News from 2014

News Items

Bryony Hill Joins Quintessa

18 Nov 2014

Bryony Hill has joined Quintessa's Henley-on-Thames office, where she is a member of the mathematics and software team specialising in applications of statistical modelling.

Quintessa Supports EDF Energy Safety Assessments

17 Nov 2014

As reported by the BBC on October 6 2014 new cracks have been found in one of the nuclear reactors at the Hunterston B nuclear power station in North Ayrshire. Hunterston B is one of the UK’s Advanced Gas Cooled Reactors, operated by EDF Energy.

Louise Parkes’ Summer Internship at Quintessa

14 Nov 2014

This summer I worked at Quintessa for 8 weeks during my summer vacation from the University of Birmingham, where I am studying for an MSci in physics. My hope was that I could get a sense of what it is like to work in a scientific consultancy, and see the application of mathematics and physics to r…

Quintessa and COMSOL Multiphysics®

21 Oct 2014

In order to provide the best possible service to our clients, Quintessa recently invested in a licence for COMSOL Multiphysics® and a number of add-on modules. The capabilities of Quintessa's in-house multiphysics code QPAC and COMSOL Multiphysics® are complementary and provide a broad, robust bas…

Scottish Primrose

21 Oct 2014

The nuclear industry is often thought of as being all about generating energy and dealing with the waste that results. But in countries with a legacy of nuclear research it's also about restoring industrial land to benefit local people and the environment.

Redundant Oxide Fuel Flasks BAT Study

17 Oct 2014

Sellafield Limited is the legal custodian of a large number of redundant oxide fuel flasks that have previously been used to transport used nuclear fuel from overseas reactor sites to be reprocessed at Sellafield. The corresponding reprocessing contracts have now come to an end, and the flasks are…

Third International Conference on Radioecology and Environmental Radioactivity (ICRER), Barcelona

14 Oct 2014

Laura Limer and Russell Walke participated in the Third International Conference on Radioecology and Environmental Radioactivity (ICRER) held in Barcelona, from the 7th to 12th of September 2014. The conference was promoted and organised by IRSN and the NRPA and there were in the region of 450 par…

Evidence Support Logic: A Guide for TESLA Users

7 Oct 2014

Version 3.0 of Evidence Support Logic: A Guide for TESLA Users has been produced that reflects Quintessa’s improved understanding of the application of Evidence Support Logic (ESL) to complex decisions involving multiple and sometimes conflicting sources of evidence in addition to uncertainty.

Developing the End State for Winfrith

16 Sep 2014

The Winfrith Nuclear Site was a major part of the UK’s nuclear research capability for several decades, with eight experimental reactors and related facilities located in an environmentally valuable area of heathland in Dorset. About half of the site has been released for use as a business park. Th…

Danny Alexander, Chief Secretary to HM Treasury, supports Quintessa's transition to EOT business model

24 Jul 2014

Quintessa is among the first companies to switch to the new employee-ownership trust (EOT) business model following the more favourable tax treatment introduced in the Finance Act 2014 that received Royal Assent on 17 July 2014, and Quintessa's transition has been supported by Danny Alexander, Chie…

Quintessa Employee Ownership Trust

22 Jul 2014

Today the ownership of Quintessa has been transferred from its existing employee shareholders to the Quintessa Employee Ownership Trust (EOT), which now fully owns the company on behalf of all employees.

Kishan Patel wins 2014 Hansjoerg Wacker Prize

14 Jul 2014

The Hansjoerg Wacker Prize is awarded by the European Consortium for Mathematics in Industry (ECMI) and was established in memory of ECMI founding member Hansjoerg Wacker (1939-1991), who was Professor of Numerical Mathematics at the Johannes Kepler University Linz. It is jointly funded by the Joha…

IGD-TP Geodisposal 2014

8 Jul 2014

The ‘Implementing Geological Disposal of Radioactive Waste Technology Platform’ (IGD-TP) held its inaugural Geodisposal conference in Manchester, UK between the 24th and 26th of June 2014. A wide range of geological disposal issues were discussed, including the status of major and ‘less-developed’…

Team Chess Challenge

23 Apr 2014

The final of the national secondary schools Team Chess Challenge competition was held at Imperial College on Wednesday 23rd April 2014. The tournament was won by The Manchester Grammar School. During the day the current British Champion, David Howell, played ten teams of four students simultaneousl…

AMBER 5.7 Released

15 Apr 2014

Quintessa is committed to the long-term development and support of the AMBER compartment modelling software tool. Software upgrades are provided annually to users with software maintenance agreements. AMBER 5.7 is the latest upgrade.

RISCS Publishes Guide to Impacts of Potential Leaks from CO₂ Storage

4 Apr 2014

The RISCS Project (Research into Impacts and Safety in CO2 Storage) has completed a 4-year research programme aimed at improving understanding of the possible environmental impacts of geological storage of CO2. Potential impacts were studied and used to provide guidance to help ensure the safe sele…

IAEA Nuclear Waste Regulation Workshop in Tunis

3 Apr 2014

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) supported a regional workshop on the management and safe disposal of radioactive waste for nuclear regulators in Tunis in March 2014. The week-long workshop provided lectures and a forum for discussion for 30 participants from 24 countries involved in…

Peter Wood Joins Quintessa

1 Apr 2014

Peter Wood has joined Quintessa as an Asssociate Consultant following his retirement from the NDA Radioactive Waste Management Directorate.

New TESLA Features

20 Mar 2014

Quintessa is currently preparing the release of Version 2.2 of its TESLA decision support software based on Evidence Support Logic. This update will introduce two new features to help visualise and model decision processes for complex and uncertain issues.