Richard Hunter

Characterisation and Compliance Manager at LLW Repository Ltd

Speaker

Richard joined UKAEA following completion of an Applied Chemistry degree having already undertaken his industrial placement year with UKAEA at Harwell Laboratories. He transferred to AEA Technology plc on privatisation of the commercial business section of UKAEA and was transferred to Nexia Solution plc (then NSTS) on divestment of AEA Technology’s Nuclear Science business. Richard joined James Fisher Nuclear Ltd to establish a Plant Support and Characterisation service and then transferred to Studsvik UK Ltd becoming their Business Manager with responsibility for Sellafield.

Richard’s early work was based in provision of analytical support to a number of projects including waste matrices characterisation and performance, disposal characteristics of high temperature fuels and near field migration measurements of nuclides in simulated repository conditions. On moving to Windscale he established a Plant Support Team responsible for the sampling and characterisation of structural materials from plants undergoing decommissioning in order to support the strategic and practical aspects of plant decommissioning. This work including development of novel sampling recovery equipment for the removal of samples from a number of remote and/or difficult to access locations, and the development of analytical measurement techniques in order to support the waste disposal options selected.

Richard transferred to LLWR Ltd in July 2008 as Support Services Manager to manage the team responsible for ensuring that the waste is suitable for either disposal or for treatments in order to comply with the Waste Acceptance Criteria of LLWR and its treatment service providers. He is currently Waste Characterisation Services Manager and heads the framework to provide Waste Characterisation and Assurance Services to LLWR customers through their Waste Services Contract.