Sunday 25 May 2014

British Nuclear Group Sellafield Ltd (BNGSL) has selected Nexia Solutions Ltd, the nuclear technology services company, to perform a significant project in order to provide technical underpinning of the waste route from the legacy wet silo to the Sellafield Direct Encapsulation PLant (SDP) at Sellafield. As part of the accelerated nuclear clean-up mission, currently underway by BNGSL at the Sellafield site, this work will demonstrate and optimise the equipment necessary to treat this type of legacy waste. Based on the current process design, the waste will be screened to segregate it prior to onward direct encapsulation in 3m³ stainless steel boxes, suitable for long term storage. This work builds upon the valuable experience and skills that Nexia Solutions possesses in the fields of waste treatment and product development. Nexia Solutions’ wide-ranging capability in both its personnel and facilities will be utilised to deal with the challenges of handling and treating nuclear waste. The work will entail investigating the feasibility of handling a complex and varied waste form within a single process envelope against exacting requirements and will be undertaken at Nexia Solutions’ Offsite Technology Centre at Workington, Cumbria. This facility offers an extensive cementation development plant as well as rig hall space which can be flexibly configured to meet individual customers’ rig and testing requirements. Commenting on the award of the contract, Ric Baldwin, Nexia Solutions’ Commercial Director said “I am delighted that Nexia Solutions has been awarded this work. This shows the value of the knowledge and expertise in the area of nuclear waste treatment which Nexia Solutions has developed over many years and its’ application to accelerate the nuclear cleanup mission in the UK”.