Development of a learning plan for the Pile Fuel Storage Pond on the Sellafield site

TÜV SÜD has completed a project to define a learning plan for the de-watering strategy of a legacy storage facility on the Sellafield site.

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Summary

Client name:  Sellafield Ltd

Company profile:  Part of the NDA Group, an organisation responsible for cleaning-up the country’s highest nuclear risks and hazards, safeguarding nuclear fuel, material and waste.

Business challenge:  To develop a robust learning plan that describes a comprehensive R&D programme to underpin the de-watering strategy for PFSP.

Our solution:  Facilitation of workshops and application of DQO process to develop a structured learning plan.

Business benefits:  Application of a robust process to identify the essential development work required to underpin the de-watering strategy.

Business Challenge

Retrieval of highly hazardous materials from one of the legacy facilities, the Pile Fuel Storage Pond (PFSP) on the Sellafield site, has been ongoing since 2010 with the removal and treatment of irradiated fuels, experimental fuels, sludge and other wastes from what is a very complex environment.

After careful evaluation of a range of options in 2021, a de-watering strategy for the facility was determined which includes the removal of the water and at the same time installation of shielding of the contamination in the walls and floor. The retrievals programme is expected to be completed in 2026 with 99% of the inventory removed, de-watering is scheduled for 2030/31 and therefore there is an opportunity for the Sellafield Ltd team to underpin the de-watering strategy in the intervening years, by undertaking a comprehensive research and development (R&D) programme.

TÜV SÜD was engaged to work with Sellafield Ltd and other stakeholders to generate the R&D programme required to underpin the de-watering strategy, identified and collated in a learning plan consisting of a series of tasks and sub-tasks.

Business Benefits

The TÜV SÜD project team successfully worked with the client to process complex information through a structured process into a robust, transparent learning plan consisting of detailed tasks and decision logic, which will be used to underpin the PFSP de-watering strategy.

The 2021 Dewatering study produced a set of schemes that had a wide range of costs and timescales to implement that were way and above the Programme baseline. implementation of the learning plan will endeavour to fill the knowledge gaps and uncertainties associated with the dewatering strategy

SolutioN

Data for the learning plan was generated in a structured manner with three phases:

1. Six Sellafield Ltd workshops to identify learning objectives, for example understanding the capabilities required to deliver and maintain a de-watered interim state. Analysis and categorisation of the data generated in the workshops by the TÜV SÜD team into a format suitable for further development.
2. A facilitated workshop using the DQO process to refine the learning objectives, outputs and benefits which were then translated into task sheets.
3. A final focussed group facilitated by TÜV SÜD to review the tasks.

Once the learning objectives were understood, it was clear that the underpinning work required to achieve success naturally fell into a number of subject groupings. These categories cover all of the key uncertainties associated with the PFSP project and need to be addressed to underpin the de-watering decision. The final programme consists of R&D and assessments in the following six key topic areas, defined in a series of task sheets:

• technology development in bay de-watering, robotic techniques, shielding and grouting/concrete materials;
• pond inventory characterisation to enable large item removal and processing, and algae management;
• development of a knowledge capture database and learning from experience;
• assessment of effluent management and discharge routes;
• decommissioning strategy development; and
• assessment on facility condition prior to and timing of
de-watering.

The project also prepared a decision logic which sets out the key decisions that need to be addressed prior to de-watering and indicates where the various tasks on the R&D programme can enable these decisions and ultimately provide the evidence that the facility will be ready for de-watering in 2030/31.

‘During the creation of a learning plan to de- risk the approach to de-watering a legacy nuclear storage pond, the Sellafield team identified that assistance was required from an external service provider. The team at TÜV SÜD was instrumental in rationalising the long list of learning objectives and in the creation of a coherent and deliverable learning plan.’

Business Change Manager, Sellafield Ltd


The Nuclear Energy Division of TÜV SÜD has been providing support to the nuclear industry and innovating within the field of nuclear science for over 25 years. The team of highly qualified experts supports clients with knowledge on industry best practice and to provide innovative solutions to complex technical and strategic challenges. The team helps clients to achieve safe and secure operations in line with legal and regulatory requirements whilst ensuring value in delivery.

We use Data Quality Objectives (DQO) to guide our clients in:
1. describing the problem;
2. identifying the key questions that need to be addressed to solve the problem;
3. identifying the information required to enable decisions;
4. defining the boundaries of the study area;
5. developing an analytical approach to draw conclusions from the results obtained;
6. specifying performance criteria; and
7. developing a plan for obtaining the data.