Calder Hall Cooling Tower Demolition: Landmark Milestone for Decommissioning at Sellafield
- Nuclear Decommissioning and Major Projects Group, Sellafield Ltd, Seascale, Cumbria (United Kingdom)
September 2007 saw a very visible change to the Sellafield site following the culmination of a major decommissioning project; the demolition of the four Calder Hall cooling towers. A key part of the UK's nuclear industrial heritage, Calder Hall, the world's first commercial nuclear power station, was opened by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in October 1953 and continued to generate electricity until its closure in 2003. Following the decision to decommission the Calder Hall site, explosive demolition was identified as the safest and most cost effective route for the removal of the towers. The technique, involving the placement of explosive in 60% of the circumference of both shell and legs, is a tried and tested method which had already been used successfully in more than 200 cooling towers in the UK in the last 30 years. The location and composition of the four 88 metre high towers also created additional challenges. Situated only 40 metres away from the UK's only nuclear Fuel Handling Plant, as well as other sensitive structures on the Sellafield site, the project had to address the impact of a number of key areas, including dust, ground vibration and air over pressure, to ensure that the demolition could be carried out safely and without significant impact on other operational areas on the site. At the same time, the towers had to be prepared for demolition in a way that minimised the amounts of radioactive or hazardous waste materials arising. This paper follows the four year journey from the initial decision to demolish the towers right through to the demolition itself as well as the clean up of the site post demolition. It will also consider the massive programme of work necessary not only to carry out the physical work safely but also to gain regulatory confidence and stakeholder support to carry out the project successfully. In summary: The demolition of the four Calder Hall cooling towers was a highly visible symbol of the changes that are occurring on the Sellafield site as it moves forward towards a decommissioning future. Although in itself the demolition was both straightforward and standard, the various complexities posed by the towers situation at Sellafield introduced an entirely new element to the project, with a number of complex challenges which had to be overcome or resolved before the demolition could take place. It is a testament to the skill and dedication of the project team and its associated contractors that the project was delivered safely and successfully without a single accident, injury or event throughout the entire four years, and with minimal impact on both site operations and the local community. (authors)
- Research Organization:
- WM Symposia, 1628 E. Southern Avenue, Suite 9 - 332, Tempe, AZ 85282 (United States)
- OSTI ID:
- 21326179
- Report Number(s):
- INIS-US-10-WM-08497; TRN: US10V0655067544
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: WM'08: Waste Management Symposium 2008 - HLW, TRU, LLW/ILW, Mixed, Hazardous Wastes and Environmental Management - Phoenix Rising: Moving Forward in Waste Management, Phoenix, AZ (United States), 24-28 Feb 2008; Other Information: Country of input: France; 2 refs
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Adaptation of Commercially Available Robots for Conditioning and Packaging ILW at Sellafield - 18282
The Approach to Cleanup at West Cumbria's Nuclear Sites