The 12th International Conference on Environmental ... - Events

Session 8-9 Abstracts
3) A SUCCESSFUL REMEDIATION PROJECT - 16400
L. Max Scott, Louisiana State University (USA)
As part of a program to visit formerly licensed sites to determine if they meet current uncontrolled release conditions, a United
States Nuclear Regulatory Commission (USNRC) inspection was conducted in the fall of 1993 at a site that had possessed a
radioactive material license from about 1955 to 1970. While the license was in force, the plant processed magnesium scrap containing
up to 4 percent thorium. <strong>The</strong> source of the scrap is believed to be the aircraft manufacturing industry. <strong>The</strong> scrap was placed
in furnaces and heated to the melting point of magnesium, and the molten magnesium was drawn off, leaving the thorium with the
residue (dross). Under the regulation in existence at that time, the thorium dross was buried on site in an approximate 14 acre field.
In 1993 the inspector found readings up to 900uR/h.
Early in 1994 an informal grid survey of most of the 14 acre site was conducted. Based on that survey, it was concluded that
the thorium was widespread and extended beyond the property lines. <strong>The</strong> preliminary findings were reported to the USNRC, and
in 1994 the site was designated as a Site Decommissioning Management Plan (SMPD) site. A remediation team was formed which
included the following disciplines: remediation health physics, geology, hydrology, engineering, law, public relations, and project
management. This remediation team planned, participated in selecting vendors, and provided project over site for all activities from
site characterization through the final status survey. In 2006 the site was released for uncontrolled access.
A chronology of activities with lessons learned will be presented.
4) EVALUATION AND POTENTIAL REMEDIATION OF THE INDUSTRIAL
NORM LEGACY IN LIVERPOOL - 16096
Nigel Reeves, Gordon John, Bob Major, AMEC Nuclear Ltd.(UK)
Sefton, on the north side of Liverpool, holds a radioactive legacy from its industrial past. This legacy is in the form of Tin slag
buried in sub-surface seams. Located near the docks and adjacent to the rich Lancashire coal seams, Sefton became one of the main
production centres of Tin plate in Britain. A consequence of this industrial process is the production of mildly radioactive waste
slag.
Tin rich ores are heated under reducing conditions to produce a molten metal stream This is then separated into the component
metal streams. Solid wastes produced by this process are known as slag and were usually stored on site in spoil heaps. Because this
slag is a very hard, glassy material it has been historically used as aggregate in underlying roads and rail way sleepers. Many of
these sites pre-date the introduction of the regulation of radioactive substances in the UK and have never been under legislative
control under the Radioactive Substances Act, RSA93. <strong>The</strong>re is a risk that the existence may not be known of some of these sites.
U-238 and Th-232 and their associated decay chains, are the major contributors to the radionuclide inventory of the slags, levels
of these radionuclides being in the range 1-10Bq/g. A series of alpha and beta decays for both chains leads eventually to the
generation of a stable isotope of lead. Radiologically, the main area of concern is with the potential inhalation or ingestion of contaminated
dusts. <strong>The</strong>re is also a potential for Ra-226 to leach out into groundwater.
SESSION 9 - NATIONAL, MULTI-NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL
1) THE NUCLEAR ENGINEERING DOCTORATE AND NTEC CPD & MASTERS PROGRAMMES: EDUCATION,
TRAINING AND RESEARCH FOR THE DECOMMISSIONING SKILLSBASE - 16395
John W. Roberts, University of Manchester (UK)
Since its establishment in 2005 the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority has a remit to maintain the skillsbase for safe, secure
and cost effective decommissioning of the existing UK civil nuclear power plants and associated facilities. With an aging workforce
and a competitive tender process for each project a number of new companies are realising the potential of the UK decommissioning
market.
<strong>The</strong> Nuclear Engineering Doctorate and NTEC Masters Programmes have been designed to provide the nuclear workforce of
the future. <strong>The</strong> doctorate is a partnership between industry, a university partner and the research engineer with the benefit to industry
that the research engineer is based with the industrial partner. Technical and management modules are studied at the university
whilst the research project is carried out in the industrial environment.
<strong>The</strong> Masters programme draws on the expertise of 11 Higher Education Institutes and offers over 20 modules that are delivered
in a short-fat format either as stand alone CPD courses or, by taking further modules, a certificate, diploma or on completion
of a research project an M.Sc. Modules are available that cover the technical aspects of decommissioning as well as management
of the decommissioning process. <strong>The</strong> availability of modules in a Distance Learning format now enables students based around the
world to benefit from this programme.
This paper will describe the two programmes in detail and provide examples of current projects that are delivering the research
and workforce required for a successful decommissioning programme.
2) COLLABORATIVE RETEK EXCHANGE — AN INNOVATIVE SOLUTION TO THE SKILLS
AND RESOURCE SHORTAGE IN THE NUCLEAR INDUSTRY - 16396
Corhyn Parr, Retek Consulting (UK)
A Different Approach to the Skills and Resource Shortage. <strong>The</strong> Nuclear Industry has for many years been concerned about a
skills and resource shortage. This has been due to a poor perception of the industry by those on the outside, highly competitive
industries vying for the same resource pool, a steep retirement curve for highly qualified staff and a lack of graduates entering
industry.
Here in the UK the creation of the National Skill Academy for Nuclear (NSAN) has put in place a framework to record skills
and look to accredit the training providers in the nuclear industry to ensure that the correct skills for the future are available. This
has gone some way to solving the skills problem and developing a well recognised accredited system but what about resource where
are the additional qualified resources going to be found?
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