Sellafield
/0 Comments/in Energy, Engineering, Nuclear/by Antonio PortasEmployer: Sellafield Ltd

Sellafield Ltd is chemical engineering company responsible for the decommissioning of the Sellafield nuclear site, which is owned by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority. The Sellafield nuclear site hosted the first the world’s first nuclear power station, Calder Hall, that exported electricity on a commercial scale to a public grid. Sellafield Ltd is in now responsible for cleaning and recycling onsite nuclear waste ensuring that is safe and secure. The video below explains in more details how they operate:Who Are They?
Careers
To clean, recycle and safety store nuclear waste Sellafield’s relies on a lot of different STEM, and non-STEM, based roles.
Among the different roles at Sellafield are:
- Chemical Engineers
- Process Engineers
- Physicists
- Civil Engineers
- Project manager
- Laboratory analysts
- Business analyst
- Operation managers
- Engineering apprentices
You can see what current vacancies Sellafield are available here.
Science links
Topics in Science that links with Sellafield Ltd and what the company does:
- Energy
- Electricity
- Atomic Structure
- Radioactivity
Jack Haworth
/0 Comments/in Electrical, Electronic, Engineering, Manufacturing, Nuclear collaborative, observant, passionate A-Levels, Apprenticeship/by Antonio PortasCase Study: Jack Haworth
“Once I actually understood engineering … I thought it’s like a perfect mix of practicality and theory. What you are learning, you can see it applied to real life applications.”
A different route into engineering
Jack always wanted to become electrician, an engineer and to have a degree. His route into engineering is very different than the majority of other graduates and he is passionate about raising awareness of different routes into engineering.
During 6th form Jack studied English literature, history and business however and soon realised that that wasn’t working for him. As soon as he finished school he applied for an electrical engineering apprenticeship at TSP Engineering in Workington.
Jack did a Higher National Certificate (HNC) and a Higher National Diploma (HND) in electrical and electronic engineering, and then a degree in electrical plant engineering.
“I wanted to get involved in this podcast and try to inspire people and make people more aware of the different routes that you can take to become an engineer and the different careers within engineering.”
From this point onwards he applied to the Sellafield graduate scheme where according to him opportunities were endless.
“It’s probably like the best thing I could have done because I’ve worked on the tools and I’ve worked on the things that other people have designed, and then you kind of like get an idea of, say, like how things could be done better.”
His engineering apprenticeship made him observant and having hands-on experience of equipment allows him to think about how to make components more accessible, easier to work on or fix. With 8 years of hands-on experience Jack hopes that he will soon become a chartered engineer.
Robots on Extreme environments
Jack is currently working for the Robotics and Extreme Environments Lab run by the University of Manchester in collaboration with Sellafield. He collaborates with his colleagues designing robots that can work in extreme environments that are dangerous for humans. He is particular proud of two of these robots: Carma and Mirrax.
Carma has been designed to inspect outdoors areas for radiation and its currently being fitted with a GPS sensor to map the environment around. This is based on a LIDAR sensor as Jack explains:
“A LIDAR sensor is method for measuring distances by illuminating the target with laser light and measuring their reflection with the sensor and so the time differences in the returned laser allows to build up a map of the environment… so this this robot is deployed around legacy areas of Sellafield to be able to declassify them so that you know that the clear of radiation”.
Mirrax is a 3 legged autonomous robot which runs on a little roller wheels and it only 150 mm wide so it can squeeze in small areas of nuclear cells which are highly radioactive. Mirax also used LIDAR sensors to map its surroundings:
“It’s got a middle arm that lifts up and on this arm is a LIDAR sensor and a gamma radiation sensor and this can also tilt, so this allows the 2D Lidar to build up a 3D map of the environment so that we can work towards knowing exactly what’s in there and help to navigate the robot around the cell… It’s also picking up the radiation hotspots within the cell to then end with, uh, hopefully decommissioning the cell after this.”
To help develop these robots, Jack learned 3D-CAD and electronics:
There are a lot of electronics and stuff that needs to get in there, so I’ve been designing and 3D printing components to hold things in place and building stuff up so that the robot is more robust.
Working on a nuclear site
Jack works at Sellafield which is one of the few places in the country that handles nuclear waste. The general public still has a very apprehensive perception of nuclear energy and the safety of nuclear sites. According to Jack once you learn the science and you understand the safety protocols you actually feel safe.
“If you follow the rules, which there is a lot of rules and there’s a lot of safety in place, which sometimes people could say it’s maybe a bit over the top, but you can understand why it’s there and the purpose of it. Sometimes a lot more difficult to actually get things done, but I really enjoy it!”
Engineering skillsets and following dreams
Jack believes that in addition to having hands-on experience of equipment, engineers should be good team players as no one knows everything:
“Always look at how you can make things better or better ways of doing stuff… I think you’ve got to be good at solving problems and sometimes to solve problems, you’ve got a be creative. You’ve got to be able to think outside the box, but also be able to apply engineering theories to your problems”
Jack is also a strong advocate about different routes into engineering such as apprenticeships.
“When I started my apprenticeship, there was people starting it who were 24 years old. You’re never too late to change and do what you want to do, like what’s going to make you happy… People put a lot of pressure on themselves thinking like, oh, I don’t know what I want to do. I don’t know what I’m supposed to do or what people expect me to do. Try and be open to all things like I was.”
Position
Electrical Engineer at Sellafield
Key Attributes
collaborative, observant, passionate
Qualifications
A-Levels, Apprenticeship
Employer
EDF
/0 Comments/in Business, Construction, Energy, Engineering, Nuclear/by Carol
Employer: EDF
Electricity is a vital part of our everyday lives. The electricity is generated across the UK (and beyond) and then delivered to UK homes and businesses through the national grid network. EDF Energy is one of the largest electricity generators in the UK. They generate electricity from nuclear, gas and coal power stations across the UK, including a nuclear powerstation in Hartlepool. As well as electricity generation, EDF is researching ways to improve energy storage and efficiency, low-carbon technologies, and energy system design. They’re also looking at how to develop ideas to make smart homes and cities which will use less energy. EDF Energy is part of the EDF group which has sites worldwide. Among the jobs that people who work at EDF Energy have are: Topics that link to EDF and what the company does:Who Are They?
Careers
Science and Maths links
Sectors
Business, Construction, Energy, Engineering, Nuclear
Employer Size
Huge multinational
Focus/reach
Global
Employer Links
Kromek
/0 Comments/in Medicine, Nuclear, Physics, Science, Security, Technology/by Carol
Employer: Kromek Ltd
Kromek design and make radiation detectors using a crystal called cadmium zinc telluride (CZT). The detectors can measure the amount and type of radiation in an area or being emitted by an object. This information can then be processed and analysed by computer. In medicine, the radiation detectors are used with gamma and X-ray machines to develop an image of internal organs and see what is happening in the body. They can also be used to measure bone density which is important in diagnosing osteoporosis in older people. Kromek detectors are also being used to scan and identify potentially explosive liquids at airports. The detector compares the results of each scan with a database of known compounds (e.g. duty free alcohol, baby food, explosives) to identify liquids which you would not want someone to take on a plane! Kromek need a range of different roles to design, build, test and sell their detectors. Some staff have PhDs in physics and materials science, but that isn’t necessary to work in a technology company. Some typical roles are: Topics that link to Kromek and what the company does:Who Are They?
For security, the detectors are small enough that they can be worn by security officers as they go about their normal duties. Using a smart phone app, the detectors allow a ‘map’ of radiation to be drawn in real-time. If the levels of radiation go above background radiation, then the detectors let the officer know what the radiation is, and whether it is a threat.
Careers
Science and Maths links
Sectors
Medicine, Nuclear, Physics, Science, Security, Technology
Employer Size
Medium enterprise (up to 250 employees, turnover under £50m)
Focus/reach
Global
Worksheets

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Sectors
Energy, Engineering, Nuclear
Employer Size
Large enterprise
Focus/reach
national
Case Studies
Jack Haworth
Electrical Engineer at Sellafield
Employer Links