Following the progress update on SRP’s glovebox lines on our recent PPP townhall, and the spotlight on our supply partner NIS, we’re now focusing on the work of Ansaldo in Wolverhampton, where the group 300 and 500 glovebox lines are being manufactured for our Sellafield Product and Residue Store Retreatment Plant (SRP).
The group 300 line is a powder retreatment line made up of 12 gloveboxes as part of 7 contained systems. This 25-metre-long line will be pivotal in retreating around 2,000 SNM packages.
The group 500 line is a residues retreatment line. This line is 41-metres-long, made up of 16 gloveboxes, and will be responsible for retreating around 6,000 SNM packages.
The group 500 line is the current focus. Factory Acceptance Testing (FAT) has been completed by Ansaldo, and equipment is now being transferred to our commissioning team in stages. The first Custody Transfer Certificate (CTC) has already handed over electrical distribution equipment, allowing the team to begin energisation of the plant in a controlled manner.
Paul Carson-Clements, Commissioning section lead said: “Applying isolations was a key part of this work.
“It allowed us to demonstrate safe control of the systems, even while work continued downstream. My role was to oversee this process, keeping our team on schedule while working safely.”
The glovebox lines are designed to open, treat and repackage SNM packages, or cans, which will then be placed into long-term safe storage at Sellafield. Each line uses mainly automated processes, supported by operator input where required. Tools involved include package cutting, de-pressurising, repackaging and welding equipment.
Commissioning work is critical in proving the systems will do what they need to do, are safe and ready for arrival on site. Isolations and permits provide assurance to both PPP and Ansaldo that risks are understood and controlled before energisation.
The gloveboxes have been in manufacture and testing at Ansaldo for nearly two years, with transfers to PPP beginning three months ago. Despite the challenges of integrating into an established Sellafield process, cooperation between the teams has ensured progress has been safe and effective.
Looking ahead, energisation of the Group 500 line is planned to begin this month. This will see integration of supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) and programmable logic control (PLC) systems by the control systems team, marking a major step forward. As further equipment will be brought under PPP control, paving the way for input output checks and single item operations.
