Design, manufacture, installation and commissioning of Instrument Cells

The contract will be for the design, manufacture, installation and commissioning of Instrument Cells in the Materials Research Facility (MRF) at Culham Science Centre for UKAEA. To fulfil the UK Government Strategy, a MRF has been constructed by UKAEA at Culham Science Centre.

This UK facility will support nuclear R&D through small scale testing of irradiated materials that can be prepared and tested at the MRF or transferred to another industrial or academic facility for examination. The hot-cell line in the MRF, already built in 2014/2015, will be used to downsize and prepare micro- and macro-sized samples (from maximum ~3TBq to samples with a maximum activity of 3.75 GBq Co60 or equivalent) for further evaluation in the so-called instrument cells.

The instrument cells need to be designed and build in 2016 to perform the actual sample evaluation. These cells will function as shielding for the scientific instrument and will complete the MRF process line for active operations.

The instrument cells will be equipped with remote controlled systems to operate scientific instruments to evaluate radiological degradation in materials, which is key to improving their performance and ensuring known characteristics in service. As the samples are downsized in activity, mainly done to protect the scientific equipment from deterioration, the amount of activity in the instrument cells will be relatively low.

Where the earlier called hot-cell line are fabricated in steel, the instrument cells can be executed in concrete. This makes the structure, see attached figures, a civil engineering type of structure which can be fabricated in-situ or pre-fab.

Apart from the civil engineering phase, the instrument cells will be executed with a key system to prevent entering if active samples being measured; a fire suppression system; utility provisions such as temperature control and electrical connections and the necessary provisions to execute the experiments. Most of the provisions will be brought into the cells using gland plates to secure high flexibility in future years (to adapt or change the equipment in the cells).

Please note: The stated contract start and end dates are estimates. Please note :The award notice for this opportunity will not contain the actual value of the awarded contract (but will state an awarded value of £0 ) so as not to prejudice the legitimate commercial interests of the successful tenderer.