LLWR Customer Forum, 25 April 2012
Waste Characterisation Services
Sean Clarke, Babcock International Group
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Outline
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About Babcock
Our Expertise
Safe Operations
Case Studies
ABOUT BABCOCK
Babcock – Long Heritage
2010
Project Services
2008
Roots in
pioneering
R&D days
at Sellafield
2005
1995
VT Group
1960s
BIL formed
(BNFL Instruments Ltd.)
Babcock – a long history
supporting operations
across the UK and
internationally
Babcock – Significant Experience
OUR EXPERTISE
Waste Characterisation Services
Consultancy
Desktop studies, provenance investigations, sampling strategies
and plans, analysis plans and techniques, waste mapping and
fingerprinting, activity assessment techniques, etc.
Hands On
Sampling services, in-situ or ex-situ non-destructive assay,
radiochemical analysis (environmental or LLW/ILW), hazardous
waste analysis, etc.
Our customers include:
Babcock – Ready To Deliver
RESOURCE POOL
FACILITIES
– Environmental Labs
– AMEC Analytical
Services
– R&D Facilities
– Decontamination
Facilities
– Geographical
coverage
QUALITY
Right First Time
– ISO-9001, ISO-14001,
ISO-18001, ISO-17025,
TickIT
– Good Practice Guides,
NICOPs, working groups
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Large pool of engineers
Trained and nominated
Security cleared
Geographical coverage
EQUIPMENT POOL
– Large pool of equipment
incl. traceable sources
– Calibrated
– Maintained
– Mobile
Babcock – Facilities
SAFE OPERATIONS
Babcock – Proven Safe Experience
Used to working on customers’ nuclear licensed and other
secure sites. Example:
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UKBA – ports and airports across the UK
12 month project – over 220 site visits
Radioactive sources, equipment and SQEP
personnel deployed to up to 5 locations
simultaneously
Fully compliant documentation packs provided
EA and SEPA source registrations
Zero accidents / incidents
CASE STUDIES
Long-Term Service Example
What:
Full on-site measurement service
Where:
LLWR Site
When:
Since 2010 (>2 years; >2500 measurements)
Description:
Bag monitoring on campaign basis
Innovation:
Waste re-categorisation and minimisation
Putting waste in
the right place to
extend the life of
the repository
Service In Action
Service Summary
PCM
LLW
80%
volume
reduction
1000
AVOIDED
ACHIEVED
Babcock – Service Advantages
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Flexible on-site attendance
Expert operators
Fully-maintained state-of-the-art equipment
Critical spares holding to maximise up-time
Provision of technical support e.g. fingerprint changes
No capital outlay
No asset management/disposal costs
Single Work Package Example
What:
On-site verification monitoring service
Where:
Studsvik MRF
When:
April 2012
Description:
Activity assessment of MEB inside HHISO
Innovation:
Advanced analysis technique – “PSIM”
Metal recycling
rather than disposal
to extend the life of
the repository
MEB = Multi-Element Bottle
Storage of spent nuclear fuel in cooling ponds…
Fuel
channel
Approx. 0.7m diameter / 4.5m long / 3 tonnes steel
MEB TOP OR
‘END’ VIEW
Innovative Analysis Technique
PSIM
NON-PSIM
PSIM = Particle Swarm Imaging
• New patented technique
• Overcomes largest source of measurement uncertainty
– Not knowing the distribution of activity
• Tool of choice for accurate assay of large or dense objects
– Heavy drums, dumpy bags, ISO containers, etc.
• Uses standard measurement equipment
• Provides a pseudo-image of the activity inside the item
Particle Swarm Imaging
A
Record radiation “snap-shots”
around the item
B
Define PSIM model using
information about the item
C
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Run the model – builds up
distribution of solutions
Output = activity values with
robust uncertainties
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MEB Inside HHISO
Sealed HHISO During Measurements
Results – Co60
MEB TOP
MEB BASE
SIDE VIEW
END VIEW
Dominated by
internal
contamination
at base of MEB
Results – Cs137
MEB TOP
MEB BASE
SIDE VIEW
Dominated by
external
contamination
at top of MEB
END VIEW
Service Summary
• First work package awarded under the framework
• Timescales:
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Framework mini-bid process = 4 weeks
Mobilisation incl. documentation pack and site visit = 1.5 weeks
On-site works = 1 day
Analysis and reporting = 1.5 weeks
• Safe operations on Studsvik MRF Site
• Results consistent with consignor’s dose rate survey
• Successful project
Total project time incl. mini bid < 2 months
CONCLUSIONS
Babcock – Ready To Deliver
• Excited about delivering services under the framework
– Promotion of waste hierarchy
– Promotion of best practice
– Extend the life of the repository
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Have the people, equipment and facilities required
Proven experience of safe operations on customer sites
Tried and tested technical solutions
Innovative thinking and development