A partnered approach to dust extraction and containment

In recent years, there has been a strong focus in the UK to improve the health and safety of workers, and it has been great to see a rise in the uptake of providing safe and clean work environments. The coronavirus pandemic brought with it new challenges of keeping workspaces safe, and while all industries have had to endure an extremely difficult and unprecedented period, one positive is that we will be better prepared for such events in the future. Indeed, the pandemic has put a stronger need for stringent infection control in every sector. The nuclear sector is already renowned for having the strictest hygiene and cleanliness requirements, and COVID-19 has only heightened the need to maintain such a high level of health and safety in the industry, especially when dealing with dangerous substances.

At Dustcontrol UK, we work closely with many partners across the international nuclear industry to offer flexible and modular systems that fit specific requirements for the specialised work being undertaken.

Centralised vacuum systems, for instance, ensure critical environments are safe from contamination by eliminating dust, liquid, or smoke at the source, and can also be used for efficient general cleaning as well as creating positive/ negative pressure environments. In some cases, high-quality mobile machines and even bespoke mobile equipment are required. In all these scenarios, the extraction equipment will need to be extremely reliable with high levels of filtration and be tested and documented to exacting standards that meet the industry demands. The longevity of parts potentially exposed to radiation will also need to be considered, along with their subsequent ease of replacement, as necessary.

Cleaning tools, suction casings, and special nozzles are the components that actually capture the contaminant. The design and effectiveness of these, matched with hoses, pipework, separators, filters, vacuum producers, and controls will determine the efficiency and acceptance of the entire system. Of course, such a comprehensive offering demands a varied and complete assortment of specially designed products and a deep understanding of the client's needs. A strong technical know-how, to be able to combine these products into a system that will consistently and reliably deliver the specified criteria, is essential.

In this COVID landscape we find ourselves in, it is also important to consider adding high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filtration in many cases. Indeed, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control suggests placing HEPA filters over vents and exhausts in workspaces to reduce the spread of the virus. HEPA-13 filtration is tested to capture at least 99.95 per cent of particles between 0.15 to 0.3 micrometres.

A variety of control functions can be installed as required and intelligent features can be included, such as the control of the motor speed according to the requirement of pressure or airflow. Systems can even be designed not just to be operated, but also to be maintained or repaired remotely, via a mechanical interface. Something that can be particularly useful in this industry.

This must all be supported by in-depth design, test, and build documentation that will be scrutinized to the elevated industry standards. Bringing all of this together requires a niche and specialist approach involving a high level of collaboration between client and supplier.

By offering equipment that is reliable and meets the performance standards of such a specialised industry, nuclear engineering companies can be assured they are operating effective, reliable, and resilient equipment to support their processes in the best way. With more than 20 years' technical expertise and knowledge in the nuclear engineering industry, we've built a respected reputation of being problem solvers for the sector.