Medium Active Salt Free Evaporator
Background
After 10 years of operational life the Thorp reprocessing plant's existing Medium Active Salt Free Evaporator (MASFE) was nearing the end of its life. The MASFE is an important piece of plant used primarily to process Medium Active liquors, concentrating them down prior to them being sent for further evaporation and Vitrification into glass.
Challenge
Thorp was designed with a spare evaporator cell containing support steel work, cladding and tie-ins already installed in the event that a new evaporator was required. In order to install the four main vessels comprising the MASFE, part of the Thorp's roof had to be removed. One of the largest cranes in Europe was built on site in order to perform the delicate operation of lifting the vessels some 34 metres in order to lower them in through the roof of Thorp.
The £5m worth of vessels ranged in size from 8.4m long to 12.4m long, with the heaviest vessel weighing in at 19.6te It was a major engineering challenge to install the huge vessels through the roof of Thorp and position them to the nearest millimetre inside the building. Considerable work had to be carried out in order to reassure ourselves and the safety regulator that the operation could be carried out safely.
The minor vessels, pipework and ductwork will now be installed ahead of the active tie-ins to the plant during the summer months.
What we do
One of the largest cranes in Europe was built on site in order to perform the delicate operation of lifting the vessels in through the roof of Thorp.
Thank you for your feedback.
