TheBeaconMagazinev2

THE BEACON MAGAZINE | FEATURE
17
How SIAL works
Managed radioactive waste treatment service
Waste characterization
characterisation
Pre-treatment
Treatment Treatment
u
Sampling Detailed physical, of the waste chemical, radiological
and radiochemical characterisation
Detailed physical, chemical,
radiological and radiochemical
characterization
u Retrieval Retrieval of of the the waste waste
u Filtration, dewatering
u On-site On-site
u Mobile Mobile treatment treatment units units
u SIAL® SIAL matrix ® matrix technology
u Final Final package package form form approved approved by by
regulatory regulatory authority authority
radionuclides and also makes the material
much easier to handle, transport and store.
Pavol Stuller, Director for Central and
Eastern Europe, explains: “There are
demanding requirements around long-term
storage of nuclear waste such as spent
ion exchange resins or non-standard
waste. SIAL® is the only tried and tested
geopolymer encapsulate on the market
for use in nuclear power plants. It has a
successful track record, having treated
more than 1,000 tons of waste.”
The use of SIAL® also saves money
because fewer waste containers are
required, with an additional knock-on
saving in final storage costs.
Andy White says: “Traditionally, UK
decommissioning clients have opted for
‘make’ solutions, engaging the supply
chain in a piecemeal fashion, with
different contracting vehicles used to
deliver the various parts of the project:
problem definition, solution development,
FEED, implementation et cetera.
This is inefficient and doesn’t make use
of best practice from the wider industry,
where solutions may already exist. It also
leads to over-engineered solutions.
The approach in eastern Europe is very
different, and UK customers have been
quick to see its attractions.”
Asked to build a test rig for a six-month
project at a waste treatment plant, Amec
Foster Wheeler proposed a very basic
design re-using an existing structure in its
test facility at Birchwood, Warrington. This
saved money because there was no need
to manufacture access stairs. The client
originally considered a design that was fully
engineered to last more than 20 years.
In another project, Amec Foster
Wheeler has been contracted on a fixed
price basis to provide a service for the
recovery, treatment and export of waste,
with an incentive to minimise the number
of drums produced. It takes ownership
of the full project lifecycle, including all
supporting documentation, engineering,
manufacturing and retrieval/treatment
operations.
Adds Andy White: “Our engineered
solutions are highly pragmatic whilst
remaining safe, and are based on solutions
that we know will work, with only the
minimum of modifications made to adapt
to the facility in question.
“The equipment is simple, mobile, easy to
decontaminate, can be re-used, and can
be deployed as close to the source of the
waste as possible, hence minimising both
the work and the risk associated with
moving nuclear materials.
Scabbling success
Amec Foster Wheeler Slovakia’s
problem-solving skills are also being
applied to more unusual decommissioning
challenges. At a former experimental
nuclear reactor site in the UK, a postirradiation
examination cell for nuclear
fuel had been left with large areas of high
contamination on the floor and walls.
Five millimetres of concrete had to be
skimmed off to remove contaminated
material, but all work had to be done
remotely because of the high dose risks
to operators. Drawing on experience of
developing new techniques in response
to decommissioning challenges at
nuclear power plants, Amec Foster Wheeler
Slovakia designed a remotely operated
scabbling head attached to a crab and
arm system which can traverse in three
dimensions. The machine was used
successfully to remove the surface
concrete to the required depth at the
rate of 3 square metres per hour.
The equipment was deployed by Amec
Foster Wheeler’s UK-based Specialist
Remediation Services team and the results
far exceeded the customer’s expectations.
To find out more:
pavol.stuller@amecfw.com