Nuclear Engineering Services complete flask leak testing 23 April 2012

Nuclear Engineering Services (NES) has now completed its contract for the installation of flask leak test equipment (FLTE) in the Dounreay Fast Reactor (DFR) facility.

The installation of this unit, for for Dounreay Site Restoration, signals the end of a series of contracts for NES that has seen the installation of 19 FLTE units across 13 sites.

Initially developed in 2004 as a prototype unit in a joint venture for both EDF (British Energy at the time) and Magnox, the FLTE is used to confirm that flasks containing spent nuclear fuel are fully sealed prior to their transportation to Sellafield for fuel reprocessing.

Equipment has been supplied to both EDF AGR and Magnox sites.

The prototype, which incorporated a SCADA (supervisory control and data acquisition) system, considerably improved the overall process and time taken to test the integrity of a fuel transportation flask.

The original process could take up to some eight hours to complete – which NES reduced to less than four.

The first contract was awarded in 2005 by Magnox for the installation of nine equipment sets across Sizewell A, Dungeness A, Chaplecross, Oldbury and Wylfa.

This was followed by a British Energy order in 2006 for seven units across Hinkley Point B, Heysham 1, Heysham 2, Hartlepool, Dungeness B, Hunterston B and Torness.

"The FLTE units have proven to be an extremely successful contract for us and particularly enjoyable to work on," comments NES project manager Chris Childs.

"Installing 19 units across 13 sites has proved logistically challenging, carrying out site surveys and ensuring the correct services are available for each unit. However, the contract has enabled us to develop an extremely strong site team, fully versed with the requirements of working at any site across the UK."

Brian Tinham

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