Special delivery for Sellafield

Wednesday, 2 October 2013

Engineers at Sellafield have received the largest module of the Thorp reprocessing plant's incoming Evaporator D unit - the biggest nuclear project underway in Britain.

The component approaches land, and a slipway to the Sellafield site

 
This week saw the delivery of the largest of several modules that will make up Evaporator D. Weighing 500 tonnes and measuring 27 metres high, it was produced by Interserve at the Pioneer Point manufacturing facility about 110 kilometres away in Cheshire. The transport route began by road, passing over a motorway, then continued by sea on a specialist barge. It duly arrived at Sellafield beach where it then had to cross the River Ehen using a temporary bridge. Eventually the module was rotated and moved into position with a huge temporary gantry. Costain is the main contractor for the project.

Putting the module in position

 
The new evaporator is to be used with the Thorp reprocessing facility to dry out highly radioactive liquid waste so that it can be vitrified in glass, ready for disposal. The huge module just delivered contained the 58-tonne evaporator vessel itself.

Researched and written
by World Nuclear News