The Use of Submersible ROV in the First Generation Magnox Storage Pond

JFN has been successfully supporting the decommissioning of the First Generation Magnox Storage Pond (FGMPS) at Sellafield since 1999 with submersible remotely operated vehicles (ROVs)

The First Generation Magnox Storage Pond (FGMSP) at Sellafield is one of the site’s four Legacy Pond and Silo facilities. The pond was constructed in the 1950s and 1960s as an open-air pond to receive and store irradiated fuel from Magnox reactors, and to remove the fuel cladding prior to the fuel being processed. Over the years the pond has accumulated significant quantities of waste materials, sludge's from corrosion of fuel cladding, fuel fragments and other debris which has blown into the pond, and skips of fuel.

Submersible Remote Operated Vehicles (ROVs) have been deployed in the FGMSP as a tool for visual inspection since 1999. This programme demonstrated that ROVs were capable of operating in the challenging environment and could gather useful information, but it was insufficient as a basis for a robust decommissioning strategy.

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