GForce staff provided project and engineering management support for the design of Hanford Spent Nuclear Fuel (SNF) Fuel Transfer System (FTS). The design challenge for the FTS was to produce a system to transfer spent nuclear fuel from one fuel storage basin to another with minimal impact to the basins and the existing safety basis. The project was also challenged to meet or beat the baseline schedule for fuel movement out of the basins. GForce engineering and project management staff were assigned as lead mechanical engineer and deputy engineering manager on this project. The subsystems and components of the FTS include:

•  Shielded Transfer Cask (STC) capable of moving up to 140 fuel assemblies
•  70 ton lift platform to move the STC into and out of the basins
•  Straddle carrier that interfaced with the STC such that the possibility of a drop of the STC onto the basin floor was eliminated
• Work platform that allowed operators with existing equipment and tools to load and unload the STC

Two duplicate systems were installed in each basin such that the fuel movement milestone was achieved. Since completion of the FTS Project, GForce staff continues to provide project management and engineering support for fuel retrieval operations at both the K-East & K-West basins.