Sellafield Ltd

Background

The Combined Heat and Power Plant, which sits just outside the Sellafield site, provides the site with steam. In February 2008 one of the stacks was noticed to be leaning slightly. Impressive team working resulted in the safe dismantling of all three chimney stacks within twelve days.

Challenge

Fast action was taken in February when one of the stacks was noticed to be leaning slightly.  Two turbine units were shut down immediately and a thorough investigation began.  Full inspection over the following days showed corrosion in all three chimney stacks.

A planned progressive shut-down of non-essential operations was carried out so that demand for steam was well within the capability of the back-up boiler.

Cutting began on the stacks on February 10 and, within six days, all three stacks had been safely taken down, leaving six-metre sections in place.

Sellafield Ltd’s then Director of Infrastructure, Mike Middleton, led a multi-disciplinary team working closely with the Combined Heat and Power Plant operators, DBpx, to manage dismantling He also oversaw separate streams of work using expertise from across Sellafield Ltd to maintain essential operations at the site and to make long-term plans.

Mike said: “I can’t understate the massive achievement this has been for the teams involved.  To carry out a project of this magnitude to such a tight timescale, whilst still keeping safety as the first and over-riding priority, is proof of what can be achieved by highly professional, focused and motivated teams”.

Sellafield Ltd is working closely with DBpx and the regulators on the replacement of the chimney stacks.

A further achievement is the demolition and removal of an old blockhouse from the adjacent sludge settling pond. This facility was directly associated with the activities carried out in the main building during its operational life. Its removal is a key step towards future waste retrievals from the settling pond and enables the rails for the sludge retrieval machine to be extended. Approximately 50m3 of waste were removed as a result of completing this work.

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