A nuclear power facility in England has an extensive groundwater monitoring well network that requires regular sampling. Golder Associates, the project team who developed the network, wished to update their sampling equipment and protocols to improve efficiency, while maintaining accuracy and high safety standards. A set of objectives was defined to help determine the ideal solution:
- Minimize purge volumes and wastewater disposal
- Sampling possible by one technician
- Economical and easy to maintain
- Control flow rates to lessen spillage
- Ensure high quality of sample
Upon review, Solinst Bladder Pumps were selected, as they are able meet all of the outlined objectives. With the use of a Solinst Pump Controller, the pumps can be easily adjusted to provide a continuous output of 100 ml/min or less. Over 120 Bladder Pumps were purchased for use at the facility.
At a low level nuclear waste processing facility located in the same region, more than 50 monitoring wells require regular groundwater sampling. Solinst Bladder Pumps were again selected for the job. Initially, twenty-five dedicated pumps were installed in selected wells, and a small portable version was purchased for convenient sampling from other wells. With the success of the initial pump installations, numerous additional pumps have been installed since.
Both these locations adhere to very high requirements in terms of operational standards in order to comply with a demanding combination of technical, disposal, and safety criteria. Using Solinst Bladder Pumps, the project teams successfully introduced low flow sampling protocols, which allowed them to meet all of their goals and provided numerous advantages, including:
- Reduced purge volumes
- Less time required to obtain each sample
- More representative samples
- Improved quality control
- Cost savings
Thanks is extended to Waterra UK for providing expert technical support and field assistance to the project teams tasked with instrumenting these two critically sensitive locations.
