Location: UK | Year: 2014 | Size: 12m x 9.3m
Overview
Sizewell B Nuclear Power Station, located on the Suffolk coast, is operated by EDF Energy. It is the UK’s newest nuclear power station and has supplied over 1100 Megawatts of energy to the National Grid.
During a scheduled multi-million pound refuelling outage of the reactor, a program of maintenance work was planned for an essential transformer. The work, which included painting the transformer, would normally be carried out under the cover of a scaffold frame with fabric sheeting to provide protection from inclement weather and to allow heaters to be installed to speed up paint curing times.
Given the time-critical nature of the project, EDF approached Tectoniks to propose an alternative solution which would negate the requirement for scaffolding and provide better protection.
The BriefWe were asked to supply a structure which could be installed quickly, completely enclose the transformer and its compound, and provide sufficient clearance to allow the maintenance work to be conducted efficiently.
The structure would also need four apertures for forced and extract ventilation to assist with fume removal during the painting.
Under no circumstances could the structure compromise the safety, quality or cost of the planned maintenance work.
Our SolutionTectoniks supplied a Clearspan structure providing an uninterrupted internal space measuring 12m wide by 9.3m long by 6m high. The structure was enclosed with membrane ends with access openings for personnel and equipment. Four apertures were provided in the inflatable walls for ventilation ducting.
The structure was inflated in the space in front of the transformer before being pushed into position – a procedure made possible owing the lightweight nature of the structure’s construction.
The OutcomeThe structure was manufactured to order and delivered on time. It was installed over the transformer and ready to use in less than two hours.
The client was extremely pleased with the outcome and commented that the quality of the paint finish achieved on the transformer was far better than would have been the case using traditional scaffold sheeting. They have issued a brief across EDF Energy outlining the benefits of using inflatable structures at other locations in the future.
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