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Glossary
AEAC
United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority Constabulary.
AGR
Advanced Gas-Cooled Reactor - a term used for the
second generation of British power reactors, now
operated by British Energy (Dungeness B, Hartlepool,
Heysham 1 and 2, Hinkley Point B, Hunterston B and
Torness). The fuel is slightly enriched uranium oxide
clad in stainless steel. The coolant is carbon
dioxide and the moderator is graphite. AGR
fuel is manufactured by BNFL at Springfields
and reprocessed in THORP.
ALARA
(As low as reasonably achievable). The ALARA
principle is contained in the Euratom Basic Safety
Standards Directive 96/29, which is transposed into
UK law. Essentially, it means that all reasonable
steps should be taken to protect people. In making
this judgement, factors such as the costs involved in
taking protection measures are weighed against
benefits obtained, including the reduction in risks
to people.
AWE
Atomic Weapons Establishment. AWE is operated by a
site licensee company (AWE plc) managed by a
contractor, currently a consortium of BNFL, Serco and
Lockheed Martin (AWE Management Ltd). The consortium
was appointed by the MoD after a competitive
tender.
Barrow-in-Furness (Cumbria)
Site of the harbour for the Pacific Nuclear Transport
Limited (PNTL) ships.
BE
British Energy plc. A major customer of BNFL,
for the supply of fuel, reprocessing services and
storage of spent fuel.
Berkeley (Glos)
Site of a closed Magnox power station (two reactors)
and of the Berkeley Centre. The facilities of the
Centre include high active cells, active chemistry
laboratories, radiological instrumentation cells,
specialist materials and graphite and reactor coolant
laboratories.
BNFL
British Nuclear Fuels plc.
BNFL Instruments
Subsidiary of BNFL that is one of the world's leading
providers of instrumentation and services for the
measurement and characterisation of radioactive
materials.
BNFL UAM
Uranium Assets Management Co Ltd provides uranium
contract management services including uranic
procurement on behalf of BNFL Magnox Generation.
BPM
(Best Practicable Means). BPM is a term used by the EA
and SEPA in authorisations issued under the
Radioactive Substances Act. Essentially, it requires
operators to take all reasonably practicable measures
in the design and operational management of their
facilities to minimise discharges and disposals of
radioactive waste, so as to achieve a high standard
of protection for the public and the environment. BPM
is applied to such aspects as minimising waste
creation, abating discharges, and monitoring plant,
discharges and the environment. It takes account of
such factors as the availability and cost of relevant
measures, operator safety and the benefits of reduced
discharges and disposals. If the operator is using
BPM, radiation risks to the public and the
environment will be ALARA.
Bradwell (Essex)
Site of a Magnox power station (two reactors) that
operated from 1962 to May 2002.
Calder Hall (Cumbria)
A Magnox power station (four reactors) within the
Sellafield site which has operated since 1956. It was
the world's first fully commercial nuclear power
plant and remains the UK's longest operating nuclear
power plant. BNFL recently announced that it will
close in March 2003.
Capenhurst (Cheshire)
BNFL site which originally housed a diffusion plant
that ceased operating in 1982. The site now focuses
on the decommissioning and storage of uranic
materials. Capenhurst is also home to the first
commercial scale centrifuge plant for the enrichment
of uranium. BNFL is a one-third owner of Urenco Ltd
which markets enrichment services.
Chapelcross (Dumfriesshire)
Site of an operating Magnox power station (four
reactors) that opened in 1959. BNFL recently
announced that it will close in March 2005.
Clean up
The decontamination and decommissioning
of a nuclear licensed site.
Culham (Oxfordshire)
The UK centre for research into nuclear fusion and
home of JET, Europe's flagship fusion project. Since
January 2000 JET has been operated by UKEAEA on
behalf of Euratom. The UK is responsible for
decommissioning the site when JET closes. Also based
at Culham are the UKAEA Constabulary and a
number of external tenants. The site is not covered
by a nuclear site licence.
Decommissioning
The process whereby a nuclear facility, at the end of
its economic life, is taken permanently out of
service and its site made available for other
purposes.
Decontamination
Removal or reduction of radioactive contamination.
DEFRA
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
DEVA
Subsidiary of BNFL that manufactures waste drums and
associated equipment.
Disposal
In the context of solid waste, disposal is the
emplacement of waste in a suitable facility without
intent to retrieve it at a later date; retrieval may
be possible but, if intended, the appropriate term is
storage. Disposal may also refer to the
release of airborne or liquid wastes to the
environment (i.e. emissions and discharges).
Dounreay (Caithness)
Located on the far north coast of Scotland, the site
was established on a former naval base as the centre
for UK fast reactor research. It is now engaged on a
major decommissioning and site restoration programme
to deal with the legacy of past operations. Over half
of UKAEA liabilities are located at Dounreay.
Drigg (Cumbria)
Site of the national low-level waste repository. The
site is operated by BNFL.
DRS
Direct Rail Services Limited. A subsidiary of BNFL
which provides rail transport services for nuclear
materials in the UK.
DTI
Department of Trade and Industry.
DfT
Department for Transport.
Dungeness A (Kent)
Site of an operating Magnox power station (two
reactors) that opened in 1965.
Environment Agency (EA)
The Agency's role is the enforcement of specified
laws and regulations aimed at protecting the
environment, in the context of sustainable
development, predominantly by authorising and
controlling radioactive discharges and waste
disposals to air, water (surface water, groundwater)
and land. In addition to authorisations issued under
the Radioactive Substances Act 1993, the EA also
regulates nuclear sites under the Pollution
Prevention and Control Regulations and issues
consents for non-radioactive discharges. The
equivalent body in Scotland is the Scottish
Environment Protection Agency.
Euratom
Within the European Union, nuclear matters are the
subject of a separate Treaty dating from 1957. This
established the European Atomic Energy Community (EAEC)
or EURATOM, which was set up to encourage progress in
the field of nuclear energy.
Fellside Heat and Power Ltd
BNFL holds 50% of the ordinary shares in the company
which produces electricity through combined heat and
power. It has a capacity of 170MW, of which 24-26MW
goes to the Sellafield site and the remaining
142-146MW goes to the National Grid. It is situated
just outside the licensed site at Sellafield.
Fuel/Nuclear Fuel
Material containing fissile nuclides which, in a
reactor, produces the neutrons necessary to sustain a
neutron chain reaction.
Harwell (Oxfordshire)
A former RAF base which was the UK's first centre for
nuclear research and development. It now houses a
number of redundant research facilities, including
low energy reactors and materials testing reactors.
Decommissioning is well advanced. Roughly half the
land is subject to a nuclear licence. The remainder,
separated by a security fence is unlicensed. UKAEA's
headquarters are located at Harwell and the site is
being progressively restored and transformed into a
science and technology business park - Harwell
International Business Centre.
Health and Safety Executive (HSE)
A statutory body whose role is the enforcement of
work related health and safety law under the general
direction of the Health and Safety Commission
established by the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.
HSE is the licensing authority for nuclear
installations. The Nuclear Safety Directorate of HSE
exercises this delegated authority through the
Nuclear Installations Inspectorate who are
responsible for regulating the nuclear, radiological
and industrial safety of nuclear installations UK
wide.
High Level Waste
(HLW)
HLW is heat-generating waste that has accumulated
since the early 1950s at Sellafield and Dounreay,
primarily from the reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel.
The temperature in HLW may rise significantly, so
this factor has to be taken into account in designing
storage or disposal facilities.
Hinkley Point A (Somerset)
A closed Magnox power station (two reactors) that
operated from 1965 to 2000.
Hunterston A (Ayrshire)
A closed Magnox power station (two reactors) that
operated from 1964 to 1990.
Intermediate
Level Waste (ILW)
Wastes with radioactivity levels exceeding the upper
boundaries for Low Level Waste, but which do not need
heating to be taken into account in the design of
storage or disposal facilities. ILW arises mainly
from the reprocessing of spent fuel, and from general
operations and maintenance of radioactive plant. The
major components of ILW are metals and organic
materials, with smaller quantities of cement,
graphite, glass and ceramics.
IAEA
International Atomic Energy Agency.
JET
The Joint European Torus fusion research project
based at UKAEA's Culham site and operated by UKAEA on
behalf of Euratom.
KPIs
Key Performance Indicators. These are performance
targets written into contracts against which actual
performance is measured. In the case of the NDA, it
will agree KPIs with site operators which will
include progress made in clean up work, as well as
performance against safety, security and
environmental criterion.
Liabilities
The costs involved in decommissioning; the
processing, long term management, storage and final
disposal of waste materials and spent fuel; and the
environmental remediation of nuclear sites.
Low Level Waste (LLW)
Includes metals, soil, building rubble and organic
materials, which arise principally as lightly
contaminated miscellaneous scrap. Metals are mostly
in the form of redundant equipment. Organic materials
are mainly in the form of paper towels, clothing and
laboratory equipment that have been used in areas
where radioactive materials are used - such as
hospitals, research establishments and industry.
LMA
Liabilities Management Authority. The former name
given to the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA).
LMU
Liabilities Management Unit. A unit set up within the
DTI to strengthen its ability to drive forward work
on the nuclear legacy and help to prepare the ground
for the LMA.
Magnox
The magnesium alloy used as a cladding material in
Magnox type reactors.
Magnox Reactor
A term for the first generation of British power
reactors (at Berkeley, Bradwell, Calder Hall,
Chapelcross, Dungeness A, Hinkley Point A, Hunterston
A, Oldbury, Sizewell A, Trawsfynyddand Wylfa) from
the use of "Magnox" as the cladding
material.
MoD
Ministry of Defence.
MOX
Mixed Oxide fuel, made up of around 95% uranium and 5%
plutonium.
MRWS
Managing Radioactive Waste Safely. The name given to
a consultation paper published in 2001 addressing
future requirements for safe radioactive waste
management. It set out a programme to review the
options for management of solid radioactive waste and
decide on a strategy for long term protection.
NDA
Nuclear Decommissioning Authority. The new body
currently being set up by Government to take on
financial and strategic responsibility for nuclear
legacy clean up.
NDPB
Non-Departmental Public Body. A body which has a role
in the processes of national Government, but is not a
government department or part of one, and which
accordingly operates to a greater or lesser extent at
arm's length from Ministers. More simply, this means
a national or regional public body, operating
independently of Ministers, but for which Ministers
are ultimately responsible.
Neutrons
Produced by the splitting, or fissioning of certain
atoms inside a nuclear reactor. Neutron radiation is
very penetrating and water and concrete are therefore
used as protection against it.
NIREX
The company established to manage long term disposal
of ILW arising from nuclear waste management and
decommissioning.
NLIP
Nuclear Liabilities Investment Portfolio. Investment
assets in BNFL's balance sheet earmarked for the
discharge of future nuclear liabilities.
OCPA
Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments.
Office for Civil Nuclear Security(OCNS)
An autonomous DTI unit which regulates security
arrangements in the civil nuclear industry, including
security of nuclear material in transit, exercising
statutory powers on behalf of the Secretary of State
for Trade and Industry. This is primarily in order to
protect against the threats of terrorism and nuclear
proliferation.
Oldbury (Glos)
A Magnox power station (two reactors) that started
operation in 1967.
OSPAR
The Oslo-Paris convention which established
requirements on the level of nuclear and nonnuclear
discharges to the marine environment of the North
East Atlantic, the North Sea and the Irish Sea.
PNTL
Pacific Nuclear Transport Limited. A subsidiary of
BNFL which operates a fleet of purpose built ships
capable of carrying all categories of nuclear
material.
POCO
Post Operational Clean Out. The first stage in
preparing plant for care and maintenance after
operations have ceased.
PPP
Public Private Partnership.
PWR
Pressurised Water Reactor - a reactor whose primary
coolant is maintained under such a pressure that no
bulk boiling occurs. The reactor uses water as a
moderator or as coolant. In the UK, Sizewell B is one
such reactor operated by British Energy.
Radioactive Half-Life
The time required for one half of the atoms of a
particular radionuclide to disintegrate. Each
radionuclide has a unique half-life.
Radioactive Waste
Any material contaminated by or incorporating
radioactivity above thresholds defined in legislation
is known as radioactive waste.
Reactor Core
That part of the reactor which contains the fuel
elements.
Reactor Pressure Vessel
A reactor vessel designed to withstand a substantial
operating pressure.
Reprocessing The removal of the metal casing
from around the fuel and dissolving the fuel in hot,
concentrated nitric acid. The uranium, plutonium and
waste which are dissolved in this way are then
separated from each other using several chemical
processes.
Risley (Cheshire)
Home to BNFL's Headquarters. A core team of UKAEA
safety management and project planning staff is also
based at Risley. The site was originally owned by
UKAEA and set up as a centre for reactor engineering.
It was sold to a development company in 1998.
Scottish Environment ProtectionAgency (SEPA)
Scottish equivalent of the EA.
Sealed Source
A 'sealed source' is a device in which a radioactive
material has been contained within an outer casing.
This outer casing makes an accidental release of the
contents extremely unlikely. Sealed sources have an
extensive range of medical, educational and
industrial uses, notably in general diagnosis and
cancer treatments, and in the oil and gas industries.
Sellafield (Cumbria)
Home to BNFL's reprocessing operations, aswell as
waste management and fuel recycling operations. The
site was opened in 1947.
Sizewell A (Suffolk)
Site of a Magnox power station (two reactors) that
has operated since 1966.
SMP
The Sellafield MOX Plant.
Spent Fuel
Spent nuclear fuel is fuel removed from a reactor
after final use. The main commercial UK fuels are
Magnox, AGR and PWR. Typically, spent fuel is made up
of approximately 96% unreacted uranium, 1% plutonium,
and 3% waste products. The precise composition
depends largely on the type of reactor and the amount
of power produced by the fuel.
Springfields (Lancs)
Home of BNFL's UK fuel manufacturing operations since
1946.
Storage
Is the emplacement of waste in a suitable facility
with the intent to retrieve it at a later date.
THORP
BNFL's THermal Oxide Reprocessing Plant.
Thurso (Caithness)
A small office housing UKAEA pensions administration
staff is located in Thurso, a few miles east of
Dounreay.
Trawsfynydd (Gwynedd)
Site of a Magnox power station (two reactors) that
operated from 1965 to 1993. This station is the only
one not built on the coast. Instead its water
supplies were provided by a lake.
TUPE
Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment)
Regulations. These provide for terms and conditions
to be protected upon transfer as a matter of law.
This will cover severance pay, early retirement
following redundancy, and injury benefits.
UKAEA
United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority.
Urenco
A uranium enrichment business, based at Marlow in
Buckinghamshire. BNFL holds a one third share of
Urenco Ltd.
Very Low
Level Waste (VLLW)
Covers wastes with very low concentrations of
radioactivity. It arises from a variety of sources,
including hospitals and the wider non-nuclear
industry. Because VLLW contains little total
radioactivity, it has been safely treated as it has
arisen by various means, such as disposal with
domestic refuse directly at landfill sites or
indirectly after incineration.
Westinghouse
Part of BNFL, it provides fuel, services, technology,
plant design and equipment to utility and industrial
customers around the world.
Westlakes
A science park, partly supported by BNFL, that aims
to stimulate the knowledge base in West Cumbria
thereby contributing to its economic regeneration and
sustainability.
Windscale (Cumbria)
A small enclave located within BNFL's Sellafield site
and is the focus for two important nuclear
decommissioning projects - the Windscale Piles and
the prototype Advanced Gas-Cooled Reactor. The site
is on long term lease to UKAEA which also holds the
nuclear site licence. This is separate to the licence
held by BNFL for the Sellafield site.
Winfrith (Dorset)
Created as a centre for prototype reactor development
in the 1960s and is the youngest of UKAEA's sites. It
houses a number of redundant prototype reactors,
including the Steam Generating Heavy Water reactor.
The site is on the fast-track for decommissioning and
site restoration and, as Winfrith Technology Centre,
is being developed as a focus for business
development in Dorset.
Wylfa (Gwynedd)
Site of a Magnox power station (two reactors) that
commenced operation in 1971. Wylfa is BNFL's largest
power station.
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