The Virtual Engineering Centre, digital partner in the co-development of Sellafield’s new mixed reality training tool.
Recognised for its ongoing commitment to innovation, Sellafield is the first in its industry to commission the ground-breaking new technology as part of its adoption of digital innovation frameworks and training plans.
The new tool is designed to provide engineers with Sellafield training and refresher training in a mixed reality environment without the need for the physical crane to work on. Sellafield operators will be the first in the industry to experience this cutting-edge technology.
The Sellafield site in Cumbria, where the new waste removal crane installation is situated, is one of Sellafield’s most hazardous processes and each operator must be highly skilled and accurate in the process before operators can carry can this out in the real-life environment for nuclear waste removal.
Using a range of digital technologies, operators will be immersed in the process, using sight, sound and touch using the actual chair, control joystick and force that would be needed to carry the process in a mixed reality setting, without the risks associated doing this in a real-life environment, reducing exposure, costs and increasing safety to the operators.
Download Case StudyOur support meant Sellafield could
- Train their operatives before they work on new equipment
- Allow their operators to experience an identical replica of the crane environment and spatial controlling system
- Help workers to re-familiarise themselves with equipment after a period of absence
- Help workers increase their confidence in carrying out this process
The Benefits
- Improved efficiencies
- Increased safety
- Increased productivity
- Reduced training times
- Cost savings of £20m
Client opinion
"The collaborative platform that we provide allowed experts from the VEC, Sellafield and Office for Nuclear Regulations (ONS) to come together to discuss best practices on process, regulation and digital."
Lynn Dwyer,
Commercial and Partnerships Director
IDEAS, University of Liverpool
