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Serco Waste Characterisation Services

Serco Waste Characterisation Services. Overview of Waste Characterisation and Related Services LLW Repository Ltd Customer Forum Rheged Centre, April 2012. Advise | Design | Integrate | Deliver. Presentation Structure. Serco overview and relevant capability

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Serco Waste Characterisation Services

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  1. Serco Waste Characterisation Services Overview of Waste Characterisation and Related Services LLW Repository Ltd Customer Forum Rheged Centre, April 2012 Advise | Design | Integrate | Deliver

  2. Presentation Structure • Serco overview and relevant capability • Background to Waste Characterisation Services frameworks • Case studies • Service delivery • Key messages

  3. Technical Services LLWR: Tier 1 Serco Materials Testing Laboratory, Risley Independent advice to nuclear propulsion Serco Radioactive Handling Facility, Risley Civil Nuclear

  4. Relevant Nuclear Competence • Project Management • Radioactive Waste Management • Optioneering • Radiological Dose Assessment • Radiation Protection • Computer Modelling • Waste Characterisation IRAS Contamination Survey ANSWERS software Gamma Spectrometry Sellafield Contaminated Land & Groundwater Management Programme

  5. 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”

  6. 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

  7. Our Role in the LLWR Framework • 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

  8. 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

  9. Equipment and Process Verification • 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

  10. Audit Support • 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

  11. 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

  12. 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

  13. 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

  14. Innovation in Measurement Services • 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

  15. Innovation in Measurement Services • 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

  16. 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

  17. Waste Characterisation Service Delivery

  18. Additional Service Capability Geographical Distribution • Excellent Coverage • Rapid Response • Reduced Carbon Footprint 13 • Westlakes • Risley • Quedgeley • Harwell • Winfrith • Egremont • Barrow • Malton • Leyland • Queensferry/Deeside • Worcester • Sittingbourne • Dounreay 6 1 7 8 9 2 10 11 4 3 12 5

  19. 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

  20. 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

  21. Key Contact for the Waste Characterisation Service Nick Stone Waste Characterisation Framework Manager Tel: 01946 518702 Mob: 0771 819 4877 E: nick.stone@serco.com Web: www.serco.com/tcs

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