Project Overview:
The development of Hinkley Point (A) Nuclear Power Station – is part of a project unmatched in scale or complexity to many others Fibrelite has been involved in. When Fibrelite was contacted several years ago by Magnox Ltd, it soon became apparent that the client was already convinced by the unique qualities of the Fibrelite access covers:
- Best strength to weight ratio available in the market today
- Fully customizable options available as standard
- Reliable – cover load ratings consistent with the requirements of EN 124
- Easy interface – no specialist personnel or machinery required for maintenance/operation post-install
Problem:
The client established that the pre-existing concrete covering arrangement would be very troublesome long term and had experienced several failures across a number of locations/sites causing confidence in these covers to be questioned. Typically, the existing covers are located in pedestrian and vehicular traffic areas. This lack of confidence had led to large areas being closed off and exclusion zones put in place. The existing cover material poses a number of difficulties:
- Extreme weight – particularly in the nuclear industry, ease of access for services is imperative. Heavy concrete covers impair this
- Manual handling – the customer was concerned about the risk of injury due to the manual handling of these heavy loads
- Deteriorating performance – the covers were exhibiting high levels of corrosion and structural degradation leading to concerns of fit for purposes application
The size and complexity of this project deemed that the design would need to be very flexible.
Solution:
Fibrelite proved to be an ideal choice for the client’s requirements, meeting their demands in several areas:
- Lightweight covering arrangement suitable for two-person lift
- Health & safety concerns surrounding manual handling eliminated
- Chemically inert - safe & functional. Uniform ‘anti-slip’ tread pattern supplied as standard, will last for years to come without degradation
Fibrelite provided all fully customizable options to the customer which were essential and unique to the customer. For this project, Fibrelite provided differing depths, load ratings and covers with locking mechanisms in some instances.
Results:
Post-install – the customer was pleased with the finished product and advised they would continue to specify Fibrelite product for future projects. Benefits at a glance:
- Chemically inert covers will last for years to come
- Access to trench services simplified using the Fibrelite supplied FL7’s
- All bespoke product features adhered to allowing minimal disruption to the site
- ‘Fit and forget’ solution - Modern, safe & secure
- Covers that have technical data underpinning load capacity and test results
- Significant site hazard reduction
For more case studies, visit the Fibrelite website.