WM&D carries out R&D and provides operational plant support services covering processing of operational and historic wastes, management of liquid and aerial effluents, waste immobilisation of LLW and higher activity wastes (cementation, vitrification), decommissioning, management of radioactive contaminated land and both surface and geological disposal.
W&RP operate a suite of state-of-the-art co-located medium active laboratories, a “small rig” hall and a flexible processing plant, all of which can operate with depleted, natural, low enriched and high enriched uranium, recycled uranium and other radioactive materials.
The W&RP team supports all aspects of waste & residue processing and has developed a “phased” methodology by which materials are assessed and a solution presented:
Phase 1
Historical Assessment
Phase 1A
Characterisation
Phase 2
Laboratory testing for processing via extant route
Phase 3
Development of ad-hoc process at laboratory scale
Phase 4
The W&RP team also carry out a significant amount of uranic fuel cycle work, both in support of operating plants and as part of the UK Government funded Advanced Fuel Cycle Programme (AFCP). In conjunction with other teams W&RP also supply plant design and consultancy services.
Customers: Current and recent customers include SFL, DSRL, Ultra Electronics, BEIS, AWE, URENCO, LLWR, SL, Rolls-Royce and (via SFL) a variety of overseas customers.
Skills: The W&RP team comprises c. 10 professional chemists and chemical engineers, most with decades of experience in the uranium chemistry/waste and residue field, plus a number of highly experienced process operators; the team has decades of expertise in:
Facilities: W&RP operate a suite of medium active laboratories handling hundreds of kg uranium and other radioactive materials per annum; as well as standard laboratory equipment, W&RP operate X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscope-Energy Dispersive X-ray (SEM-EDX), X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF), Mass Spectrometry (MS), Thermo-Gravimetric Analysis/Differential Scanning Calorimetry (TGA/DSC) and Liquid Scintillation Counting equipment and have access to a wider range of equipment operated by other teams.
The Flexible Processing Plant contains easily re-configured “modular” items including:
