The first of seven remote handling cask assemblies has been successfully delivered to ESS. These specialised containers are designed for the safe transportation and storage of heavy, used technical components, some of which can weigh up to 60 tonnes. The casks are a key part of the facility’s remote handling system, essential for the safe operation of ESS as they ensure safe and efficient management of materials exposed to radiation in the Target Station.
The recently delivered cask is the first of seven remote handling casks that form an integral part of the ESS remote handling system. Together with several gamma gates and additional radiation shielding and ancillary equipment, the system ensures the safe transportation, storage, and handling of activated components from the target monolith systems to the active cells facility. The casks, built with dense materials such as lead and steel, provide radiation shielding to protect workers and the environment from exposure to radiation emitted by activated components.
Each cask is a complex, tailor-made piece of equipment designed to safely handle one or more specific parts of the target monolith system. Cask 3, the particular cask just delivered, is designed to lift and hold one of the shielding blocks covering the target wheel during maintenance periods.
The casks are part of a broader remote handling system currently under installation and testing in the ESS on-site active cells facility that includes robotics, cranes, a cutting station, waste storage pits and other tools that can be steered remotely to avoid human exposure during operation. The ESS team of operators will monitor and control the processes remotely from a control room.
The casks are delivered to ESS as an In-Kind Contribution from the Hun-Ren Centre for Energy Research (CER), in Hungary with Asturfeito, in Spain, as the main contractor for the manufacturing of the cask assembly, and Andritz, in Hungary, as a key contributor to the project. The installation and testing on the ESS site will be performed in close collaboration between the ESS Target installation team and the Asturfeito team, working side-by-side with the ESS rigging and remote handling teams.
The first cask was delivered to the high bay and will now be reassmebled to later undergo thorough testing in the target Mock-Up and Test Stand (MUTS). During this phase, the cask’s functionality and handling procedures will be verified using a dummy component, simulating real operational conditions to ensure its reliability and performance in a controlled environment.
This delivery is the beginning of a series of deliveries, followed by tests and validations to ensure that the system meets all safety and performance requirements. Once all seven casks have been delivered and tested, they will be stored on the target high bay, ready to perform their essential role in handling activated components that require radiation shielding.
