Nuclear Decommissioning:

Scotland’s Key Strengths

Capability Statement
Capability Statement
Why Scotland? 4
This document describes Scotland’s key Dounreay 6

strengths, experience and expertise in the Prototype Fast Reactor

Dounraeu Fast Reactor
8
8

delivery of nuclear decommissioning and how Dounreay Materials Test Reactor

Dounreay Shaft & Silo
10
10
Fuel Cycle Area 11
this can assist other countries in the Hunterston A 12

development and delivery of their nuclear Chapelcross 14

decommissioning programmes. Rosyth Dockyard 16

Energy Technology Partnership 18

Contact Details 19

Images courtesy of DSRL Ltd., Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, Magnox North

 Why Scotland?

4
 5

Why Scotland?
Scotland has a proud history of engineering
and manufacturing excellence in support of
the nuclear energy sector and this continues
today with significant capabilities in delivery
of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority’s
programme of decommissioning and
clean-up of 19 civil nuclear sites across the
UK, three of which are located in Scotland:
Hunterston A, Chapelcross and Dounreay.
With experience in the decommissioning of prototype Fast Breeder Reactors, Magnox
Reactors and Defence Assets, Scotland offers opportunities for development in the
delivery of new technological solutions and methods for the safe and efficient
decommissioning of nuclear facilities across both the power generation and defence
sectors.

Scotland is recognised globally for its world leading academic excellence, technical
ingenuity, and the transfer of knowledge into practical application. Scotland’s
expertise can be found in the development of solutions across engineering, technical
design, fabrication, specialist demolition and manufacturing. Scotland combines
internationally recognised research and technical expertise partnered with innovative
private companies of all sizes ready to meet the challenges of safe decommissioning
of nuclear facilities globally. It is estimated that in excess of 200 reactors will require
decommissioning globally over the next 20 years; Scottish supply chain companies are
available to share their experience and knowledge to assist other countries with delivery
of their decommissioning programmes.

GSE Systems Power Station Simulator Suite, The

GSE Systems Power Station Simulator Suite is a
£2M facility which provides a high-fidelity
simulation of the control room within a range of
generating stations. Configurable to cover a wide
range of generation technologies, including
combined cycle gas turbine and nuclear
generation, it provides users with an immersive
experience of operating a power station.
Dounreay
“There were suggestions in the past that buildings like D8550 could
never be decontaminated safely. This decommissioning project team
has shown that even the most radiologically contaminated areas can
now be decommissioned safely and efficiently.”
Charlie Fowler, Dounreay

Dounreay is where some of the nation’s leading scientists and engineers experimented
with plutonium, uranium and other metals to furnish the UK with the knowledge to
generate electricity using a more advanced type of nuclear reactor.

After four decades of research, stretching back to the earliest days in the industry,
taking apart their legacy is a major undertaking. Today, Dounreay is a site of
construction, demolition and waste management, all of it designed to return the site to
as near as practicable its original condition.

Decommissioning Dounreay is recognised internationally as one of the most complex

nuclear clean-up challenges in the world. The skills and enterprise it fosters are giving
Scottish companies a platform to compete in the global decommissioning market.

Approximately 180 facilities were built at Dounreay. Decommissioning each facility

requires a comprehensive survey to identify every hazard, the different wastes that will
be generated and development of solutions for their management and removal. Essential
features include minimising the exposure of workers to radiation, segregating and
minimising the different waste categories and disposing of these through the correct
waste management routes.

Dounreay is responsible for the delivery of a number world leading decommissioning

projects.

Weir Group design, manufacture and supply a

range of specialist pumps specifically designed for
use with special nuclear grade sumps for handling
radioactive sludge. Weir Minerals has the ability to
custom engineer for specific customer applications
for high or low radioactive wastes.

6
7
Prototype Fast Reactor (PFR)
This facility contained 1,500 Tonnes of liquid sodium metal
used to transfer the heat from the reactor core through to three
secondary circuits and a steam-generating plant for electricity
production.
Significant activities in the delivery of the decommissioning of this
facility include
• Construction of the world’s largest liquid metal destruction
plant to destroy the 1,500 Tonnes of sodium that had been
used as coolant.
• Development of special water vapour nitrogen process for
removal of liquid metal residues in the reactor.
• Successful removal of sodium residues in coolant pipework
and use of pioneering pipe-piercing and diagrid drilling
equipment to remove sodium residues.
• Use of remotely operated camera to view depths of reactor.
• Use of specialist technique to clean out secondary sodium
circuits in all three cells.
• Diamond Wire Sawing for thick complex radiologically
contaminated Stainless Steel items.
• Processing and disposal 145 Tonnes of clean steel, 140
Tonnes of exempt steel waste and 580 Tonnes of LLW,
including 15 km of redundant pipework.
Nuvia Limited, managed the delivery of the PFR
Steam Generation & Secondary Sodium Circuit
Cells Strip Out which required the removal, size
reduction and waste disposal of 2 Steam Boiler
Vessels, 2 Sodium Expansion Tanks, 3 Superheater
Vessels, 3 Reheater Vessels, 3 Evaporator vessels
and a 34 metre high steam exhaust stack, 33
metres of which were contained within the
building.
8
Dounreay Fast Reactor (DFR)
Housed inside a steel sphere, DFR was Britain’s first fast breeder
reactor and played an important part in international fast reactor
research, demonstrating that a safe and easily operable reactor of
this type could be built for electrical power station use.
Significant achievements in the delivery of the decommissioning
of this facility include
• Removal of 6km of coolant filled pipework from within the
reactor vault.
• Development of in-situ passivation process to remove
residual radioactively contaminated sodium-potassium alloy
without remote operations.
• Pipe-bridge between reactor and heat exchanger removed.
• 110 Tonnes of secondary liquid metal coolant removed and
destroyed.
• Construction of new plant to remove remaining breeder
material from reactor.
• Installation of bespoke remotely-operated breeder element
removal tool.
• Design of ‘Reactosaurus’, a seventy-five Tonne remotely
controlled robotic device capable of using diamond wire,
hydraulic shears, oxy/propane and plasma cutting to
dismantle the reactor.
JGC Engineering & Technical Services Ltd, was
awarded the contract to undertake the
decommissioning of the DFR Charge
Machines and Canning Station which involved the
following activities:
• Intrusive Remote Visual Inspections (RVI) to
assess liquid metal contamination levels
• Removal of external redundant equipment from
the assemblies.
• Removal of lead shielding
• Design, manufacture and test of handling
system for safe tilting removal of machines
from the DFR.
• Design of shielded HEPA vacuum equipment
• Development of cold and hot cutting techniques
for the dismantling and size reduction of
radiologically contaminated equipment.
This challenging decommissioning project was
completed within budget and programme
timescales.
 9

“The reactor dismantling project is critical to the

Nuclear Decommissioning Authority’s site
restoration plan for Dounreay. The expertise within our highly skilled
in-house design team is invaluable to the PFR project delivery
and innovative inventions like Reactorsaurus is
one of the reasons Dounreay is leading the way
with worldwide nuclear decommissioning.”
Simon Coles, DSRL
Dounreay Materials Test Reactor (DMTR)
Dounreay’s Materials Test Reactor was the first operational
reactor in Scotland. It was constructed to test the effect of nuclear
irradiation on different materials.
Significant achievements in the decommissioning of the DMTR
include
• Removal of fuel storage racks from the fuel storage pond and
consignment as waste.
• Baseline radiological survey of pond and surrounding area.
• Removal of loose debris, draining of storage pond liquor and
decontamination of internal surfaces.
• Removal of storage pond access bridge and stainless steel
liner and decontamination of concrete surfaces.
• Core sampling of the bioshield and reactor vessel and
internal camera inspections.
Nuclear Decommissioning Services Ltd (NDSL),
provided project engineering support to the
implementation of the pond decommissioning
strategy, safe systems of work documentation as
well as providing input to equipment design, plant
upgrade works and day to day problem solving.
10
Dounreay Shaft and Silo
A vertical shaft was built at Dounreay in the 1950s to remove rock
spoil during excavation of a subsea tunnel for the site’s effluent
discharge pipes. More than 11,000 disposals of waste occurred
until 1977 when there was an explosion. By the late 1990s,
advances in technology lead to a decision to empty the shaft.
Significant achievements in the decommissioning of the shaft and
silo include
• Shaft Isolation Project
• Construction of reinforced concrete raised working
platform
• Drilling of 400 boreholes around the shaft using wire line
methods
• Grouting of boreholes to seal fissures in rock using
micro-fine cements and nano-silicates
• Isolation curtain completed in 2008
• Initial concept design and VR simulation of Shaft intervention
Platform completed.
• Trials completed with 2 & 4 shaft waste shredder machines.
• Proof of concept trials for Solid-Sludge separation facility
completed and mock-up installed.
• Prototype system for bin filling and lidding manufactured for
mock-up testing.
• Waste passivation system mock-up developed.
BAM Ritchies,the specialist geotechnical division
of BAM Nuttall, carried out the hydraulic isolation
of the Dounreay shaft which involved drilling using
wireline methods, the development of customised
grout mixes for LEDT infill and rock fissure
injection using ultrafine cements creating a
nominal 10 metre thick barrier around the shaft
reducing rock mass permeability to 5x10-9 m/s.
Environmental Reclamation Services Ltd (ERS),
designed and supervised a radiological and
chemical contaminant screening exercise at the
Dounreay Waste Shaft and Low Active Drain
facilities. The exercise determined appropriate
waste management procedures for segregation,
excavation and handling radiological,
co-contaminated and chemically hazardous
arisings. ERS undertook onsite treatment of
1000m3 of non-radiological, chemically
hazardous and non-hazardous soils and 500m3
SOLA exempt hazardous and non-hazardous soils
to enable site retention. ERS offers full service
Geo-Environmental Investigation, Risk
Assessment, Soil and Groundwater Management
Capability to the Nuclear and civil sector.
 11

Decommissioning the shaft is a unique project that requires innovation,

collaboration and a very strong emphasis on safety and environmental
protection.”
Warren Jones, DSRL

Fuel Cycle Area (FCA)

The Fuel Cycle Area (FCA) is the high security area within the
licensed site, housing the facilities that historically handled and
stored the site’s nuclear material and waste.

Significant achievements in the decommissioning of the shaft and

silo include
• Complete decommissioning and demolition of
• Fuel fabrication plant
• HEU waste store
• Analytical laboratories and cells
• Uranium criticality research facility
• Active workshops
• Inactive laundry
• Sodium experimental facility
• Silo cover building
• 25 inactive infrastructure facilities
Hunterston A
Operational from 1964 to 1990, Hunterston A is a twin reactor Magnox power station now shutdown and being decommissioned. At the
time of opening the station was the largest in operation anywhere in the world with a generating capacity of 360MW.

Since the completion of reactor defueling in 1995, significant progress has been made in the preparation for care & maintenance and
final decommissioning and site clearance.

• Demolition of Turbine Hall

• Innovative removal of overhead cranes
• Steelwork free-released for recycling
• Building debris recycled as hardcore

• Construction of ILW Store

• 33,900Te of concrete
• Capacity - 2,444 Resin drums, 368 3m3 concrete overpacks

• Development of innovative technique for foreshore characterisation activity

AdviceFirm Environmental Solutions, have been
involved in the delivery of Airborne Hazard Control,
Surface Contamination Control and Consultancy
& Resource Provision at Hunterston A and other
decommissioning sites across the UK.
Balfour Beatty Civil Engineering, delivered the civil
engineering and construction elements of the ILW
Store which involved the site batching of 23,000m3
of concrete, fixing 3,600 Tonnes of multiple layered
large diameter steel reinforcement and composite
construction of main vault shield door.
ARC, provided Safety Case production services,
project management and design management
support to the Hunterston A ILW Store project
including Production of the Pre-Construction
Safety Report (PCSR), HAZOP Level 2 Studies,
Safety Assessments, Engineering Design
Substantiation and Demonstration of SFR
compliance.
University of Strathclyde’s, Civil Engineering
department is active in R&D related to disposal,
safety case development and contamination
remediation issues relating to decommissioning
including design of new barrier materials for shaft
sealing using pulverized granite, bentonite and
biominerals.
Prof. Robert M. Kalin
Robert.Kalin@Strath.ac.uk

12
 13

Halcrow, were appointed to provide the

engineering design services required for the ILW
Store which included:
• Checking and approval of detailed design
calculations
• Checking and approval of construction
drawings
• Creation of reinforcement schedules, civil
engineering works specification and O&M
manuals
• Design Substantiation Report to demonstrate
that the detailed design is in full compliance
with the Safety Case documentation.
Chapelcross
Scotland’s first commercial nuclear power station, Chapelcross operated from 1959 to 2004 and consists of four 50MW Magnox
reactors.

Since shutdown in 2004, significant progress has been in made in the preparation for Care & Maintenance and Final Site Clearance,
including
• Demolition of Cooling Towers
• First explosive demolition of such scale within a nuclear licensed site in the UK
• Demolition took only 10 seconds and generated 25,500 tonnes of rubble
• Steel reinforcement recycled and concrete from towers used as infill for basins beneath towers

• Asbestos Removal Project

• Europe’s largest asbestos removal project
• Heat exchanger containment structure made from more than 100T of steel scaffolding and reinforcing works
• Total of 3,300 Tonnes of asbestos to be removed during project
• 7,000 bags of asbestos waste safely removed to date (100 Tonnes)

• Reactor Defueling
• 18 flasks of fuel, containing nearly 2,500 fuel elements from Reactor 1 despatched to Sellafield for reprocessing.
• Reactor 3 defueling commenced.
• Total requirement for removal of 38,075 fuel elements from four reactors and transporting of between 270-300 flasks to Sella
field for reprocessing

McKillop Limited, provide a wide range of

engineering and project management services
with a successful record of delivery in the nuclear
sector including;
Preparation of decommissioning methodologies,
waste inventories, waste disposal assessments &
routes and the optimization of clean up, recycle &
re-use arrangements.

14
15
Rosyth Dockyard
Located near Edinburgh, nuclear activities on the site centred on the refuelling and refitting of nuclear powered submarines. In 1993,
the UK government announced that these activities would transfer to Devonport in southern England leaving a number of facilities at
Rosyth redundant and in need of decommissioning.

Site characterisation activities and monitoring works have been carried out prior to handing over for physical decommissioning works.

Various techniques have been used during the d decommissioning works phase including:

• Plasma cutting of contaminated stainless steel tanks and plates

• Designs and construction of mobile, re-useable temporary containment system for the decommissioning of the Low Active Effluent
Discharge line duct
• Development of specific assay techniques to ensure minimisation of low level waste volumes

16
17
Energy Technology Partnership (ETP)
The ETP is an alliance of strong, independent Scottish
Universities, currently engaged in world class energy Research,
Development and Demonstration (RD&D) .

The ETP has a strong track record in the delivery of RD&D

excellence and is actively engaged in numerous UK and
international partnerships. The ETP also has well developed links
with industry and a wide range of ongoing collaborations.

ETP is actively seeking, for mutual benefit, new working

relationships with partners in academia, industry and elsewhere,
both nationally and internationally.

Dundee University, are currently leading a Proof
of Concept project to develop a method for surface
decontamination of irradiated concrete structures
using microbial geochemical activity to avoid the
substantial proportion of decommissioning costs
associated with the current physical and chemical
methods of removal.
Professor Geoffrey M Gadd
g.m.gadd@dundee.ac.uk
Strathclyde University, Strathclyde University is
leading a £2M research programme exploring the
use of microbial technologies to reduce the risk of
contamination from the decommissioning of
nuclear sites and construction of repositories
for nuclear waste. The objective is to reduce the
potential for migration of radionuclides in soils and
rocks using special properties of the bacteria that
are present in them.

Dr Rebecca Lunn
rebecca.lunn@strath.ac.uk

18
Contact Details 19

Abbott Risk Consulting (ARC) Ltd AdviceFirm Environmental Solutions Energy Technology Partnership
Contact: Jon Baggs Contact: Allan Grant Contact: Dr. Simon Puttock
Address: Address: Address:
11 Albyn Place, Edinburgh EH2 4NG Innergellie House, Kilrenny KY10 3JP 204 George Street, Glasgow G1 1XW
T: +44 (0)131 220 0164 T: +44 (0)13 3 331 0533 T: +44 (0)141 548 2272
E: jon.baggs@consultarc.com W: www.advesuk.com E: contact@etp-scotland.co.uk
W: www.consultarc.com W: www.etp-scotland.co.uk

BONDS Ltd Dounreay Site Restoration Ltd Hallin Robotics Limited

Contact: Eddie Grant Contact: Simon Middlemas Contact: David Arnold
Address: Address: Address:
Midmill, Kintore, Aberdeenshire AB51 0UY Dounreay, Thurso, Caithness KW14 7TZ Unit 12 Wellheads Place, Aberdeen AB21 7GB
T: +44 (0)146 763 4796 T: +44 (0)184 780 2121 T: +44 (0)122 472 9944
E: eddie.grant@bluegrassbit.co.uk E: communications@dounreay.com E: david.arnold@hallinrobotics.com
W: www.bluegrassbit.com W: www.dounreay.com W: www.hallinrobotics.com

Doosan Babcock Energy Halcrow Group Limited JGC Engineering Limited

Contact: Glen Little Contact: Alan Ruiz Contact: Tim O’Brien
Address: Address: Address:
Porterfield Rd, Renfrew PA4 8DJ 368 Alexandra Parade, Glasgow G31 3AU Harpsdale, Halkirk, Caithness KW12 6UN
T: +44 (0)141 886 4141 T: +44 (0)141 404 2257 T: +44 (0)184 783 1665
W: www.doosanbabcock.com E: ruiza@halcrow.com E: tim.obrien@jgc.co.uk
W: www.halcrow.com W: www.jgc.co.uk

Golder Associates Industrial & Power Association Magnox North Ltd

Contact: James Dowle Contact: David Anderson Contact: Dave Wilson
Address: Address: Address:
South Gyle Crescent, Edinburgh EH12 9LB Brunel Building, James Watt Avenue, East Kilbride G75 0QD Chapelcross Site, Annan DG12 6RF
T: +44 (0)131 314 5900 T: +44 (0)135 527 2630 T: +44 (0)146 120 2835
E: jdowle@golder.com E: info@ipa-scotland.org.uk W: www.magnoxnorthsites.com
W: www.golder.com W: www.ipa-scotland.org.uk

Inspectahire Inst. Co. Ltd Kongsberg Maritime Ltd McKillop Limited

Contact: Cailean Forrester Contact: William Baxter Contact: Bob McKee
Address: Address: Address:
Whitemyres Avenue, Aberdeen AB16 6HQ Airport Industrial Estate, Wick KW1 5AJ Farland, Portencross, West Kilbride KA23 9QA
T: +44 (0)122 478 9692 T: +44 (0)195 560 3606 T: +44 (0)773 992 1089
E: caileanforrester@inspectahire.com E: bill.baxter@kongsberg.com E: bob.mckee@mckillopuk.com
W: www.inspectahire.com W: www.km.kongsberg.com/cameras W: www.mckillopuk.com

John Gunn & Sons Ltd mb Air Systems Ltd Nuclear Decommissioning Services Ltd (NDSL)
Contact: David Sutherland Contact: Barry Irvine Contact: Jo Bartlett
Address: Address: Address:
Swiney, Lybster, Caithness KW3 6BT 149 Glasgow Road, Wishaw ML2 7QJ Old Manse, Sutherland Rd, Dornoch IV25 3SX
T: +44 (0)159 372 1236 T: +44 (0)169 835 5711 T: +44 (0)184 780 8129
E: info@jgunn.co.uk E: birvine@blueyonder.co.uk E: jobartlett@ndsl.org.uk
W: www.jgunn.co.uk W: www. mbairsystems.co.uk W: www.ndsl.org.uk

Magnox North Ltd North Scotland Industries Group Panton McLeod Ltd
Contact: Peter Roach Contact: Ian Couper Contact: Iain Weir
Address: Address: Address:
Hunterston A Site, West Kilbride KA23 9RA 20 Davidson Drive, Invergordon IV18 0SA Waverley Place, Newtown St Boswells TD6 0RS
T: +44 (0) 129 482 4000 T: +44 (0)134 985 4968 T: +44 (0)183 582 2835
W: www.magnoxnorthsites.com E: ian.couper@nsig.co.uk E: iain.weir@pantonmcleod.co.uk
W: www. nsig.co.uk W: www.pantonmcleod.co.uk

NES Engineering Ltd Nuvia Limited Sureclean Ltd

Contact: Martin Nicolson Contact: David Craig Contact: Kris Framton
Address: Address: Address:
Bower, Wick, Caithness KW1 4TT Morven House, Thurso KW14 7QU 10 River Drive, Teaninich Industrial Estate, Alness IV17 0PG
T: +44 (0)195 564 1309 T: +44 (0)184 780 8813 T: +44 (0)134 988 4480
E: m.nicolson@neseng.co.uk E: david_a_craig@nuvia.co.uk E: kris.frampton@sureclean.co.uk
W: www. neseng.co.uk W: www.nuvia.co.uk W: www.sureclean.com

Nuclear Institute – Central & South Scotland Safety & Ecology Corporation Scottish Enterprise
Contact: Anders Hansen Contact: Bob Kerr Contact: Murray Bainbridge
T: +44 (0)135 534 0200 Address: Address:
W: www.nuclearinst-cass.com PO Box 1, Melvich, Sutherland KW14 7YL Solway House, Dumfries DG2 3SJ
T: +44 (0)791 807 8055 T: +44 (0)138 724 5264
E: rkerr@sec-uk.com E: murray.bainbridge@scotent.co.uk
W: www.sec-uk.co W: www.scottish-enterprise.co.uk

Pointer Ltd Scottish Engineering UKAEA Ltd

Contact: Jim Gemmell Contact: Peter Hughes Contact: Sandy McWhirter
Address: Address: Address:
65 North Wallace Street, Glasgow G4 0DT 105 West George Street, Glasgow G2 1QL Forrs Business & Technology Park, Thurso KW14 7UZ
T: +44 (0)141 564 2500 T: +44 (0)141 221 3181 T: +44 (0)184 780 4603
E: jgemmell@pointer.co.uk E: consult@scottishengineering.org.uk E: sandy.mcwhirter@ukaea.co.uk
W: www.pointer.co.uk W: www.scottishengineering.org.uk W: www.ukaea.co.uk

Scottish Development International University of Strathclyde

Contact: Alison McKinlay Contact: Prof. Robert Kalin
Address: Address:
5 Atlantic Quay, Broomielaw, Glasgow G2 8LU Graham Hills Building, 50 Richmond Street,
T: +44 (0)141 842 3627 Glasgow, G1 1XN
E: alison.mckinlay@scotent.co.uk E: robert.kalin@strath.ac.uk
W: www.sdi.co.uk W: www.strath.ac.uk

University of Dundee AMEC Nuclear

Contact: Prof. Geoffrey Gadd Contact: Charles Boyle
Address: Address:
11 Perth Road, Dundee DD1 4HN 1 Ainslie Road, Hillington, Glasgow G52 4BU
E: g.m.gadd@dundee.ac.uk T: +44 (0)141 585 6342
W: www.dundee.ac.uk E: charlie.boyle@amec.com
W: www.amec.com

Weir Power & Industrial Corecut Nuclear

Address: Contact: Finlay Crocker
Pegasus House, SETP, East Kilbride G75 0RD Address:
T: +44 (0)141 308 2800 Bankhead, Broxburn, West Lothian EH52 6PP
W: www.weirpowerindustrial.com T: +44 (0)150 685 4710
E: finlay@corecut.co.uk
W: www.corecut.co.uk
 For more information on Scotland’s nuclear decommissioning proposition and
how it can meet the needs of your organisation please contact:

Murray Bainbridge
Scottish Enterprise, Solway House, Dumfries, DG1 3SJ
T: +44 (0)138 724 5264
E: murray.bainbridge@scotent.co.uk
W: www.scottish-enterprise.co.uk

SE/2940/Mar10