Case Study

Vitrification crane - Sellafield

Hyde Group Nuclear was engaged by Sellafield Ltd to help with the development and manufacture of crane systems to be installed within the vitrification cells at their site in Cumbria.

The crane systems were required to enable the transportation of vitrified, highly active waste within the process cells. The radiation levels within the crane’s operational environment is such that human access is impossible, so it’s therefore essential they’re designed to enable remote recovery and maintenance.

Hyde Group Nuclear provided support to develop the manufacture of the crane and completed the manufacture of a representative test rig. The rig enabled the training of plant operators and tests to be undertaken to select appropriate recovery methods. It also enabled the trialing and development of maintenance techniques and included two master slave manipulators as used on the vitrification plant so actual operations could be tested by operators in full.

This development approach offered flexibility whilst ensuring all potential faults could be assessed and recovery options tested off-site, significantly reducing the risk of a crane failure in cell.