SIMULATION AND REMOTE WORKING | COVER STORY


Above left: A simulated Waste Container Handling Facility has been deployed at Sellafield with impressive results Above right: To make upgrades to processes related to their software, or to set new paths requires programmers to don PPE and enter a cell. It’s uncomfortable, costly, and not without risk


for onward transfer. The arm also swabs the outside of the container to check for contamination and puts the swab in a deposit box for analysis. When upgrades are needed, such as software


modifications or replacing tools like the swab gripper or nut runner, engineers or maintenance personnel have to take the robot out of service, and robot programmers need to suit up in protective gear to make changes. Positional adjustments require the robot to be positioned using a KUKA Smartpad and then each position has to be ‘touched up’, where the robot software records the co-ordinates. Changes need multiple test runs, often with several


human re-entries to refine the setup. To keep them safe, each entry needs planning, clearance and monitoring, and support teams on hand. A typical upgrade can take 10 days of testing, which is slow work since the discomfort of thick protective gear limits time humans can spend on the upgrades in any one session. Such changes can happen due to breakdowns or off-normal conditions, and can be more frequent during modification periods. Each entry increases the risk of radiation exposure or contamination, and the risk of damaging the robot or in-cell equipment from human error, whilst trial runs for new setups create downtime. The PFCS OpSim could solve many of these issues. It


provides a simulation that allows operators to visualise the robot within a realistic but virtual WCHF. That allows new programmes and other changes to be tested and validated in the simulation before deployment into the facility. Once validated, software updates could be transferred digitally to the robot.


Creating a waste handling facility simulation The project began with a visit by Sellafield Ltd to the UKAEA’s Remote Applications in Challenging Environments (RACE) facility in Culham, where the team saw a virtual simulator of the two-armed ‘MASCOT’ manipulator used in the JET fusion machine. Recognising its potential, conversations began around


creating something similar for Sellafield, which ultimately led to the project with RAICo. This is exactly why RAICo was set up, to allow members to share challenges and work together on solutions. To map the waste handling facility, a LiDAR scanner was used to collect precise positional data of everything in


the space. Those data points were sent to RAICo alongside Sellafield Ltd’s CAD models from the original facility design. RAICo used these assets to build a precise digital replica of Sellafield’s PFCS that mirrored its exact layout. This was done using RAICo’s in-house-developed 3D visualisation software platform, RHOVR (Remote Handling Operations Virtual Reality), which also harnesses the Unreal Engine – better known for its use in video games – to create hyper- realistic 3D environments. Next, an off-the-shelf simulator of the robot’s hardware and software was acquired and integrated. This was the most technically challenging element of the project – effectively adding a virtual replica of the robot into the virtual PFCS environment. The completed product meant users could programme


the robot simulator (as they would the real robot), and see the virtual instance of the robot run that programme in a photorealistic virtual version of the PFCS. Programmers can then visually assess outcomes – such as whether the robot takes the most efficient route, whether it still performs actions such as swabbing the waste container correctly after a new tool has been added, and if it knocks into anything on the way – before deploying the changes onto the real robot control software. The simulator was validated over six months, and demonstrated at the RAICo1 facility in Whitehaven, Cumbria, in March 2025.


From demonstration to deployment The demonstration was well-received, and a working version was subsequently transferred to Sellafield’s Engineering Centre of Excellence. The tool is still new and its primary tangible value to date has been training, allowing operators to now get up close and personal with the robot virtually, instead of watching it through CCTV screens, which lack reliable depth perception. It also provides a useful tool for demonstrating Sellafield’s robotics capabilities to a wide range of internal and external stakeholders. But the real value is in its potential to programme the


waste handling robot virtually. As with any safety critical applications, there are processes to follow. Sequences need to be rigorously tested to confirm they are suitable. Sellafield Ltd also needs to establish the rigorous processes and cybersecurity measures needed to enable the programme to be transferred from the simulator – which


www.neimagazine.com | September 2025 | 33


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