Nuclear move
Chapelcross nuclear power station is using two MasterMover electric-operated pedestrian tugs to pull large, 50-tonne nuclear flasks from the reactor chambers to flask handling bays, a critical stage in the decommissioning of the site.
Not only have the tugs, from MasterMover, provided a cost-effective solution to moving the flasks around in tight spaces, but the risk of handling-related injuries and accidents to staff has also been reduced.
The two MT20/1500 pedestrian tugs are being used in two reactor chambers to pull large, heavy nuclear flasks from the reactors to the flask handling bays. The flasks, which contain spent nuclear fuel, act as shipping containers for transporting the nuclear material to Sellafield, where it is then reprocessed.
At full power when operational, the station produced enough electricity to supply every home in south west Scotland, the Borders and Cumbria. The 92-acre Chapelcross site employs more than 400 people and has been undergoing decommissioning since 2004.
