Tag: Nuclear waste

Young team delivers facility to store plutonium – IChemE Team Award Winner 2018

Teamwork is essential when it comes to delivering a project of any scale. The collaborative efforts of Sellafield Ltd, Progressive Alliance and AXIOM led them to win the Team Award at IChemE Global Awards 2018.

Their task was to deliver a new facility on the Sellafield site to store consolidated nuclear material safely. The partnership meant that there were no barriers between the different companies. Their collective expertise meant the project was delivered successfully, and within a tight timescale.

Find out more on their project in this video:

Do you have a project demonstrating excellent teamwork? Why not enter the IChemE Global Awards 2019, which is open for nominations until 12 July 2019.

Find out more on the category and enter at: www.icheme.org/awards

This video was produced by CMA Video.

The future of nuclear power generation #COP21

Nuclear power is already playing a vital role in decarbonising the global energy economy. Its capacity to provide base load power makes it a stable and low-carbon energy supply.

Nuclear power provides approximately 11 per cent of the world’s energy. In the UK, nuclear power generation makes up 19 per cent of the energy landscape. The proportion is much higher in France, at 75 per cent.

Thorp reprocessing plant - Sellafield Ltd
Thorp reprocessing plant – Sellafield Ltd

However, there are still significant public concerns over the safety and environmental impacts of nuclear power, and the legacy issues of waste. These concerns mean there is often very little support for new nuclear power plants.

As we move to a low carbon future nuclear, new build will have to play an even bigger part in the energy strategies of many governments, because nuclear doesn’t emit carbon dioxide during power generation.

Continue reading The future of nuclear power generation #COP21

Dispelling some nuclear myths (Day 138)

Solid radioactive waste
Solid radioactive waste

Whenever I talk to chemical engineers, whether members of IChemE or otherwise, within the nuclear industry, there can be no doubt that one of the main issues affecting their work is public perception and understanding.

People do tend to recoil when something is described as radioactive or nuclear, and in part, this is due to images from World War II, and subsequent portrayal in the media.

Continue reading Dispelling some nuclear myths (Day 138)