Morson Projects has won a new asset assurance contract at Sellafield, to assist and improve the current maintenance programme within some of the high hazard areas of nuclear fuel reprocessing plants on the site.

This new contract will see the company put in place a risk based asset assurance programme for the legacy ponds and silos operating units at Sellafield, which will be rolled out between August 2009 and March 2010.

Working in conjunction with Sellafield's existing asset care and maintenance management systems, the new asset assurance process will aim to increase the operating efficiency of the plant, by helping to identify potential issues so that they can be dealt with quickly and efficiently with minimal disruption.

The new system will enhance the existing asset care survey process undertaken by Morson Projects, by allowing the decision to repair or replace assets to be made based on trended data which helps predict impending asset failure. Adopting a ‘ranking and rating' system, each asset is given a score to enable the Morson asset care team to prioritise each asset and set the level of frequency of which it needs reviewing. Each asset will be ranked based on a select set of criteria, including the probability of failure and the age / condition of the asset, which has been approved by an independent third party, as stipulated by Sellafield.

After the ‘ranking and rating' procedure, in which the highest and lowest risk assets will be identified, an assurance document will be compiled for each asset, which will ensure consistency during the inspection process. These documents will then be inputted into the existing Sellafield computerised maintenance management system to ensure that history is captured and, in addition, automatic assurance prompts will be generated, identifying that an assurance check needs to be carried out, with instructions detailing how to do this correctly.

The new asset assurance system will not only provide an improved, safe and visible management process for asset care but will also help Sellafield meet its obligations with regards to Nuclear License Condition 28, as set out in the Nuclear Safety Directorate.

In order to service the Legacy Ponds and Silos Operating Unit to its best ability with the new asset assurance programme, Morson Projects has set up an office on the Sellafield site specifically to house its 40-strong asset care team. This has benefited both Morson and Sellafield, as the Morson team is able to respond quickly to customer requests and has eliminated wasted time spent travelling to the site, whilst it has increased Sellafield's access to the Morson team.

Commenting on the asset care contract at Sellafield, Morson's asset care services manager says: "We have been working with the Legacy Ponds and Silos Operating Unit on its asset care programme for over five years, but are always looking for ways to improve cost and operational efficiency for our client and this latest initiative will do that."

For further information on asset care management or any of the other services offered by Morson Projects please call 0161 777 4000 or log onto http://www.morson.com/.