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Serco Public
Serco Waste Characterisation Services
Advise | Design | Integrate | Deliver
Overview of Waste Characterisation and Related Services
LLW Repository Ltd Customer Forum
Rheged Centre, April 2012
Serco Public
Presentation Structure
Serco overview and relevant capability
Background to Waste Characterisation Services frameworks
Case studies
Service delivery
Key messages
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Technical Services
Independent advice to nuclear propulsion
Serco Materials Testing Laboratory, Risley
Serco Radioactive Handling Facility, Risley
LLWR: Tier 1
Civil Nuclear
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Relevant Nuclear Competence
Project Management
Radioactive Waste Management
Optioneering
Radiological Dose Assessment
Radiation Protection
Computer Modelling
Waste Characterisation
ANSWERS software
Sellafield Contaminated Land & Groundwater Management Programme
IRAS Contamination Survey
Gamma Spectrometry
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Serco and LLWR
Integrated sub-contractor to UKNWM Ltd
– Technical and financial understanding of LLWR business
– Aligned with securing cost effective management of UK waste streams
2011 ESC understanding:
– Derivation of the radiological capacity for the LLWR
– Development of WAC
– Key radionuclides during Period of Authorisation
UKRWI understanding
– Existing and planned waste streams Cost effective consultancy
NDA Strategic LQM understanding
– Current and future land quality waste arisings on all NDA sites
LLWR Vault 9
“We understand the need to extend the lifetime of our national repository”
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Services Available via LLWR Framework
Objective:
– To improve LLWR confidence that waste streams are: Appropriate, Minimised and WAC compliant
Means:
– Make available to waste consignors a high quality, consistent characterisation service
– Assist/augment/integrate with existing teams
Physical, chemical and radiochemical characterisation
– In-situ measurements– Sampling and analysis
Undertaken by people who understand:
– Waste Hierarchy– Segregation and treatment of waste– Maximisation of the use of excluded, exempt and VLLW– Occupational and environmental radiation protection
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To Assist LLWR Ltd in its own Waste Assurance Programme
Provide independent verification of customer’s wastes
– Confirmation that waste received complies with the repository’s Waste Acceptance Criteria requirement under Environmental Permit
Services:
– Verification monitoring
– Verification sampling and analysis
– Equipment and process verification
Our Role in the LLWR Framework
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Verification Monitoring, Sampling and Analysis
To assess activity in waste packages for comparison against customers’ own radioactivity content measurement
Methodology
– Examine customer data– Produce container activity/dose mathematical model
Geometrical and physical container properties Non-homogenous density and radioactivity Calculate total detection efficiency
– In-situ dose-rate and High Resolution Gamma Spectrometry measurements
– Compare in-situ measurements against model
– Verification of consignment Gamma fingerprint Declared activity
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To include provision of test items for deployment to customer sites
To verify and assure the customer assay processes and equipment
Calibrated test items to be provided by NPL
– Previously conducted waste drum inter-site comparison exercises
– Readily transferable verification methodology
Will include witness of customer methodologies and their data interpretation
Deliverables include written report
Equipment and Process Verification
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To support auditing of waste consignors by providing suitably qualified and experienced auditors
Serco Environment & QA manager supported by:
– Additional experienced Serco auditors
– Experienced NPL auditors UKAS assessors experienced in auditing laboratory compliance under ISO17025
standard
Deliverables will include written Audit reports
Audit Support
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Radiological Safety and Compliance
DURING CHARACTERISATION AND ASSURANCE WORK
IRR 99
– Co-operation with client RPA to determine who is “Radiation Employer”, so the duties can be assigned to each party
– Serco is an HSE recognised RPA body
RMT Notification
– Ensuring, prior to consignment, that consignee is willing and able to accept the consignment under their Permit
Consignment and Carriage
– Samples etc. normally consigned in Excepted Packages (UN 2910)
– Serco has an “all classes” DGSA, who specialises in Class 7 dangerous goods
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Case Study 1: JRC ISPRA, Italy
IN-SITU ASSAY AND SAMPLING
The problem
– Components of a legacy test rig contained 0.5 – 4 kg DU in 1100 kg sodium.
– Distribution of the DU key factor in waste treatment and disposal options
The solution
– High sensitivity gamma flux surveys of the massive components to identify locations where DU was concentrated
– Quantification by in-situ HRGS with mathematical calibration
The outcome
– Strategy decided to segregate DU, treating the small quantity of sodium by WVN
– Supported by subsequent sampling and laboratory analysis, once it was practicable to open up the components
Serco Public
Case Study 2: Pile 1 Chimney
OPTIMISATION OF WASTE MANAGEMENT STRATEGY
The problem
– 4500 tons of concrete
– High activity concentration contamination on inner near surface, rapidly reducing with depth to high volume VLLW
The opportunity
– Effective segregation would significantly reduce the quantity of waste sent to LLWR
Our contribution to BPEO process
– Use of a number of innovative in-situ and ex-situ techniques, and modelling to describe contamination distribution
– Model development to predict effect of different segregation options on waste quantities and operator dose
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Example 1:
– Pile Chimneys’ Free Release Monitoring System
– Windscale Pile 2 Chimney concrete represented a HVLA waste
– Waste segregation optimised by a 3-stage monitoring system
Initial screening Conveyor for particle 1m3 bulk bag monitor
– 3000t of 4300t of concrete transported
as ‘free release’
– Saved capacity at LLWR and site VLLW facilities
Innovation in Measurement Services
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Example 2:
– IRAS Depth Profiler ™
– Delivers 1-mm resolution depth profile without the errors introduced by mechanical core sectioning
– Collimated gamma spectrometer
– Analysis of drilled cores, either on site or in lab
– Pile 1 Chimney at Sellafield 30 cores 95% goodness of fitting
Innovation in Measurement Services
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NDA DRP Frameworks
Recently reappointed on the Direct Research Portfolio
– For example, Lot 3, Site Restoration
– Earlier rapid characterisation research
– Contaminated material that does not have a reliable gamma fingerprint
– Demonstration of technologies
– Proposed forward programmes Collation of data from site licence holders Proposals and prioritisation of tasks Dissemination of information
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Geographical Distribution
Excellent Coverage
Rapid Response
Reduced Carbon Footprint
1. Westlakes
2. Risley
3. Quedgeley
4. Harwell
5. Winfrith
6. Egremont
7. Barrow
8. Malton
9. Leyland
10. Queensferry/Deeside
11. Worcester
12. Sittingbourne
13. Dounreay
Additional Service Capability
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Safe Delivery
2011: RoSPA awarded President’s Award
– 10 successive years achieving their Gold Award standard for Occupational Health & Safety
Embedded learning from 5 decades experience
– Continuously developing operational, behavioural and observational safety processes and procedures
Excellent record of safe delivery
– Engaged in on-site activities on UK nuclear licensed sites
– For example, 93,000+ man hours on a complex project at Sellafield without a Lost Time Accident
Safety remains our number one priority as we continue to work towards our Zero Harm goal
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Key Messages
Organisation with an impeccable nuclear safety and assurance pedigree
Appointed as a LLWR framework contractor, providing a full range of waste characterisation services
Understand LLWR and its objectives through our ESC and RWI work
Understand the diverse range of LLWR customers
Research and Innovation
– Proven track record of waste characterisation research
– Ideas for the future
We are experienced, capable and committed to ensuring successful delivery of these services
Serco Public
Nick Stone
Waste Characterisation Framework Manager
Tel: 01946 518702
Mob: 0771 819 4877
Web: www.serco.com/tcs
Key Contact for the Waste Characterisation Service