Session: 10-03 R&D - Decommissioning & Regulatory Issues

Paper Number: 109957

109957 - Robotics in Decom - Research of Robotic Installation for Clearance Measurements of Nuclear Facilities 

INTRODUCTION

When nuclear facilities are decommissioned, their buildings and other structures usually
undergo the measurement and decontamination process for clearance. Currently
these actions are almost completely done manually. This method is time consuming
and most likely won’t provide comprehensive enough characterization of radioactive
materials. This is not cost-effective, and the volume of dismantled waste is larger than
it probably should be.
The Robotics in Decom R&D project was established in order to develop methods to
measure and remove radioactive materials from the building structures during the decommissioning
of nuclear facilities. The project is divided into two phases. On the
first phase of the project the existing technology and methods were surveyed, and the
desired features for the possible future robot were chosen. The second phase consists
of preparation, execution and reporting of use case testing with somewhat similar robotic
installation that was planned during the first phase. The second phase of the project
is estimated to be completed in spring 2023.

SURVEYING TECHNOLOGY

The project started by surveying existing methods utilized in the nuclear industry. Instead
of searching for complete robotic installation suitable for project’s needs, the research
was divided into three categories: robotic platforms, measurement methods and
decontamination methods.
The research of robotic platforms consisted of treaded and wheeled models as well as
four-legged models and drones. During the research some robotic installations utilized
in nuclear facilities were also discovered.
The research of contamination measurement methods consisted of direct measurement
methods, as well as drilling samples and laboratory analyses. The research of decontamination
methods varied from traditional mechanical decontamination to dry ice
blasting, foaming and laser decontamination.

CHOSEN FEATURES

The structure of the robot was chosen to be a treaded platform with a scissors lift-like
installation and a robotic arm. The treaded platform was seen as the most versatile
choice when considering mobility and tolerance to basic obstacles. When equipped
with scissors lift the robot can reach and measure areas unreachable for manual labor
without scaffolding.
The robot would be equipped with surface contamination meter, which would be its
primary measurement device. In addition, the robot is planned to have a bore drilling
equipment paired with surface inspection camera.

While performing the measurements, the robot would simultaneously draw a color
coded 3D map which would tell all the contaminated areas exceeding the clearance
levels.

USE CASE TESTING

The use case testing included to this R&D project will be performed in cooperation
with Technical Research Centre of Finland (VTT). The location of the use case testing
will be VTT’s FiR 1 research reactor, which is currently undergoing its decommissioning
phase.
The robot to be used during the use case testing is VTT’s own MiR100 model paired
with a robotic arm. The robotic arm is equipped with RadEye SX surface contamination
meter with DP8A detector head. The robot can be controlled via Unity based software.
The robot makes the measurements from the desired surfaces and marks the surface
contamination meter’s values to a 3D model of the environment with color coding.
The modification of the existing robot was possible with relatively small effort,
which is why it was chosen to this use case testing. Although it does not match completely
with the chosen features, the structure of the robot is still seen suitable for the
purpose of this use case testing.
The main objective of the use case testing is to gather information regarding the accuracy
and the reliability of the measurements performed by it. The same surfaces the
robot measures will also be measured by hand in order to have a comparison between
the robot and the manual labor.
The use case testing is set to be performed in early February. The final report is estimated
to be completed in the early spring of 2023.

Presenting Author: Jesse Lavonen Fortum Power and Heat Oy

Presenting Author Biography: B.S. degree in Energy and Environmental Engineering, aiming to continue studying alonside with work somewhere in near future. Started the career in nuclear industry in 2018 as a summer trainee and thesis worker for Loviisa NPP. The thesis reagrding the creation of Mock-Up facilities for Loviisa NPP awarded as thesis of the year 2019 by The Union of Professional Engineers in Finland. Position in Loviisa NPP decommissioning planning team since 2019, while also participating external decommissioning projects, e.g. OKG & BKAB decommissioning planning in Sweden. Previous career as an electrical and automation installer for several years.