NIS Ltd

The gates will be used in the Vitrified Product Store at Sellafield in order to increase operational flexibility and throughput. The store holds high level waste, sealed in shielded containers, where it can be safely stored for over 50 years. This waste material arises during the chemical separation of spent fuel and is processed through the Windscale Vitrification Plant where it is mixed with glass to produce a vitrified product.

High level waste that stems from the reprocessing of fuel from overseas customers must be returned to its country of origin, in line with UK legislation. This increases the need to move waste through the plant, into and out of storage, and the additional gamma gates are needed to achieve this.

The gates require complex machining, fabrication and assembly and it was imperative for the equipment to be manufactured in strict compliance with drawings and tolerances, due to the hazardous nature of its function. Specialist exotic materials, unusual in both their characteristics and availability for supply, were also needed for shielding; adding to the difficulty of procurement and construction. NIS provided project management, manufacture, assembly, inspection and testing for this high level engineering task.