The UK National Nuclear Laboratory and Waste Management R&D
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The UK National Nuclear Laboratory and Waste Management R&D Graham A. Fairhall Nexia Solutions, Sellafield, Seascale, Cumbria, CA20 1PG, UK INTRODUCTION In the autumn of 2006, the UK government declared its expectation to set up a National Nuclear Laboratory (NNL) as soon as possible (subject to satisfactory contractual terms). The aim would be to base the Laboratory around Nexia Solutions and its ‘state of the art’ facility at Sellafield in Cumbria. The initial phase of the work to recommend formation of the laboratory is well advanced, and the NNL is expected to have a remit for the following roles:
to play a key role in supporting the UK’s strategic R&D requirements to operate world-class facilities to ensure key skills are safeguarded and enhanced to play a key role in the development of the UK’s R&D supply base.
Within this remit it is to be expected that the NNL will play a key role in the R&D for successful management of radioactive waste that the UK will need for at least the rest of this century. This paper provides an overview of the role expected to be required of the NNL and the likely scope of its waste management R&D. Examples are given from current programmes which the NNL’s predecessor (Nexia Solutions) is undertaking. WHAT IS THE NATIONAL NUCLEAR LABORATORY? The National Nuclear Laboratory will be a customer-funded organisation which will undertake R&D for nuclear-fission related applications across the entire UK nuclear industry. Placing Nexia Solutions at the heart of the NNL will ensure that the laboratory has a strong heritage of nuclear-related skills and expertise. This unique skill base was assembled when Nexia Solutions was established out of the former Research & Technology division of BNFL. It encompasses the nuclear fuel and waste management expertise of BNFL, the reactor R&T activities of the former Magnox Electric and the nuclear science skills from AEA(T), which was acquired by BNFL in 2003. Consequently the NNL is expected to constitute the bulk of the UK’s remaining civil nuclear fission research capability and all of the active research facilities. The technical skill base is impressive in its scope; it covers the full scope of fission reactors and their associated fuel cycles. Also included is the necessary challenge of decommissioning and clean-up. The figure below illustrates the range of the skills and expertise available in Nexia Solutions.
Reactor Systems & Services Reactor system support Support to reactor operations Nuclear analysis Post-irradiation examination Fuel design & performance Production of experimental fuels
Fuel cycle &waste management Reprocessing & Wastes management technical support Development & testing services Plant monitoring Inspection, asset care & life-time extension Remote engineering solutions Waste characterisation Aerial & liquid effluent treatment Cementation/encapsulation Vitrification
Decommissioning & Cleanup Waste retrieval Waste process development Decontamination Clean-out of residual materials Dismantling of radioactive plant
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