North West Newspaper Award Winners 2009 announced
Friday 19th June 2009
The winners in the 2009 North West Newspaper Awards have been announced at a ceremony in Chester.
This year’s finalists were treated to a trip round the Sellafield Ltd site at Capenhurst before a meal and ceremony at the plush St David’s Park Hotel.
It proved to be a fruitful afternoon for staff from Cumbrian Newspapers, as The Cumberland News retained its ...
Hazel Reardon
Job role: I am a Fusion graduate currently working in Magnox Technical where I have been developing my knowledge of the Magnox reprocessing plants. I am also secretary for the Magnox Reprocessing technical committee.
I am looking to gain a wider appreciation of the Magnox plants when I go on secondment to Magnox Operations Support at the end of May. I am an active science and engineering ambassador, and have been involved in a number of events since joining Sellafield, namely the Big Bang Fair in London. I am also the RSC (Royal Society of Chemistry) Cumbria local section secretary.
Age: 23
Qualifications: MSci Forensic and Analytical Chemistry from University of Strathclyde
Years at Sellafield: 8 months
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Featured projects
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Sludge Packaging Plant (SPP1)
Background: Work to build Sludge Packaging Plant (SPP1) – the facility responsible for receiving and processing legacy sludge prior to long term storage or disposal, began in November 2005.
Challenge: Restrictions due to the sensitivity of adjacent facilities - which preclude the use of conventional construction techniques, have provided the biggest challenges to this project. Delivery and installation of the Effluent Collection Vessel and Pipe Bridge which will connect the Magnox Fuel Receipt, Storage and decanning facility with SPP1 will also prove challenging.
Solution: The first concrete pour of the new structure took place on Tuesday 6 May 2008. In February 2009, the first concrete pour on the buffer cell was completed marking a halfway stage for the team.
Sludge Packaging Plant (SPP1)
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Encapsulated Product Store 3
Project: Construction of the third Encapsulated Product Store (EPS3) to house Intermediate Level Waste (ILW).
Challenges: These have ranged from preparing a justification of the need for an import/export facility, to the development of a suitable contract strategy and determination of a suitable soil disposal route. The location of the project required detailed planning prior to work commencing.
Encapsulated Product Store
Solution: considerable stakeholder management has been undertaken to enable the project to proceed. Extensive ecological sampling has also enabled the soil to be disposed of as free release waste.
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Disposal of the Kabelschlepp
Project To size reduce and dispose of the ‘Kabelschlepp’ - an exempt spool and transport trolley from the Vitrification Handling Plant used to decontaminate vitrified product containers.
Challenges The unknown with regards to the contamination levels internal to the Kabelschlepp. Although the item was fully surveyed prior to despatch from the Vitrification plant, a significant amount of preparation and contingency arrangements were required in the event that elevated levels of activity were uncovered.
Size reduce and dispose of the Kabelschlepp
Achievements Approximately 1 tonne of metal was processed and released into the commercial scrap market and over £50,000 has been saved in disposal costs.