires a high degree of confidence in
the long term performance of the plant to continually produce high quality product.
The ongoing work to improve performance and reduce operating costs supports that
drive and, as such, we will continue to monitor closely the performance of the plant.”
Everyone in the business knew we had to improve dramatically to secure the
plant’s future. We now have a chance for a sustainable future but we all know we
still have significant improvements to make us more productive.
2010-11 was another step in our improvement transformation
and was the most successful year ever for SMP, and the
completion of the Grohnde campaign was the culmination of
a lot of hard work from all concerned.
A boost in performance: the future of the
Mox plant looks bright
Ian McAllister SMP’s
Head of Manufacturing
Sellafield Annual Review 2011
OCTOBER
NOVEMBER
DECEMBER
JANUARY
FEBRUARY
MARCH
JULY ACHIEVEMENTS
Metals recycling project will
save up to £360,000
Employment Award
for Good Practice
Apprenticeship scheme
wins top national award
Sellafield Ltd received a ‘High
Commendation’ award for its ongoing
commitment to equal opportunities at the
Independent Living Awards 2010 in July.
Scooping the prize in the ‘Good Practice in
Employing Disabled People’ category, the
award was created to recognise organisations
that have shown excellence in the recruitment,
retention and progression of disabled
employees and whose initiatives have led
the way in supporting disabled people to be
independent.
One of the top ducts that was processed through the metals recycling facility
In July, two of the top duct sections that
were removed from the Calder Hall heat
exchangers were processed through
Sellafield’s Metals Recycling Facility (MRF)
as part of a six year project that will save the
company up to £360,000 in disposal costs.
Each of the ten-tonne-a-piece ducts were
processed through the MRF which treats
metal by first size reducing it and then feeding
it through the site’s Wheelabrator facility – a
mechanical device which removes the outer
surface of contaminated steel, cleaning it for
recycling. Treating the material in this way has
therefore saved the Company on disposal costs.
Sellafield Ltd’s disability advisor Carl Lewthwaite
said: “These awards are about celebrating
our progress, recognising and applauding
the innovation of our work so far. They
also recognise and highlight the personal
experiences of workers with disabilities and how
they overcome them.”
Head of Manufacturing Metals Recycling and
Intermediate Level Waste, Simon Rowe said:
“This is a tremendous achievement for the
Metals Recycling Facility and for Sellafield
Ltd, as this avoids filling the current Low Level
Waste Repository (LLWR). Completing recycling
projects of this nature in the long term supports
the LLWR strategy in the avoidance of building a
second Repository.
“This type of project underpins the Solid Waste
Hierarchy of recycling as opposed to disposal
of waste. By utilising the waste hierarchy we
can all make a difference to ensure a safe and
clean environment for Sellafield site and future
generations.”
Anthony Bacon (Cable and Wireless sponsor) David
McNerney, Simon Waugh (NAS CEO)
July was certainly the month of recognition
for Sellafield Ltd as the Company received
a top national award for the quality of its
growing apprenticeship scheme.
Taking home the accolade for ‘Macro Employer
of the Year’ at the National Apprenticeship
Awards (organised by the National
Apprenticeship Service (NAS), Sellafield Ltd’s
success in using apprentices to meet the needs
of its business and the community in which it
operates was recognised.
Speaking at the awards ceremony in July, David
McNerney, HR Director, Sellafield Ltd said: “We
are delighted to be recognised as the country’s
top apprentice employer in the macro business
category, and are very proud to have supported
apprenticeships for more than 50 years.”
Carl receives his award from Shahnaz Ali, Associate
Director of Equality and Diversity for NHS Northwest
13
Sellafield Annual Review 2011
APRIL
AUGUST
14
MAY
JUNE
JULY
AUGUST
SEPTEMBER
KEY ACHIEVEMENT
Start of the Liquor
Activity Reduction
(LAR) programme
The start of the Liquor Activity Reduction (LAR) programme in
August 2010 was one of the crucial enablers on the road towards
safely decommissioning the Magnox Swarf Storage Silo (MSSS).
It took over seven years of planning and testing by the project
team before they could start LAR. The process involves ejecting
radioactive liquid out of what is a fifty year old waste silo and
moving it right across the Sellafield site via a high level shielded
pipebridge for treatment.
Teams from the Magnox
Swarf Storage Silo
The theory of LAR was actually proposed nearly 20 years ago. However, it wasn’t
until 2006 that the first full scale trial successfully proved the concept of treating
the liquid waste in our SIXEP effluent treatment plant.
It then took another 5 years to translate the successes of the trial into a routine
operation. Over 100 people from more than 20 departments were involved in
the project across three separate operating nuclear plants, which all had to be
coordinated to work together on this project. There was a huge raft of safety work
to complete for all three plants, including the completion of Long Term Periodic
Reviews (LTPRs). New safety measures had to be integrated into existing safety
systems including the upgrading of level detection protection systems and the
installation of new safety controls.
All of this required comprehensive changes to working instructions and
systematic training across all the plant areas. In addition, Flexible Permissioning
allowed us to use an expedited licensing process. Through continuous dialogue,
the regulators were able to plan their inspection and assessment activities so that
they were able to respond to our final submission in a matter of days.
There are several hazards associated with decommissioning this historic store.
The silo contains about 11,000m3 of solid waste comprising nuclear fuel cladding,
radioactive wastes and sludges associated with historic operations. The solid
waste is highly radioactive and produces hydrogen and heat, so it must be stored
under water at all times. This water itself is highly radioactive and the LAR
programme will treat this liquor to allow solid waste retrievals to proceed.
Within 2 to 3 years, LAR is expected to reduce the activity levels in the silo
liquor by 90%. This will in turn reduce the radioactive dose to the workforce, the
environmental discharge and the potential impact of any leak
from the facility. As importantly, the method for the treatment
of radioactive liquor will be proven and so LAR really is
a crucial enabler to managing one of the highest hazard
decommissioning projects at Sellafield.
Colin Pether
LAR Project Manager
Sellafield Annual Review 2011
OCTOBER
NOVEMBER
DECEMBER
JANUARY
FEBRUARY
MARCH
AUGUST ACHIEVEMENTS
Magnox Encapsulation
Plant improvements
Multi-million pound
contract awarded
August 2010 saw the realisation of several
months of engineering and manufacturing
improvements work within the Magnox
Encapsulation Plant (MEP) designed to
increase performance and throughput of the
Plant.
In August 2010, Sellafield Ltd awarded a
multi-million pound contract for the design
and construction of a new waste storage
facility.
MEP processes Intermediate Level Waste (ILW)
from Magnox reprocessing operations by mixing
it in a ‘grout’ matrix. The mixture is then placed
in stainless steel drums ready for long-term
disposal.
Scheduled for completion in 2019, the Box
Encapsulation Plant (BEPPS) and Combined
Import Export Facility (CIEF) project will
incorporate the completion and expansion of
a purpose-built, above-ground nuclear waste
store and the construction of a new import/
export facility.
The majority of the improvement work carried
out was in MEP’s batch plant – where the grout
is prepared before being mixed with the ILW.
The facility will handle radioactive waste arising
from the ongoing decommissioning and high
hazard reduction operations on the Sellafield site.
Due to the nature of the material that the batch
plant processes, down-time in the facility is
often caused by the grout build-up in the pipes.
The improvement programme therefore sought
to reduce downtime, improve the reliability
of the assets and cut the potential for future
breakdowns.
Paul Stewart, Sellafield’s Programme Delivery
Manager BEPPS – CIEF, said: “We are pleased
to award this contract to the Babcock and
Balfour Beatty Joint Venture and are looking
forward to working in close partnership with
them to deliver a safe, reliable and costeffective facility.”
The Magnox Encapsulation Plant processes waste from Magnox Reprocessing ready for storage
Chris Atkinson, Engineering Manager spoke of
the improvements stating: “A significant amount
of the improvement work was carried out inhouse saving the Company nearly £30,000. It
was also completed ahead of schedule. This
is an excellent example of how mobile working
with flexibility across teams can deliver results.”
Teams from the Magnox Encapsulation Plant
Waste is encapsulated in grout
within stainless steel drums
Delivering a safe,
reliable and costeffective facility
15
Sellafield Annual Review 2011
APRIL
SEPTEMBER
16
MAY
JUNE
JULY
AUGUST
SEPTEMBER
KEY ACHIEVEMENT
‘HANO’
stabilisation
project is
completed
Decommissioning a highly active process cell which is 50
metres high, full of pipework and vessels which are grossly
contaminated, whose support steelwork is seriously corroded,
and where worker access is impossible, presents quite
a challenge.
The solution was to stabilise the cell
by filling it with a newly developed
lightweight foamed grout.
The Primary
Separation
Plant
We came up with a novel solution. Using this grout really pushed the boundaries –
it’s an unconventional material in an unconventional environment.
Surveys in 1999 confirmed the 60 year old cell to be in a poor state. Several years of
optioneering then followed, which led to the decision to encapsulate the cell in grout
to stabilise it. Foamed grout was used in other industries and we’ve adapted it for
the nuclear industry. Laboratory scale trials started in 2006 and then a 10 metre high
mock-up was built which allowed us to demonstrate the grout’s effectiveness in as
realistic conditions as possible.
Before we starting filling the cell, detailed laser scans were taken, as the original
1948 plant drawings were either unavailable or hugely out-of-date. This new
technique for the first time gave us a detailed picture of how the cell contents
had degraded.
We also had to manage the curing of the grout and the high temperatures which
o
reached 90 C, so the grout was poured in layers. The first phase of grouting to fill
the cell shaft with 500 kg/m3 grout was completed in late 2007.
An even lower density 300 kg/m3 grout was developed for the upper part of the
cell to avoid overloading the roof of the cell that lay below it. Grouting of the top
12 metres of the cell started in early summer 2010. The last of the 55 pours was
completed a few months later, each with a maximum depth of 25cm taking 24 hours
to complete and set.
The process cell has now been successfully filled with 1,155m3 of lightweight
foamed grout.
The grout has an air bubble consistency to minimise the load
and seismic vulnerability of the building. It can be crushed to
30% of its original volume when full decommissioning of the
building takes place.
Andrew Jarrat
Project manager
Sellafield Annual Review 2011
OCTOBER
NOVEMBER
DECEMBER
JANUARY
FEBRUARY
MARCH
SEPTEMBER ACHIEVEMENTS
Hazard reduction
milestone
Team working saves
£250,000
Flexible working
achieves silo savings
6 million hours worked
without an accident
In September, one of the most important
hazard reduction programmes at Sellafield
passed a significant milestone – three
months ahead of schedule.
August saw the culmination of 12 months
collaborative working by teams at Sellafield
to deliver a solution to a problematic
waste disposal issue which also saved the
company over £250,000 in the process.
September saw the ramp up of preparations
for the start of waste retrievals from the Solid
Waste Storage Silo, as a new passive off
gas system was introduced in the facility to
replace the current forced ventilation system.
September 2010 saw a major safety
milestone reached as Sellafield Ltd worked
more than 6.4 million hours without a lost
time accident.
The First Generation Magnox Storage Pond
skip grapple tool – which had historically been
used to transfer skips of fuel, sludge and
miscellaneous beta gamma waste from within
the pond had been left in a position that was
impacting future decommissioning work. As
such, there was a requirement to retrieve the
equipment so that it could be treated and
disposed of.
Introduction of the new system will bring about
a significant reduction in argon gas usage of
at least 50 per cent a year, resulting in a cost
saving to the Company of around £140,000.
The Stores Inventory Retrieval Project has a
target of repackaging more than 1,000 cans
of legacy plutonium into more appropriate and
modern containment.
The milestone reached in September saw the
500th can removed from a legacy store in the
Magnox Product Finishing and Storage facility.
Dr Ian Hudson, Sellafield site Director for the
Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, said:
“Dealing with Sellafield’s highest hazards is
our top priority, not just for us here at site but
across the whole of the NDA estate.
“That’s why being able to show progress
by excellent performance and delivery is so
important. This project has done just that and
helps build Sellafield’s credibility as experts in
the area of Spent Fuel Management.”
The hazard reduction teams celebrate their milestone
Working together, the Legacy Ponds Project
team, operations, engineering and Separation
Area waste teams removed the redundant
skiphandler mast and the skip grapples from
the Pond and successfully treated it so it could
be disposed of as Low Level Waste rather
than Intermediate Level Waste. This meant that
significant savings could be realised in disposal
and storage costs.
Speaking about the success of the project
(outgoing) Waste and Effluent Disposition
Director Mike Johnson stated: “This particular
task represents a great example of partnering
and performance among the different groups
across the business. It also demonstrates
evidence of how we are successfully
implementing the Waste Management Hierarchy
across Sellafield Ltd – by providing a great
of example of how we minimised and recategorised this waste.”
Further progress towards retrievals was also
made with the demolition of a redundant
building to enable construction of a new three
storey control room. Thanks to a detailed
characterisation programme, over 90% –
equivalent to 160 tonnes of concrete and five
tonnes of metal from the demolished building
could be recycled on site.
Achieved between 28 June and 29 September,
the milestone equates to 93 consecutive days
worked without an accident by the entire
workforce at the Sellafield, Capenhurst and
Risley sites.
In recognition of Sellafield Ltd’s excellent safety
performance, the Company was later presented
with a cheque for £10,000 from parent company
organisation, URS. URS has three qualifications
to their contractors to receive an award; 1.5
million hours in less than 12 months; 1 million
hours in more than 12 months or 500,000 hours
in more than 24 months. All nine operating
units at Sellafield and the entire site met the
criteria. The money will be split between the nine
operating units at Sellafield – giving them almost
a thousand pounds each to share with their
chosen charity.
Tom Zarges, URS President and Brad Giles,
Vice President Environment, Health, Safety and
Security Energy and Construction presented
the cheque to Fran Williams, now outgoing
Sellafield Ltd Director for Environment Health
Safety and Quality.
The new gas system helps pave the way for
waste retrievals
Fran said: “During my time at Sellafield I have
witnessed a real commitment to all areas of
safety and a genuine drive to continuously
challenge and improve our safety performance. It
is great for this success to be recognised and for
local charities to benefit from that success.”
17
Sellafield Annual Review 2011
APRIL
OCTOBER
18
MAY
JUNE
JULY
AUGUST
SEPTEMBER
KEY ACHIEVEMENT
First Generation
Magnox Storage
Pond
Several significant achievements in the First Generation
Magnox Storage Pond (FGMSP) were completed last year as
part of the overall decommissioning programme, including the
installation of a new emergency pumping system.
The FGMSP operated safely for over 30 years and the final
Magnox fuel was received into the facility during 1992. The fuel
pond itself is connected to a row of seven wet bays, a Special
Purpose Bay and the Magazine Transfer Bay. Linking
these bays is a system of old pipework known
as the Redundant Effluent and Sludge Pipework
System (RESPS). The RESPS is being isolated and
decommissioned as a matter of urgency due to
its deteriorating condition.
Decommissioning
of the first
generation
magnox storage
pond
Work on RESPS has for some time been seen as high priority for both Sellafield Ltd
and our regulators due to the extremely poor condition of the exposed pipelines.
The pipework system comprises of approximately 420 metres of cast iron and mild
steel piping which is hydraulically linked to the ponds.
By October we had installed and commissioned a new emergency pumping system
for the RESPS.
We have also developed ’Cold Tap’ and ‘Hot Tap’ techniques previously utilised in
harsh subterranean and sub sea environments by the petrochemical industry to
isolate the RESPS downdroppers and main Purge Header line.
Test rigs have been built at an off-site location to fully replicate the plant’s
physical geometry and are currently being used for substantive trials and training
to provide proposed operatives with a true feel for the constraints which they will
encounter during the on-site isolations. These isolation techniques will rely on the
ability to educt liquor from the pipework internals, thus ensuring a relatively dry
environment, prior to the introduction of grout and final isolation.
In addition, a number of weirboxes which were used as part of a controlled
overflow system similar to that found on waterways, are no longer required so
need to be isolated to prevent pond water overflowing. The first weirbox isolation
for the Magazine Transfer Bay took place in February 2010 and a further four wet
bay weir boxes isolations were successfully completed during 2010.
The project team are now focused on isolating the three
remaining weirboxes on the plant. To complete these
important isolations, a series of plant investigations were
carried out to ascertain the conditions of the weirboxes. The
information gathered was then used to develop isolation
techniques which were deployed and proved successful in
challenging radiological conditions.
Paul Bundy
Sub-Project Manager
Sellafield Annual Review 2011
OCTOBER
NOVEMBER
DECEMBER
JANUARY
FEBRUARY
MARCH
OCTOBER ACHIEVEMENTS
Young Project Manager
of the Year
Leading the way
through NVQs
In October, Sellafield Ltd’s Head of Projects
for High Level Waste Plants – Neil Crewdson
was named as Young Project Manager of the
Year at the prestigious Association of Project
Managers Awards 2010.
Neil scooped the national prize after entering
the awards for his work on the ‘Waste
Vitrification Plants Glass Frit Feed Project’. A
£9.6m, two year project, Neil was responsible
for project managing the replacement of
worn and contaminated pipework used in the
Vitrification Plant – where highly radioactive
liquor is converted to glass ready for long term
storage.
In judging the award, the Association of Project
Managers stated that the Young Project
Manager of the Year had to demonstrate their
outstanding ability to rise to the challenge,
tenacity in the face of obstacles and flair in
documenting their work as a project manager.
“I am delighted to have won the award. It
demonstrates that the work that we do at
Sellafield Ltd can hold itself up with the best in
class and I am extremely proud to represent the
company”, said Neil.
The exceptional performance of
our employees is being recognised
at a national level
Neil Crewedson (centre)
receives the Young Project
Manager of the Year award
A job well done: the teams receive their NVQs
In October, over 40 employees from
Sellafield Ltd’s Monitoring Services and
Decommissioning teams received their
National Vocational Qualification (NVQ)
certificates.
To date 240 health physics monitors at Sellafield
have either completed, are working towards or
are waiting to start their NVQ level 2 which is
equivalent to two thirds of the health physics
monitors working on site.
Caroline Henderson, NVQ coordinator at
Sellafield Ltd said: “As the internal verifier
for the Radiation Protection and Nuclear
Decommissioning programmes I see every
portfolio which is completed and I am
constantly surprised by the effort and hard
work people put into their portfolios. Well done
everyone!”
19
Sellafield Annual Review 2011
APRIL
NOVEMBER
20
MAY
JUNE
JULY
AUGUST
SEPTEMBER
KEY ACHIEVEMENT
PCM retrieval
major milestones
reached
In November 2010 Waste teams at Sellafield safely reached three
major milestones to retrieving historic Plutonium Contaminated
Material (PCM) ahead of schedule and are on schedule to
achieve further goals.
PCM has arisen from reprocessing operations at Sellafield since
the 1950s and has been stored in various facilities adapted or
purpose built at both the Sellafield and Low Level Waste
Repository sites.
The first milestone reached was to accelerate the
project to compact plutonium mass retrieved from
historic facilities into safe storage. The teams have
processed almost the same amount of material in
the past two years than has been processed in the
previous eleven.
The PCM is placed
into specially designed
engineered drum
stores
The teams also successfully completed a trial to remove a series of filter
stillages that contained historic radioactive filters (categorised as PCM) dating
back to the mid 1970s, as part of a process to establish the long term retrieval of
this material.
However, once these measures were in place and the operators were sufficiently
experienced and trained in how to handle the PCM material, the team were able
to successfully retrieve a further six stillages – three months earlier than planned,
safely repacking them and placing them into the specially designed high integrity
engineered drum stores pending processing for long term disposal.
A project of this nature requires precise planning in terms of safety; there are
so many challenges to overcome, particularly in ensuring the containment and
integrity of the filters during the repacking operation. Retrieval of the stillages is a
highly intensive task, with the workers involved also required to wear full air fed
suites to prevent the risk of contamination.
Completion of this work also coincided with the PCM workers achieving the major
safety milestone of operating for four years without a ‘lost time accident’.
The WTC compaction plant used to pacify the PCM into a form suitable for final
long term disposal, is also on schedule this year to achieve the largest compaction
rate in the plant’s entire 15 year life, which is attributable to the great effort of the
PCM operators and maintainers.
…four years without a
‘lost time accident’
Les Martin Head of Manufacturing
for PCM Operations
Sellafield Annual Review 2011
OCTOBER
NOVEMBER
DECEMBER
JANUARY
FEBRUARY
MARCH
NOVEMBER ACHIEVEMENTS
Removal of Calder Hall top ducts continues
The 1,200 tonne giant, manufactured by
Dutch firm Mammoet, was needed to remove
two large sections from the Calder Hall heat
exchangers in another significant hazard
reduction step for the site.
The top ducts, weighing around 48 tonnes
each, pose a potential hazard because of their
size and weight as well as contamination levels.
The Calder team’s success meant that four of
the 16 top ducts have now been removed.
However, the operation was the icing on the
cake of many months of site preparation and
detailed substantiation, which enabled the job
to run like clockwork.
The ducts will be processed through Sellafield’s
Metals Recycling Facility (MRF) as part of a
six year project that will save the company
£360,000 in disposal costs.
We were lucky with the weather and the whole
thing went without a hitch so we were very
pleased. It was another step towards hazard
reduction on the site.
The ducts, which comprise a straight and an
elbow shaped section, are approximately six
metres in length and around a metre and a half
wide. They were used to transfer hot gas from
the reactor to the heat exchanger which then
generated steam to power the turbine.
Two top ducts have been taken down previously
so the project is going well. We’ve learned
valuable lessons from those earlier removals
and that meant that we were able to complete
this job quicker and even more effectively.
One of the top ducts being removed from Calder Hall
ONE OF the largest cranes in Europe
dominated the Sellafield skyline last year.
The Calder team’s success meant
that four of the 16 top ducts have
now been removed.
And it follows the successful conclusion earlier
last year of a £26m project to strip asbestos
cladding from the heat exchangers, turbine
halls and associated plant at the former power
station, which is undergoing decommissioning
after closure in 2003.
The next major stage in the Calder
decommissioning programme will be the
removal of spent fuel from its four reactors, due
to start this year.
Martin Brownridge, Calder’s Head of Programme
Delivery, said: “The work went very well. It took a
day to assemble the crane, a day to do the work
and a day to take it down again afterwards.
We even had a team down from Chapelcross
to observe because they’re facing a similar
challenge with their heat exchangers so there’s
a degree of cross-learning going on.
The project was a really good example of
utilising the supply chain to bring additional skills
and capabilities to deliver our mission.
Throughout the project, the Sellafield Ltd team
and supply chain demonstrated excellent
teamwork to deliver a complex project. The lead
contractor was Hertel, who sub-contracted to
Mammoet.”
Stuart MacVean, Sellafield Ltd’s Director of
Spent Fuel Management, said: “This team
continues to show its capability to successfully
handle complex and hazardous work through
integration of Sellafield Ltd personnel with
speciality contractors.
Streamlining this activity through learning and
detailed planning has accelerated the work
while reducing a serious hazard at the site.”
Dr Ian Hudson, the NDA’s Head of Programme
for Sellafield, added: “Working in multifunctional
teams at Sellafield is so important in maximising
the expertise needed to progress the clean-up
mission. The success of this project shows
what good team work can achieve.”
21
Sellafield Annual Review 2011
APRIL
DECEMBER
22
MAY
JUNE
JULY
AUGUST
SEPTEMBER
KEY ACHIEVEMENT
Waste drum store
beats annual
target early
Paul Brennan, head of Operations, Magnox, said: “The key to the success of the
teams involved has been cooperation between several operating units.
“This group have improved on a creditable 280 exports in 2009/10, to over 420 to
date in 2010/11. By delivering this achievement safely we have met, then exceeded
our customer’s expectations. Well done and thanks to all those involved.”
Partnership: teams
from the AGR drum
store
Congratulations go to the teams in the Advanced Gas Reactor
(AGR) Waste Drum Store who exceeded their annual export
target well ahead of schedule, back in December 2010.
The AGR Dismantler facility is responsible for dismantling
the AGR fuel into component parts of fuel and waste.
The fuel is then repackaged and returned to the Fuel
Handling Plant awaiting transfer to Thorp for
reprocessing. The waste is loaded into drums
which are transferred to the adjacent waste
drum store where they are held prior to export
to one of the site’s Encapsulated Product
Stores pending long term disposal.
The most recent achievement saw the
Waste Drum Store day teams, the AGR
dismantler shift teams, site railways and
the Encapsulated Product Store shift teams
export the annual target of 360 drums –
three months ahead of schedule.
My congratulations go to all the teams involved for reaching
this production target so far ahead of schedule.
This achievement has resulted in an increase in space in the
waste store which will not only extend the life of the store but
is also key to enabling the AGR fuel route to remain open.
Anna Blinco
Manufacturing Manager
Sellafield Annual Review 2011
OCTOBER
NOVEMBER
DECEMBER
JANUARY
FEBRUARY
MARCH
DECEMBER ACHIEVEMENTS
Installation of Pond
Purge Unit
The installation of an independent Pond
Purge Unit in the First Generation Magnox
Storage Pond (FGMSP) which was completed
during December, has demonstrated
the potential for significant benefits for
decommissioning teams working on retrieval
operations for the building.
The benefits include a reduction in dose rates in
the immediate vicinity of the pond, a reduction in
aerial discharges to the atmosphere and greater
ability for the plant to control the pond water
chemistry.
Project manager, Stewart Sikora said: “The
detailed design for the purge unit was completed
in March 2009. It was manufactured by
Gravatom at their Workington site and completed
in September 2009. We then had to carry out
extensive off-site commissioning and operator/
maintainer training.
“We spent several months preparing for the
installation of the unit at Sellafield and much
of the excavation work had to be carried out
manually due to the proximity of the purge unit to
other structures.
The First Generation Magnox
Storage Pond is one of our
priority clean-up projects on
the Sellafield site
“This manoeuvre was rehearsed off-site in a
mock-up facility to ensure that it was placed on
its concrete base slab without a hitch.
“New pipework and services were then
connected to the unit followed by a period of
active commissioning. The pond purge trial
commenced on the 16 September 2010 and
ran until 21 December 2010. During the trial
the purge unit achieved the lowest activity and
associated dose rates around the FGMASP seen
in recent years with a dose reduction of up to
39% in some areas of the pond.
“This is a significant step towards
commencement of retrievals operations.
It has required integration of the design,
commissioning, operations and maintenance
teams along with working closely with the
subcontractors in order to deliver this major
piece of equipment into the pond.
“Following the successful trial period the
independent purge system is now being
adapted into a permanent arrangement with
improvements to pipework and caustic receipt
arrangements. A full control system will be
installed so that the purge can be operated from
the Control Room.”
“The purge unit itself was brought onto Site on
30 March 2010. The installation was carried out
by a specially modified 15te telehandler, which
was restricted to less than 5mph and had a
remote emergency stop in order to control the
hazards associated with a combined weight of
23te manoeuvring in an extremely tight space.
The pond purge unit is installed to reduce
pond water radioactivity
23
Sellafield Annual Review 2011
APRIL
JANUARY
24
MAY
JUNE
JULY
AUGUST
SEPTEMBER
KEY ACHIEVEMENT
Gantry
Refurbishment
System Project
January saw a significant step forward for the
decommissioning of the First Generation Magnox Storage Pond,
with the successful completion of the Skip Handler Steelwork
Refurbishment Project.
The completion of the refurbishment programme supports
the return to work of the Skip Handling Machine (SHM),
the sole means of moving skips around within the
pond. It enables it to be bought back into service and
used to facilitate removal of the hazardous bulk
sludge and solid waste inventory from the pond.
Teams
involved in the
refurbishment
project
Completion of the work has been a significant challenge for the team, requiring
the coordination of many workgroups to deliver in an onerous environment
including both radiological and conventional hazards.
Radiologically, the dose rate above the pond where the steelwork was situated
was extremely onerous and we had to apply strict dose management controls.
In order to keep individual doses within defined limits, approaching 300 workers
from six key worker groups were involved. This created huge coordination
challenges for work scheduling.
There were a number of other challenges; such as working at height, the
difficulties as a result of the age and condition of the structure and the use of the
mobile gantry system for inspection and access. The structure was designed in
the 1950s with no consideration of seismic capability and has been exposed to the
West Cumbrian environment – wet and cold – ever since. We needed to develop
solutions which balanced physical limitations and constraints of the existing
structure against the engineering demands of current design.
Throughout the implementation of the site works, weather provided the team with
a significant challenge which caused period’s of downtime. During the lifetime of
the project we saw every possible weather variation, from the wettest period on
record which resulted in massive flooding in Cumbria followed by a new Ice Age!
During the cold spell at the start of 2010 the temperature of the steel dropped
below freezing point for an extended period so we actually had to preheat the
steelwork before we could carry out any repair work.
The greatest asset we had to overcome all these challenges
was the attitude of all those involved. From developing and
implementing innovative techniques to simple cooperation
and hard work and effort, team work was a major factor in
this achievement. I am proud to have been a part of it, and
look forward to moving on to the next stage of Retrievals.
Ian Richardson Project Manager
Hazard and Risk reduction FGMSP
Sellafield Annual Review 2011
OCTOBER
NOVEMBER
DECEMBER
JANUARY
FEBRUARY
MARCH
JANUARY ACHIEVEMENTS
MP’s praise for
Capenhurst site
£6.5m contract on
SPP1 plant awarded
Ellesmere Port and Neston MP Andrew Miller
visited Capenhurst in January to witness the
progress being made at the site and to hear
about the future plans, including the Site
Integration Project.
In January Sellafield Ltd awarded NuVision
Engineering a £6.5 million development
contract to test a sludge mobilisation system
to be installed in the new Sludge Packaging
Plant 1 (SPP1) currently under construction.
Mr Miller also spoke to Sellafield employees
Emma Candy and Andrew North about the
Evaporator D project at Sellafield which has
resulted in up to 175 jobs being created at
Interserve Industrial Services in Ellesmere Port.
SPP1 is being built to hydraulically receive
over 1,200m³ of legacy sludge from the First
Generation Magnox Storage Pond. That is
equivalent to a half full Olympic sized swimming
pool.
Mr Miller said: “As far as I’m aware the
Capenhurst site is one of the few businesses
around Ellesmere Port that has a complete lifetime
strategy. This includes the scope, timetable and
cost for taking the site to its end state.
Dorothy Gradden, head of projects sludge
retrieval and processing, said: “This is a very
important project and we’re delighted to have
NuVision Engineering on board. The new SPP1
Plant is a critical project to decommission
one of the legacy plants that Sellafield Ltd is
committed to cleaning up in the earliest possible
timescales. This NuVision Engineering contract
will involve designing a process, which will be
tested in scale test rigs over a two year period
and will be installed in the SPP1 plant.”
“Great strides are being made and I’m convinced
that this can be attributed to the commitment and
excellent work by all on the site. An outstanding
feature is the teamwork ethos which empowers
the employees to have a say in how the business
can be improved.”
...equivalent to a
half full Olympic
swimming pool
“An outstanding feature of the Capenhurst
site is the teamwork ethos which empowers
the employees to have a say in how the
business can be improved.”
Andrew Miller, MP
Mr Miller (left) tours Capenhurst with Nick Welch,
head of Capenhurst site and Jason McCann, head
of operations and projects
25
Sellafield Annual Review 2011
APRIL
FEBRUARY
26
MAY
JUNE
JULY
AUGUST
SEPTEMBER
KEY ACHIEVEMENT
Sellafield Product
& Residue Store
(SPRS) handover
The Sellafield Product & Residue Store (SPRS) was handed
over from the construction team to the site’s Plutonium
Operating Unit on Friday, May 21, 2010.
The handover took place ahead of target and under budget,
setting the standard for the next phase of the project –
getting the facility through to active commissioning status.
And the team that took the plant through that next phase
was up to the job. Active commissioning commenced
in February, some six weeks ahead of schedule.
Paul Sloan, SFM Commissioning Manager said: “Throughout the design phase, there
was pre-ops input so the guys who would actually operate the plant could influence
the design and make it operate efficiently, building on experience from other facilities.
This helped greatly with familiarization of the plant and alignment between the
commissioning and pre-ops teams. That approach was key to our understanding and
owning the safety case, how to implement it and what affect it would have on how we
operate the plant. As before, there was close engagement with regulators, continuing
the good relationship that had previously been developed.”
I started working on the SPRS project at the beginning of 2001 as the Project
Engineering Manager with a small team of two others and myself, along with a
single A4 sheet of paper as a specification. Little did I realise that our efforts would
subsequently take up nearly ten years of my career and translate into a multi-million
pound capital investment; a massive achievement by any definition.
For several months, it was quite literally a maelstrom of an evolving detail design,
involving a blur of preview meetings for coordination, Safety Case and Technical
work, not to mention consideration of project programme and costs at various
levels. Just when the now much bigger team considered it had got the project under
control, a main contractor responsible for the implementation of the entire facility
was nominated, and the scale of the project took on an even greater magnitude.
As the main contractor pressed on with the construction phase of the project,
including pouring concrete, erecting steelwork, purchasing specialist plant across
the UK and Europe, the project team was busy with the work to
complete the design, support construction, develop the Safety
Case, and keep regulators informed.
On completion of construction, the project transitioned into its next
phase, active commissioning, led by the Plutonium Operating Unit.
Ceremony handing over the facility from the
construction to operations team
Alec Glover Project
Engineering Manager
Sellafield Annual Review 2011
OCTOBER
NOVEMBER
DECEMBER
JANUARY
FEBRUARY
MARCH
FEBRUARY ACHIEVEMENTS
Plant Transitions into a
Sludge Retrieval Plant
MEB decontamination
trials prove a success
The final piece of a suite of equipment has
been installed in the Pile Fuel Storage Pond,
enabling the start of a bulk sludge retrieval
programme for the facility.
A project to trial the treatment of Multi
Element Bottles (MEBs) has seen a total of
ten MEBs dispatched to Studsvik, Lillyhall for
treatment having undergone decontamination
by teams at Sellafield.
The Sludge Retrieval Hood, together
with the Skip Tipper, Skip Washer and
Sludge Corral, provides the pond with full
capability for sludge to be retrieved and
placed into modern containment, prior to it
being processed through the Local Sludge
Treatment Plant.
At the facility the MEBs will be size reduced, and
eventually sent to Studsvik’s facility in Sweden for
smelting – which reduces the volume and weight
of the waste. MEBs are used to store Light
Water Reactor spent fuel assemblies in Thorp
storage ponds. Each weighing over two tonnes,
a number of these currently held in the ponds are
suitable for export as LLW; however some are
categorised as Intermediate Level Waste (ILW).
“Getting the plant to a position where sludge
retrievals can commence has been a series
of challenges.
“Equipment was initially designed to fit the
configuration of the legacy pond based on
existing drawings and plant records, but
when we started work in the pond, we often
discovered that the conditions were not as
expected and sometimes had to make last
minute modifications to equipment. Even now
we are still finding unexpected materials in the
pond, a legacy of working on such an old plant.
“We also had to carry out a lot of major
refurbishment work on both the building and the
pond structure before we could start to install
the new sludge retrievals equipment.
The umbilical pipeline used to transfer the sludge from the pond floor
“Preparations also included the construction
of a complete new facility, the Local Sludge
Treatment Plant, which is currently being
commissioned. This brought in a range of
conventional construction challenges for us to
manage, as well as the radiological implications
of working around a legacy facility.
“In order to reach this stage safely and
successfully, we used a number of tools. The
Integrated Change Programme delivered some
real benefits, as did work by the Team to carry
out a Long Term Periodic Review of the Safety
Case which will help expedite operational
activities in the future.
“As with all external facilities, we were also at
the mercy of the elements. The Great British
weather played a part in our planning processes
on more than on occasion, and we had to work
around challenges such as the pond water
freezing over and pond levels rising during two
consecutive winters of extreme weather.
“There will undoubtedly be more challenges
to face in the future, but it is quite exciting to
see the plant now making the transition into full
blown retrieval operations.”
Steve Cottam, Head of Programme
Acceleration.
Ian MacKay, MEB acceleration manager said:
“The treatment of the ten MEBs in this way
will result in the avoidance of five ISO freights
requiring disposal at the Low Level Waste
Repository. MEB removal from the ponds is a
key strategic enabler in making space within the
storage pond – necessary for continued long
term storage of spent fuel for UK customers.”
An MEB ready for dispatch to Studsvik
27
Sellafield Annual Review 2011
APRIL
MARCH
28
MAY
JUNE
JULY
AUGUST
SEPTEMBER
KEY ACHIEVEMENT
Separation Area
Ventilation Stack
constructed
In March 2011, the Sellafield skyline changed yet again as the
construction of a 122m high stack was completed to support
the new Separation Area Ventilation (SAV) system.
The new system will enable aerial effluents, currently routed to
historic stacks which are nearing the end of their operational
lives, to be diverted to a new discharge facility which will meet
current and future operational and decommissioning needs.
Another iconic
landmark: the SAV
stack at its full height
The concept of SAV was discussed in the early 2000s and after reviewing a
number of different options available the current scheme was agreed and design
work commenced. From the beginning, delivery of the SAV project posed a number
of challenges for the project team. The sheer number of donor plants the project
interfaces with meant the entire project has had to liaise with numerous affected
people and buildings in a timely manner.
Close coordination with the donor plants has also ensured operations were not
adversely impacted by having their ventilation supplies interrupted. All ductwork
tie-ins were coordinated into their shut down schedules, which has also meant
minimum disruption to the plants in the future when the system moves into the
commissioning and operations phases.
In addition to the ventilation system ductwork, the supporting infrastructure –
pipebridges within the Separation Area – also had to be strengthened. This work
again raised issues that were not anticipated, as a number of buried services were
unearthed that had not been identified within the relevant drawings, ie railway
sleepers, live cables and asbestos.
Construction of the stack itself presented a different range of challenges, in this
case conventional rather than radiological. Working at height had to be strictly
managed to ensure the safety of the team and the fact that the stack was slip
formed, or continuously constructed, meant that we also had to factor in the
specification of the concrete. The testing of the concrete throughout the build was
far more advanced than the normal site requirements and each separate batch of
concrete had to be tested prior to pouring to determine its strength.
There is still a lot of work to be completed before the SAV system becomes
operational, however the preparatory work that has been
carried out to date both physically and with stakeholders
has ensured our strong position and has aided the project in
delivering its targets ahead of schedule.
Joanne Davies SAV Project
Operations Manager
Sellafield Annual Review 2011
OCTOBER
NOVEMBER
DECEMBER
JANUARY
FEBRUARY
MARCH
MARCH ACHIEVEMENTS
LAR transfer
milestone achieved
Safe hazard reduction
realises savings
Following the start of the Liquor Activity
Reduction (LAR) transfers from the Magnox
Swarf Storage Silo (MSSS) in August 2010,
March 2011 marked a milestone for the team
as they safely transferred over 188m3 of liquor
– achieving their third stage PBI target.
To date, over 1,300 TBq reduction in activity
from the silo has now been achieved.
Colin Pether, LAR project manager said: “This is
a great success and can be attributed to hard
work, flexibility and the disciplined approach
taken by the three plant teams, all of whom play
an integral role in each transfer cycle.”
The LAR process removes active silo liquor from
the MSSS and transfers it to SIXEP for treatment
via the Effluent Distribution Tanks. The plan is to
reduce the activity in the silos by about 90 per
cent over the next two to three years.
Successful: the waste management team at Capenhurst
Substantial savings have been made in
2010/2011 by teams at Capenhurst.
the team safely
transferred over
188m3 of liquor
realised savings
in the region of
£665,000
During the early part of the year, the group
completed planned disposal of 20 GBq of
decommissioning waste to the Clifton Marsh
landfill site near Preston, enabling a programme
to rework highly enriched uranium drums
designated for Low Level Waste Repository
(LLWR) disposal.
Technical manager at Capenhurst, Louise Gray
said: “Completion of this rework has enabled the
number of ISO freights for LLWR disposal to be
reduced from twenty one to three, demonstrates
compliance with the waste hierarchy and has
realised savings in the region of £665,000.”
The operations and technical support team
worked together to enable the accelerated
loading of 46 ISOs and disposal of 53 ISOs at
Clifton Marsh landfill. This was achieved using
bentonite to infill the ISO freights to meet the
package weight requirements instead of cement.
A further 74 ISOs were identified for
accelerated disposal to Clifton Marsh landfill
site in March 2011.
Louise added: “The main benefits of this
accelerated disposal include hazard reduction,
future scope avoidance involving repackaging
the ISOs and creating space for storage of other
material.”
29
30
Sellafield Annual Review 2011
CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY
Corporate
Responsibility
Sellafield Ltd has a long history of supporting the
communities in which it operates as it strives to be a
better neighbour. We have, in West Cumbria, together
with NMP and NDA become ‘nuclear funding partners’
During 2010/11 we invested over
£3 million, on behalf of the NDA, into our
local communities for socio economic
development.
In West Cumbria this socio economic
development is overseen by Britain’s Energy
Coast West Cumbria (BECWC) Board which is
made up of local authority, public and private
sector partners. The nuclear funding partners’
(NDA, NMP and SL) money is directed to
projects identified as a priority by the Board on
which all parties are represented.
Over £14,000 raised for
the Cystic Fibrosis Trust
Sellafield Ltd’s charity of the year 2010 was chosen by
its employees as the Cystic Fibrosis Trust.
The money raised was the culmination of various
fundraising efforts throughout the year including a golf
day, sponsored bike ride from Sellafield to Risley, wine
tasting evening, book sales and cake sales.
To support the efforts of the employees, Sellafield Ltd
also provided match funding of £2,010, bringing the
total raised to £14,479.67.
However, our socio economic offering is not
all about donating sums of money to large
projects, we also donate money to small and/or
charitable organisations either directly or through
match funding. Match funding is our way of
rewarding the charity work our employees do in
their communities, they raise money for worthy
causes and Sellafield Ltd helps by adding to
their sponsorship.
Sellafield Ltd also encourages and supports
its employees who offer their own time and
commitment to our local communities. Through
employee volunteering our people last year
spent over 6,000 hours company time in the
local community.
Our support for education remains a key
priority for Sellafield Ltd, aimed at creating
and developing an interest in science and
engineering with links to Britain’s Energy Coast
skills development.
This is delivered in a number of ways from the
provision of a dedicated website for schools
www.succeedingwithscience.com that provides
teachers with free resources through to STEM
ambassadors providing hands-on support in
schools.
STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering,
Maths) Ambassadors, of which there are over
200 at Sellafield and Risley, enable teachers to
make links from the curriculum to how STEM is
practiced in the world of work.
Our STEM Ambassadors offer inspiring
role models for young people through their
contribution to regular lessons and extracurricular activities such as STEM clubs, careers
days and visits which helps young people to see
STEM subjects and careers.
Recognising the need to create an interest
in science at an early age we also work with
primary schools around Sellafield and Risley
providing ‘hands-on’ education workshops.
Our support to skills and training does not
stop once students have left school. Working
with GEN II we have sponsored a Community
Apprentice Scheme, Sellafield Ltd funds the
training of 25 apprentices per year across
a number of disciplines. Since the Sellafield
Ltd programme started in 2004, over 175
young men and women have undertaken
apprenticeships with GEN II. 95% have
successfully completed their apprenticeships
and have progressed to advanced
apprenticeships and have attained full time
employment with businesses across Cumbria
and the supply chain.
Every year we produce a socio economic plan,
informed by our local stakeholders in the public,
private and voluntary organisations. Our aim is
to ensure we collectively maximise the benefit
of our socio economic activities for all the
communities in which we operate.
Sellafield Annual Review 2011
CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY
Our support
for education
remains a key
priority for
Sellafield Ltd
Aimed at creating and
developing an interest in
science and engineering with
links to Britain’s Energy Coast
skills development.
31
A Nuclear Management Partners company operated under contract to the NDA
Sellafield Site, Seascale, Cumbria CA20 1PG UK
www.sellafieldsites.com