The Springfields Metals Advanced Recycling Treatment facility (SMART)
A new state-of-the-art metal treatment and recycling centre based on proven metal melting technology is planned to be built at our Springfields site in Lancashire, UK. Westinghouse SMART forms part of Westinghouse’s development of a wider Nuclear Material Management Hub at Springfields and expands Westinghouse’s global decommissioning and waste management offerings to the market.
The recycling facility will feature a Metal Melter as the core treatment technology, providing a market-driven capability to clean, treat and recycle contaminated metals and large components emerging from nuclear decommissioning projects – with the aim to recycle around 90% of the metals for re-use in the open market.
This treatment capability will deliver a safe and sustainable, lifecycle optimized solution for metallic wastes through the application of the waste management hierarchy. The facility will enable a greater than 95% reduction in Co-60 activity in carbon and stainless steels with 90% of the metal after treatment suitable for free release providing significant volume reduction and enabling metal recycling.
SMART will draw upon existing experience and infrastructure at the Westinghouse Springfields site as well as from the wider global Westinghouse to provide a Nuclear Materials Management Centre of Excellence. The infrastructure and capabilities available at the Springfields site include characterization, packaging, consignment and transport through to receipt, storage, sort and segregation, treatment and final disposal.
Radioactively contaminated metals for treatment range from small scrap items to large items such as steam boilers. Once received at Springfields, these materials will be characterized using our on-site laboratories to ensure they meet acceptance criteria before treatment. The items will be size reduced (if required) before being sorted and segregated, decontaminated to remove surface contamination (for example, grit blasting) before being melted. Any secondary wastes will be prepared so as to be suitable for return to the country of origin for appropriate disposal.
For more information, please contact us at smart@westinghouse.com.
