NUCLEAR POWER
ALGAE CONTROL at SELLAFIELD A
fter the installation of multiple LG Sonic industrial wet systems in a nuclear power plant of Sellafield (UK), the water visibility in the storage ponds improved significantly. As a result of the ultrasonic systems there has been an exceptional reduction in blue-green algae and chlorophyll levels in the storage ponds. Sellafield, a nuclear fuel reprocessing and nuclear decommissioning site, handles nearly all radioactive waste generated by 15 operational nuclear reactors in the UK. In 2015, the UK government started a major clean-up of stored nuclear waste in Sellafield because of the bad condition of storage ponds. One of the main causes of bad conditions in the storage ponds was
poor visibility in the water due to algae growth. To improve water visibility in the
storage ponds, four LG Sonic industrial
allows the user to monitor and change the ultrasound program remotely. Furthermore, status updates and alerts are received when power outages occur. After three weeks of the installation
wet systems were installed. The systems have 12 ultrasonic programs to effectively control different types of algae and are able to treat algae in a relatively short time. GPRS control
of the LG Sonic ultrasonic systems, there was a considerable reduction in blue-green algae count and chlorophyll levels. As a result of the reduction in algae levels, the water started to clear and it was possible to see vessels and containers in the storage ponds that in recent years were only visible when using a tethered underwater mobile device. l
For more information visit
www.lgsonic.com
KEEPING NUCLEAR DECOMMISSIONING ON TRACK
üdel linear motion technology is known as a robust and reliable solution for some of industry’s most diverse applications. It is no surprise therefore to find an example of the company’s TMF 4 robot track playing an important role in helping to decommission the Winfrith steam generating heavy water reactor (SGHWR). Winfrith is located on a 129-hectare
G
site of special scientific interest in the Dorset countryside. Constructed in the 1950s, Winfrith provided vital research into reactor design. Of the original nine unique and experimental reactors only
two remain: Dragon, a helium-cooled reactor, and the SGHWR, the only one of Winfrith’s reactors to supply power to the national grid. In the summer of 2016, James
Güdel’s TMF floor mounted linear track will be used in the project
Fisher Nuclear (JFN) secured a multi-million pound contract with Magnox, working on behalf of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, to remotely segment the SGHWR reactor and handle the resultant waste packages. In the interim period, JFN has been engaging closely with its supply chain to identify a mixture of commercial off-the-shelf and bespoke equipment to determine the optimum solution for this project. Güdel’s part in the project is based upon the company’s TrackMotion Floor (TMF) linear track, which can move industrial robots weighing up to six tons. It is distinguished by its excellent reliability and durability, essential attributes in a project of this nature. Güdel TrackMotion robot
slides use cam-rollers on flat guide rails to give an accurate, repeatable slide, which is highly resistant to ingress from environmental contaminants such as concrete dust and swarf. The track supplied for the Winfrith decommissioning project is a TMF4 unit, with two independently driven carriages, which spans a distance of 24m. A Kuka Titan six-axis robot will traverse the track visiting three distinct areas: the reactor chamber, a cleaning area and an area where operators can interact with the robot. The second carriage carries robot tooling to allow the robot to change tooling remotely without leaving the reactor chamber. The robot will use a variety of different tools including a diamond impregnated saw, chippers and grippers to undertake the various disassembly tasks required. Unusually, in this application, the robot will be driven manually under remote control. l
For more information visit
www.gudel.com
www.engineerlive.com 49
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