Directional decontamination head deployment into large, congested, highly radioactive vessels

Post Operational Clean Out (POCO) of the Sellafield site requires the internal cleaning of large, highly radioactive vessels with complex internal configurations. Sellafield Ltd is seeking innovative solutions for deploying vessel cleaning heads and ultra-high/high-pressure water jetting or spray nozzles to apply decontaminating chemicals and foams inside these structures.

The vessels' internal structures can include cooling/heating coils; fluid mixing and transfer devices; instrument dip-legs; internal vessels; and pipe support brackets. All of these internal structures require full surface decontamination. Any tool deployed to clean these internal structures would need to be able to navigate around them whilst cleaning them.

CHALLENGE AIMS

Sellafield Ltd is looking for technology that can deploy an ultra-high pressure water jetting (UHPWJ) head or other tools into a vessel that can:

• Cover the full internal surface of the vessel including internal pipework and structures.
• Operate from a nozzle to surface metal distance of 50mm to 100mm.

The aim is to decontaminate the vessel by removing the entire internal surface layer of metal.

Access into the vessel is achieved via 150mm inspection ports that pass through the 1.5m thick concrete cell wall, then through a 150mm diameter access port on the metal wall of the vessel itself.

Technology is being developed to cut an access port into a vessel and then fit a removable access plug through which any technological solution could be deployed.

Some vessels have open tops or engineered access ports, but many don’t and would need access to be created. Therefore, the smaller and lighter the solution the better.

Aggressive chemicals can be deployed by filling the entire vessel undergoing POCO; however, this produces unacceptable volumes of effluent. The ability to spray chemicals onto the internal surfaces of the vessel would use less of the reagent and reduce the effluent challenge. Ultra-high pressure water jetting (UHPWJ) or electrochemical methods would remove the need for reagents, if the deployment challenge can be solved.

FIND OUT MORE

Please download the challenge statement for full details of this opportunity.

You can watch a webinar and Q&A session with the challenge owners for more information and details of how to apply.

The deadline for applications for this challenge is 2pm on Wednesday 21 August 2024.

ASSESSMENT OF APPLICATIONS

Applications are reviewed against set criteria by a panel of challenge owners, prospective end‐users from our partner organisations, and Game Changers project staff. Brief summary feedback will be provided if your project is not awarded feasibility funding.

Application forms and posters will be assessed consistently and transparently using the following criteria:

1. How well does the application align with the challenge aims?
2. Is the proposed solution credible from the perspective of deployment?
3. What potential does the proposed solution have to transform practice in your area?
4. Do you feel the applicant is well placed to deliver a feasibility project?
5. Would the solution proposed in the application benefit from feasibility funding?
6. Does the application meet the scope of the challenge?