Low Active Drain

Dounreay’s low active drain is being refurbished to ensure that it is fit for purpose for the next sixteen years.

The drain will support the decommissioning programme until the site shutdown in 2025.

Low-active effluent is transferred by the drain from all areas of the site to the low level liquid effluent treatment plant, where it is treated, sampled and released to sea if it is within SEPA’s authorised limits.

A team of workers have been working on the three-year long project, scheduled to be completed by the end of 2009. They are steadily working their way across site, replacing the corroded brackets supporting the drain with stainless steel hangers, cleaning out the ducts and removing the redundant acid drain.

Once the slabs are replaced they are waterproofed. Viewing ports incorporated in key places mean the duct can be inspected in future without being opened and disturbing the weatherproofing.

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The refurbishment process

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Workers lifting the duct cover from the low active drain

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Installing new stainless steel pipe hangars inside the duct

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A refurbished section of the low active drain showing the viewing port