ILW stream retrieved
Just under 2.5 tonnes of Intermediate Level Waste (ILW) has been successfully retrieved, as part of the accelerated decommissioning strategy at Trawsfynydd Site.
The ILW sand and gravel waste was contained in one of the sites sand filters. The waste was retrieved using an innovative ‘vacuuming’ system before being transferred into 26 drums. These drums will now be processed for long term storage in the site’s ILW store. During operational years, the filter would clean water in the ponds lanes to improve its visibility and reduce potential clouding. As with most Magnox stations the ponds were used to cool and store fuel elements before they were transported off site, and it was important to maintain the quality of the water.
The vessel of the filter has also been successfully decommissioned which involved removing 3 tonnes of lead and size reduction of the vessel to sections totalling 1.5 tonnes, for disposal. All of this has been achieved in testing radiological conditions, without any injuries or significant events.
Project Lead, Kieran O’Marah, said: “It has been a fantastic joint project between Magnox and ACTUS, using simple but innovative equipment to retrieve the sand and gravel from within the filter vessel. We have a second identical vessel to empty on the site, and all the valuable lessons will be implemented to increase the efficiency of our operations''.
