Atotal of 16 Worcester F911
cartridge valves have been
supplied by Flowserve Flow
Control for a new Medium Active
Salt Free Evaporator (MASFE)
installation at the Thorp nuclear
reprocessing plant.

The MASFE plays an important
role at Thorp, primarily processing
medium active liquors, concentrating
them prior to further evaporation
and vitrification into glass.

To ensure the valves can be
maintained efficiently and safely,
they are supplied within a control
‘bulge’, a pre-fabricated and tested
extension of the cell. They are
housed within a control cabinet and
operated by extension stems, varying
in length between 600 and 900mm,
that pass through steel shielding as
well as the roof of the cabinet.With
the valves installed at an angle, two
universal joints are used on each
stem to ensure alignment.

Space considerations, as well as
ease of repair, were an important
element in valve selection and the
Flowserve cartridge valves, four of
which were automated by Norbro
pneumatic actuators, were chosen
due to their cost-effective, top-entry
design and low torque requirement.