Engineering Solutions Through Collaboration

Over the last 6 weeks we have supported two sprints at Sellafield Ltd's Centre of Excellence at Leconfield, Cleator Moor to deliver solutions to address two very complex and interesting problems.

One problem focused on developing a solution to remove unwanted items from a complex coil arrangement with total length of over 60m. During routine weld inspection it was identified that some of the items associated with the inspection vehicle had came off inside the coils. There was no method to identify and retrieve items lost in the coil, raising concern that they could cause significant damage to the coils and the evaporator system as a whole.

The next problem centred around two decontamination cells housed within a building on the Sellafield site. These cells have not been entered in decades and the associated lighting and access arrangements are no longer in operation. The team were challenged with developing a solution to understand the physical and radiological conditions within the cell to inform future strategies. 

Each sprint had a team comprising of Sellafield apprentices, placement students, graduates and staff supported closely by Resolve. Made up of four Cumbrian SMEs, Resolve provided continuous support throughout the sprint combining our different specialisms to provide targeted input to the teams at each stage. The outputs of the sprints surpassed expectations of the clients, providing fit for purpose bespoke solutions in a short period of time for minimal costs. 

Craig Branney, Head of Off Site Developments & Spares and Obsolescence at Sellafield, "I am really impressed with both sprint outputs, which are the result of fantastic team efforts and brilliant collaborations with Resolve Engineering and CFLP. The sprints have gone from strength to strength this year, and it is no accident that this coincides with Resolve being part of the team.” 

We have really enjoyed participating in the two sprints, where we tackled complex problems and facilitated decommissioning!