Case Study Description

When irradiated fuel is ready to be dispatched from site it is first loaded into a flask and various checks are made to ensure the flask is ready and safe to leave the site. The flask is transported within the site using a flask handling crane under strict control and protection procedures. Following a periodic safety review, it was considered prudent and practicable to install additional new hardwired interlocks to enhance the protection against selected hazards.

We assisted the client by establishing the existing crane control philosophy and defining the requirements for the additional high integrity hard-wired protection. We were then asked to provide a suitable detailed design which was substantiated via a formal modification proposal which we also produced. Working with the site project team, we set down the installation and quality assurance arrangements for installation work to proceed, and working to our test procedures, the new protection system was commissioned and the crane is now fully operational. Finally, we helped the client to update the Station Manuals.