Noise Controlled and Good Air Quality Maintained During a Hydro Demolition Project at Heysham Power Station

Project Overview

Heysham Nuclear Power Station is operated by EDF Energy. Heysham is the only site in the UK to have two operating nuclear power stations. In 2020, Heysham generated low carbon electricity for over 1.6 million homes. Inside the power station, EDF Energy needed to carry out hydro demolition on a high level concrete plinth, located at heart of the power station.

Challenge

The power station goes nine storeys beneath ground level, and this is where the project was based, a long way from the atmosphere. Air quality was a concern, as well as the steam and mist that would be created from the hydro demolition, as this would cause a visibility hazard, making it unsafe for site operatives to work.

The hydro demolition would also create a high level of noise, which could make warnings hard to hear, interfere with communications or cause damage to health. The power station was remaining live, so workers at the power station also needed to be protected from the hazards.

Solution

The client created a birdcage scaffold deck, at high level, around the hydro demolition operation. Before work started, RVT created an enclosure around the birdcage using Soundex^® Acoustic Curtains and Quilts, which can provide up to 98% noise absorption. Soundex^® acoustic barriers are certified to conform with BS7955, which means it can be hung from scaffolding and other structures. Creating a seamless barrier around the project ensured that noise would be effectively captured, contained and controlled using The 3C's^® Methodology.

By creating an enclosure around the project, it also meant that dust and flying debris from the hydro demolition was contained and could not migrate out of the work area. As a result, the power station could continue to function as normal, because workers were protected from noise and airborne hazards.

To manage the mist and visibility issue for site operatives inside the birdcage, Ventex^® centrifugal fans were used to force large volumes of clean air through the work area, providing a very high quantity of air changes. This purged out steam and mist, and extracted it to atmosphere. Therefore, inside the work area remained visibly clear so that work could be carried out safely.