Avingtrans’ businesses combine to support Sellafield
Three of our companies within have come together to engineer key components for the new SIXEP Continuity Plant (SCP) at Sellafield, Cumbria – supporting the site’s ongoing capacity to remove radioactivity from various effluent streams.
Stainless Metalcraft (Chatteris, Cambridgeshire), Hayward Tyler (Luton) and Hayward Tyler Fluid Handling (Glasgow) were appointed by Altrad Babcock to design and manufacture Remote Maintenance Pumps for the SCP.
Sellafield’s Site Ion Exchange Effluent Plant (SIXEP) acts as the ‘kidneys’ of the site, filtering out radioactive material from its high hazard and risk reduction programmes prior to discharge into the sea. Operational since 1985, the site’s capabilities are now required until around 2060, leading to the development of the SCP and the need for new Remote Maintenance Pumps to extend the plant’s working life.
Terry Mayston, project manager at Stainless Metalcraft, said: “The SCP project is a complex one that requires a range of specialist engineering, manufacturing and testing skills, as well as a good understanding of the facilities already in situ at Sellafield.
“The three Avingtrans businesses involved in the project each have a strong heritage manufacturing complex components for some of the world’s most demanding operational environments and, by bringing that expertise together, we were able to fulfil all the requirements of the project, from design, engineering and manufacture to testing, delivery and revising the user manuals.”
Stainless Metalcraft manufactured the pump casings and provided quality and project management services; Hayward Tyler Fluid Handling updated the designs and manufactured the pump internals; while Hayward Tyler performed the functional and performance testing for the project, developing a new, custom test rig for the project.
Murray Kerr, general manager at Hayward Tyler Fluid Handling added: “The original pumps were designed and delivered by Hayward Tyler in the 1980s but required a full redesign to support the extended lifespan of the project. The new designs include temperature, performance and environmental condition monitoring, along with a new disassembly procedure to streamline the end-of-life disposal process.
“Modernising the design and processes to meet new standards in such a heavily-regulated environment presented its own set of challenges but the team was able to consult with the team responsible for the original pump designs, which proved invaluable to the project’s ultimate success.”
Brian Scorer, managing director at Hayward Tyler, concluded: “The SCP is a crucial part of Sellafield’s infrastructure and we are proud to have delivered this challenging project. The project’s success is a result not only of our strong heritage in the nuclear sector but also the whole team’s ability to evolve legacy designs to meet new performance standards, supporting the safe disposal of radioactive waste for decades to come.”
Simon Wilcock, SCP’s project director, said: “This achievement is a great example of the supply chain working collaboratively, with the focus on being successful together, to deliver a high-quality product that will form the heart of the effluent treatment process, and supporting high-hazard reduction for years to come.”
SIXEP is a crucial plant that treats effluents from high hazard and risk reduction programmes at Sellafield. It is fundamental to the delivery of various programmes, including the Magnox Operational Programme and the Advanced Gas-cooled Reactor Programme. The plant is being replaced by the SCP through an ongoing project, with an active commissioning date set for 2029.
