SERVING THE INDUSTRY

REMOTE WASTE RETRIEVAL REMOTE WASTE RETRIEVAL

SERVING THE INDUSTRY

Assystem Energy and Nuclear has extensive experience in the design and installation of waste retrieval equipment. Providing designs and equipment to meet the needs of remotely performing all types of waste retrieval operations, including size reduction, compaction and encapsulation processes in the treatment of low and intermediate level nuclear waste.

In decommissioning tasks where the remote handling of nuclear waste is involved, Assystem Energy and Nuclear can provide solutions through the design and supply of equipment to safely ‘containerise’ and ‘categorise’ the waste. Remotely operated vehicles, special shielded transfer enclosures, container handling and transportation, all feature prominently in the solutions provided to our customers to date.

Example 1: Waste Retrieval Machine

Assystem Energy and Nuclear designed an innovative waste retrieval machine (RM2) for UKAEA Harwell to remove ILW under shielded conditions. The machine was of modular design capable of retrieving drums from a maximum of 25 storage tubes in one campaign. Modules included:

Containment cell

3.3m x 3.3m x 3m high for the deployment and storage of the waste retrieval equipment.

Shielding

200 tons of lead filled steel shielding in modules of less than 10 tonnes.

Hoist assembly

Provision of the main facility to lift waste cans and debris from the storage tube and transfer to the shielded flask

Debris grab

Latches to the hoist mechanism with the assistance of the dual master slave manipulators.

Assystem Energy and Nuclear also designed all interface equipment, operators control console, ventilation and decontamination systems required to support the RM2 facility as part of a full turnkey package.

Remote Waste Retrieval

Example 2: Waste Retrieval Facility Assystem Energy and Nuclear’s role in the successful consortium comprised electrical and mechanical design of the remote waste retrieval machines, associated rails and tooling, hydraulic power system, a number of ancillary building facilities and a complete trials facility.

The B243 Beta Gamma Waste Store comprises eight concrete waste cells, originally constructed in 1951 to house sand bed filters. Sellafield’s site remediation programme includes retrieval and storage of remaining potentially mobile beta gamma waste from the B243 cells.

A new mezzanine floor was to be constructed, sealing the tops of the waste cells, above which would be the operating cell. Waste was to be recovered via a remote transfer system below the floor, accessed through a waste chute. We carried out detail design and substantiation and stress/structural calculations on this legacy waste, with unknown contents and extent of corrosion. There were constraints on the retrieval machine weight and there was proprietary loader crane technology, which we had to adapt to suit remote operation in a nuclear environment.

The proprietary design was augmented with a bespoke auxiliary boom, tooling and control system to achieve Sellafield’s functionality and safety requirements. At the conclusion of the design Assystem Energy and Nuclear had been able to substantiate a waste retrieval system capable of meeting all foreseen tasks. The design was underpinned by extensive analysis and documentation demonstrating compliance with the building safety case. The original loader crane hydraulic system had been significantly enhanced to provide failure recovery modes and three layers of protection against excessive overturning moments. A hydraulic power system was specified to operate two cranes and other waste handling equipment in the operating cell.

Case Studies

Example 3: Vault Retrieval Machine

Assystem Energy and Nuclear recently designed, manufactured and demonstrated a prototype Vault Retrieval Machine (VRM) for the removal of Fuel Element Debris (FED), drums and gravel from active waste vaults at Berkeley Power Station.

Based on a proprietary lorry loader boom and a bespoke mast, the VRM was capable of retrieving 250kg payloads anywhere within an 18.3 x 8.4 x 6.4m deep vault accessed via a central vault aperture.

Load cycle times varied from 2 – 10 minutes according to reach.

The 13.5 tonne machine was demonstrated and tested in an adjacent facility to our Preston Test and Development Facility.

Case Studies

The photograph (above) shows a 17.5m headroom in a full scale part section of the 6.4m deep vaults.

Contact the Energy & Nuclear Team E&NInfo@assystemuk.com or call 01772 645000 Visit www.assystem.com for more information