ROBOTICS & REMOTE TECHNOLOGY | COVER STORY
decommissioning technologies. However, it is hard to imagine a standard approach that would be appropriate for decommissioning all three of them — a 1940s graphite- moderated reactor, 1970s BWR and an experimental fusion reactor.
But while they contain different hazards, the
decommissioning strategies overlap. In all three cases, access is via small ports using slender long-reach robotics, and while the internals of the JET device are ‘as-built’, all three environments hold considerable challenges that will evolve over time. Tepco (through Mitsubishi Heavy Industries) recently
received an articulated boom developed by Veolia Nuclear Solutions UK Ltd. The boom, which will reach over 20m at full extension will be used to inspect fuel debris in the primary containment vessels at Fukushima Daiichi. At Sellafield, Windscale Pile 1 will require robotics to
safely and efficiently reach and extract fuel elements housed in the 7.5m-deep reactor core. These long-term operations involving high-radiation
environments that are likely to require long-reach equipment are where LongOps comes in. All three sites will benefit from advanced digital tools throughout the process, in planning, training and potentially automating remote operations, to reduce doses for operators and lower costs. RACE has experience from decades of operations of the unique JET Remote Handling System. This system, involving two 12m booms and haptic manipulators, has been used to maintain and upgrade JET, including a complete replacement of its inner wall. This means it has been used to disassemble and rebuild the device from the inside.
Next-generation digital tools At the heart of LongOps is a portfolio of research and
development contract opportunities, targeted at industry and academia. Scheduled to start in September 2021, the contracts will explore the potential for a new generation of digital tools to assist with nuclear operations. These tools, collectively called a digital twin or digital
mock-up, make it easier for people performing operations by providing additional information and removing some of the cognitive burden. Outside the control rooms, digital twins can also offer useful information for task planning, operator training, record-keeping and decision- making. At RACE, workshops are being held with staff from JET,
Tepco and Sellafield to ensure that the research and development is informed by user requirements.
Research themes Physics simulations One area of research interest is incorporating physics simulations, including control of long-reach flexible booms and haptic manipulators. Real-world joint positions are hard to accurately
measure or predict, and disturbances may cause booms to deflect, making precise, repeatable motion difficult to achieve. Control algorithms that can account for this are a key LongOps research area, with particular relevance to the tight geometric constraints seen in nuclear environments. RACE’s TARM long-reach boom will be available to test advanced algorithms.
Automation Automation is another area that can improve operations. Challenging tasks like cutting, sorting, segregating and debris collection within tight operational constraints could be performed faster and with fewer errors if aided by autonomous planning assistance. U
Above: The MASCOT remote handling device inside the European JET fusion experiment Photo credit: EUROfusion
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