Collaboration reaps rewards

The new Game Changers partnership between Sellafield and Dounreay in pursuit of solutions to common problems is reaping rewards with the announcement of the first tranche of joint projects to be awarded funding support.

Two challenges relating to the removal of contaminated concrete from ponds and the detection of organics in pipes and vessels were issued and ten organisations have successfully stepped up to those challenges. And demonstrating the new spirit of collaboration, seven of the ten will be jointly funded by Sellafield and Dounreay.

Successful applicants for the contaminated concrete challenge are Createc, Nuvia, Barrnon, the University of Sheffield and BHR Group. For the detecting organics in pipes and vessels challenge, awards go to Clifton Photonics, Imperial College London, Jacobs, Resolve Robotics and Baker Hicks.

Selection panel experts were impressed by the quality, technology and breadth of the projects submitted by 24 organisations in response to the challenges issued.

Both Sellafield and Dounreay have ponds which need concrete walls and floors to be remediated before final decommissioning and demolition. Similarly, both seek innovative solutions, or considerable improvements to existing techniques used for the characterisation of organic residues to confirm they have been removed to acceptable levels in reprocessing vessels and pipework.

It's expected that initial feasibility studies will be completed by the end of May.