Macdonald Humfrey Fuel Rod Loader and ‘Strongback’ Helps Springfields Re-Commission LWR Nuclear Plant
The Springfields Fuels processing plant near Preston, Lancashire was the first in the world to make nuclear fuel for commercial power stations. The site has produced several million fuel elements and supplied products and services to over 140 reactors in 15 countries. A resurgence of demand for nuclear fuel has prompted Springfields to re-commission a previously moth-balled light water reactor (LWR) plant at the site, which is still the UK’s main nuclear fuel manufacturing operation.
As part of the re-commissioning exercise, MacDonald Humfrey Automation was awarded the contract to design, build and install a new LWR Fuel Rod Loader and ‘Strongback’ system for the Springfields plant.
Typically, 264 fuel rods are used to produce each LWR fuel assembly; and the processing, handling and verification of the rods and fuel assemblies is extremely sensitive. Individual fuel rods are created by loading uranium pellets into thin zirconium alloy tubes, which are then pressurised, sealed and fitted into a pre-assembled framework to form a fuel assembly. Fuel rods are assembled in a magazine and wheeled to the Rod Loading Machine, which pulls them into a skeleton for inspection prior to being sent to the reactor.
The new Rod Loading Machine, which is designed to integrate with 12ft and 14ft long fuel assemblies, is used in the oxide fuels complex. It consists of a rod loading carriage (a honeycomb matrix) fitted to a support frame, which is mounted on linear slides to enable it to be indexed away from and towards the Strongback under operator control. The Rod Loading Machine pulls certified fuel rods from the magazine into a skeleton in a pre-determined sequence to create either 12ft or 14ft fuel assemblies. When in position the frame is secured by locking pins.
As well as the Rod Loading Machine, MacDonald Humfrey also manufactured an Envelope Alignment Machine. This enables 12ft or 14ft fuel assemblies to be removed from the Strongback and manoeuvred into a vertical position to allow them to be loaded by overhead crane into the Envelope Alignment Machine. Once fixed in the machine, tolerances are checked to ensure that its alignment is correct.
The existing control system for the Fuel Rod Loader and the ‘Strongback, was replaced with a sophisticated MacDonald Humfrey PLC and human machine interface (HMI) based control system. The new system was created to Springfields’ specification using a stand-alone Rockwell PLC, which operates kinetic motion controllers to direct axis movement in the LWR system. A bespoke MHA-developed HMI also enables Springfields’ engineers to select different machine parameters and modes of operation; and allows them to control the machines manually if required.
MacDonald Humfrey has provided similar equipment for the Advanced Gas Reactor (AGR) fuel line on the Springfields site but the design of both new machines for the LWR plant was based on drawings from Springfields’ US parent company Westinghouse Electric Company LLC, the world's leading integrated supplier of nuclear fuel products and services. This involved a significant element of re-engineering to ensure that the whole system worked effectively to improve the speed and safe handling of the fuel rod assembly process.
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For further information contact:
James Jordan, MacDonald Humfrey (Automation) Ltd, 29-35 Bolton Road, Luton, LU1 3HY
Phone: 01582 405741, Fax: 01582 453237, Email: jtj@mhaltd.co.uk, Web: www.mhaltd.co.uk
For press information contact:
Dennis Cantillion, Cantillion King Advertising 16 The Cornhill, Stroud, Gloucestershire, GL5 2JT
Phone: 01453 755551 Fax: 01453 751525 E-mail: dennis@cka.co.uk, Web: www.cka.co.uk
About MacDonald Humfrey (Automation) Limited:
MacDonald Humfrey (Automation) Limited is a private Company formed in 1988 to provide total turnkey system solutions to core industrial sectors. The growth of MacDonald Humfrey (Automation) Limited has given rise to a wealth of experience and talent in the field of technical automation and control technology.
With an extensive portfolio of blue chip companies employing our designs and innovations we are proud of our success in achieving optimum solutions which are mindful of the current and future needs of our clients while anticipating future technical and economic developments within the Industries we serve.
We are aware of the ever-growing need for technical evolution and are pro-active in our development of industrial Products, which can be used both in our own projects and by 3rd party companies.
At MacDonald Humfrey (Automation) Limited research and development of new technology is recognised as being paramount to our future success and growth.
To assist us in reaching this goal, we have formed out of MacDonald Humfrey, a product supplier company 'MacDonald Humfrey (Products) Limited'. This company specialises in high technology products within the visual and data communications sector and is now a major supplier of Pick To Light Error Proofing Systems, Information Display Boards, Industrial Panel PC Systems, Fieldbus and high speed data communication solutions.
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