Laboratory services

• Obtaining representative waste samples to enable robust analysis of their radiochemical, chemical, and physical properties
• Sampling to classify waste, mitigate hazards, obtain data for decommissioning, or to support a safety case or plant lifetime extension
• Typical locations include reactors, plants, legacy waste stores, contaminated land, tanks, ponds, vaults, silos, direct/restricted access, or via remote handling operations
• Typical samples include most active/non-active and irradiated/non-irradiated materials; including contaminated oils, active effluents, sludges, powders, ion-exchange resins, solids and fuel debris-
• Design of bespoke fit-for-purpose solutions to deal with legacy wastes
• On-site radiological support; including RPA and RPS services- Implementation of support tools to facilitate better, faster, and more cost-effective methods of sampling and analysis.

• Through our analytical services business, AMEC operates one of the UK's largest radiochemical laboratories
• Provide independent testing facilities for all aspects of radiochemical analysis
• Conduct analysis for a range of customers including nuclear operators, decommissioning contractors, contaminated land consultants, local authorities, regulators, water companies and defence establishments
• AMEC Analytical Services is a UKAS accredited laboratory (no.1011)- For more information please visit http://www.niras.co.uk/.

• Experience of working closely with the NDA Radioactive Waste Management Directorate (RWMD) (formerly NIREX)
• Wasteforms; Cement (conventional or alternative) formulations and alternative encapsulants (polymers, glasses, ceramics)
• Treatment options and practical solutions for difficult wastes; formulation trials
• Waste package/wasteform longevity issues
• Reactive metals and the effects on the wasteform
• Compatibility of wasteforms with the repository environment and materials; near field interactions
• Letters of compliance support and generic geological disposal advice.

• Remote waste handling and retrieval
• Sludge removal and separation, immobilisation and storage
• Decontamination and effluent control
• Experimental trials
• Encapsulation
• Volume reduction, dissolution and waste minimisation
• Thermal treatment demonstration facilities

• Experimental and developmental services: conception, design, build and operation of test rigs and plant mock-ups, and analysis and reporting of resulting data
• Remote handling and inspection: initial / design studies including computer modelling; development of hardware, systems, and techniques; mock-up trials and operator training; implementation on-site. Developing new systems and techniques to address emergent remote inspection / operations issues
• Plant data acquisition and analysis (noise, vibration, stress, etc.): initial studies; on-site data acquisition; analysis and interpretation of data and related assessment and computer modelling / simulation services
• Whole project tasks from initial studies through to equipment specification, development, trials, staff training, and ultimately site deployment.

• Material selection, corrosion prevention/rectification; advice on environmental control measures
• Experimental / test work, modelling plant ageing effects and developing improved inspection and monitoring systems, and supporting existing inspection techniques
• Plant chemistry support (e.g. reactors)
• Aqueous filtration and ion-exchange resin testing, boiler/feed water analysis
• Computational modelling, simulation, flowsheets, fluid dynamics
• Vessel storage and corrosion issues
• Plant operating and storage guidelines
• Alkali metals
• Strong links to the international technical community and UK universities.

• Gas-side steel corrosion
• Waste management, processing, disposal and decommissioning
• Metallurgy
• QA and chemical safety
• Plant storage and cooling water system corrosion
• Lubricant technology
• Radiochemistry
• Ion-exchange technology and theory
• Water chemistry and aqueous corrosion of steels.

• Extensive facilities which can accommodate large test rigs
• Comprehensive test rig design, build and operate capability
• Active and inactive laboratories
• A wide range of analytical equipment & instrumentation support
• Waste technology laboratory
• Environmental curing facility
• Ion-exchange resin testing laboratory
• Largest UK alkali metal laboratory outside of Dounreay
• Unique high temperature oxidation facility
• Corrosion loops
• ILW shielded cell (*being installed - to further enhance capability)

• Failure investigation
• Experienced investigators / supporting facilities (including R/A)
• Root cause analysis / provision and protection of evidence
• Tibology
• Assessments and modelling (including testing)
• Failure mode analysis / damage mitigation
• On site plant data acquisition and analysis
• Noise, vibration and related assessment and modelling services

• Unique specialist application used to seal holes in inaccessible pipe work
• Cost effective alternative to replacing or repairing pipe work in inaccessible areas when, for example, it is buried in concrete, located underground or in radioactive areas
• Proven effective in sealing over 500 leaks at over 40 sites worldwide
• Technology is based on several products including clays, water miscible epoxies and fibres
• No effect on the heat transfer capabilities of the pipes
• Can be used for many different applications across a variety of industries including oil, gas and petrochemical
• Many previously intractable leak problems have been solved by the leak sealing team - some avoiding enforced plant shutdowns.

Our inspection validation centre (IVC) provides independent advice and consultancy on all aspects of inspection qualification, non destructive testing (NDT) research and development, human factor review and quality assurance.

We undertake internationally competitive and nationally leading research into material degradation in aggressive environments to to underwrite the safety of capital intensive plant.