Case Study

FGMSP shielded trolleys

Hyde Group Nuclear was approach by Sellafield Ltd. to develop a solution to enable safe operations in the fuel export cell, part of the First Generation Magnox Storage Pond (FGMSP) facility.

The cell was to be refurbished to allow export of fuel from the pond, and the refurbishment was to be undertaken by operatives working in the cell. However, a method was required to shield operatives from radiation coming from the pond below the cell. 

Working from a concept design supplied by the client, Hyde Group Nuclear undertook a process of detailed design and manufacture to develop three shielded trolleys that could be seated on the existing cell rail system and pushed into the cell using a hydraulic ram. The platforms joined together and folded flat to form a large working area and an effective means of dose attenuation. 

The shielded trolleys were manufactured at Hyde Group’s facilities and underwent a series of factory acceptance trials before being dispatched to Sellafield for installation in the export cell. Without the trolleys, an operative wearing a full PVC suit could only access the facility for periods of ten minutes at a time. With the shielded trolleys in place, the permitted exposure duration increased to two hours, making the operative exposure As Low As Reasonably Practicable (ALARP).

Hyde Group Nuclear's capacity and flexible approached meant that from design to delivery, the work was completed within five months.