Berkeley Active Waste Vault Crane
At Berkeley’s active waste storage facility, vault 4 served as a buffer store during the retrieval and export of ILW.
Active waste skips had to be collected and stored before transfer for further processing.
SCX engineered, built and installed a 7-tonne SWL crane with a bespoke grab, controlled remotely.
- 4-rope, 2-drum hoist giving 11 metres of lift
- Electromechanical grab for half- and standard-height skips
- Remote control from a CCTV-fed desk to reduce operator exposure
- Manual winch recovery and emergency grab release; PLC control with load sensing and interlocks
Trawsfynydd Sludge Solidification Building crane
The SSB encapsulates active waste into 3m³ Nirex boxes for long-term storage.
It needed a remotely operated system to reliably handle Nirex lids, liners and secondary containment vessels.
SCX engineered a 10-tonne SWL overhead crane with a bespoke grab, its control system developed in consultation with NRS personnel.
- 9 metres of true vertical lift
- Electrical twistlocks that prevent lifting unless fully engaged
- Encoders, load cells, limit switches and CCTV for extra layers of safety
- Variable speed drives to minimise load sway
Hunterston SAWBR ILW handling system
Alongside the Wet ILW system, the solid active waste retrieval bunker (SAWBR) needed a way to engage its ILW boxes, hold them for swabbing and place them on a transporter for site transfer.
A 10-tonne SWL crane with a 4-rope hoist and twistlock grapple, designed for a 5-year life so SCX could deliver a more cost-effective, fit-for-purpose solution.
- 7 metres of true vertical lift; grapple engages boxes or drums via four twistlocks
- Remote CCTV-fed desk with semi-automated preset positioning
- Full remote recovery on hoist or power failure, so no one is exposed to an ILW package
- Interlocks restrict operation outside predefined areas
Hunterston Wet ILW import/export system
Hunterston needed remote mechanical handling to support the retrieval, filling and sealing of mobile ILW, ready for site transfer and storage.
SCX created a series of integrated ILW handling systems along a 14-metre shielded canyon, connected by an advanced EC&I scheme.
- Millimetre accuracy from fine electrical control and laser positioning
- Grapple that interfaces with Nirex boxes or drums, with locking detection
- ‘Full system thinking’ for smooth, safe transitions between stages
Hunterston SILWE import/export system
Hunterston needed a dependable way to handle a range of ILW packages, building on the systems SCX had already delivered on site.
An overhead travelling crane and bespoke latching grapple – an evolution of the earlier SAWBR and Wet ILW hoists – with drum-handling tested at SCX’s Sheffield facility.
- 12-tonne SWL with 12 metres of true vertical lift
- Latching grapple that interfaces with a range of ILW packages
- Grapple chassis designed for easy access to mechanism, cabinets and cabling
Harwell 2t Vault Store Crane Upgrade
Harwell’s 5-tonne SWL Vault Store crane was nearing the end of its design life, but the infrastructure was still sound.
The choice was a brand new system or an upgrade.
SCX assessed and extensively upgraded the crane, adding a new bespoke grapple to create a high-integrity handling system.
- Revised SWL of 2 tonnes with 7.5 metres of lift
- 30-year design life at a fraction of the cost of a new system
- Variable drives, enhanced interlocks, existing control panel redeployed
- New retrieval system to return the crane to maintenance from any position
Winfrith Dragon Polar Crane Upgrade
The polar crane crab over the Winfrith Dragon reactor had to be replaced, with very limited space over the reactor for installation.
SCX engineered a modular replacement 25-tonne SWL crab, lifted in smaller pieces and assembled in situ, with a 5-tonne auxiliary hoist, new EC&I and polar travel drives.
- Secondary drives and dual calliper emergency brakes on both hoists
- Overspeed, overload and collision protection
- Touch-screen HMI relaying data to operators
Berkeley FED import/export system
Berkeley needed to move from ductile cast iron containers to steel-lined concrete ILW packages, with integrity, safety and flexibility.
Two identical 32-tonne SWL cranes with twin hoists, a bespoke motorised grapple and two MotoSuiveur devices each. The first was installed in November 2020 after factory acceptance tests in Sheffield.
- Segregated, diverse power and control; functional safety to IEC 61508
- Stored datum points for automated motions
- Grapple handles both package types and corrects misalignment
- Remote control, dosimetry checks and CCTV to protect personnel
Berkeley active waste vault crane
Berkeley’s Active Waste Vaults hold debris, including sludge cans, being retrieved for processing.
Filled cans had to be extracted safely and emptied cans passed on.
The solution was a 2.5-tonne SWL chain hoist in a sealed tower over the vault’s gamma gate, with a modified commercial hydraulic grab guided by CCTV.
- Grab with CCTV, LED lighting, load cell and laser measurement
- Full cans placed in the depressurisation vessel, empties returned for processing
- Secondary 2.5-tonne hoist for load recovery
- Touch-screen HMI showing positions, load and hydraulic pressure
Berkeley and Hinkley Point A MILWEP cranes
The MILWEP facilities needed overhead cranes to load and unload concrete boxes and Tru-Shield containers.
With active material in the operating area, clear and effective remote control was essential.
SCX designed and built two identical cranes, each 5-tonne SWL from a derated 6.3-tonne hoist, built mainly from COTS hardware with targeted enhancements.
- Rotating hook block, maintenance platforms and safety systems
- 32-way cable reeler powering tools on the hook
- HMI identifies attached tooling from plug pin patterns
- Segregated power and control, with a pendant for local control
