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NDA PhD BursaryDecommissioning Working Group (DWG) Research Themes - Presenters
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Penny Birtle, Magnox Ltd & Christina Alexander, EDF (DWG Co-Chairs / Introduction)
Dr Paul Mort PhD MBA MIMechE CEng Fnucl, Sellafield Ltd
Andrew Cooney, Sellafield Ltd
30th September 2015
NWDRF Decommissioning Working Group (DWG)
• Promoting cross-industry sharing and learning of nuclear decommissioning technologies and experience covering the full life cycle of decommissioning.
• Represented by NDA SLCs (Magnox, DSRL, LLWR, Sellafield Ltd) other nuclear operators (EDF, AWE), organisations (GDS) and NDA.
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Decommissioning Working Group (DWG) Research Themes
• Characterisation & Analysis- Identifying ‘what’ is ‘where’ – the ability to take measurements at the workface within
enclosed radiological environments.
• Waste Treatment Methods- Consolidation of contamination / cheap to employ with minimal infrastructure.- Remote tools for size reduction, dismantling, waste segregation, handling, penetrating
vessels and pipework simply.
• Decontamination- Interest in dry methods, avoiding chemicals & minimising generation of liquid / aerial
discharges.
• Robotics & Autonomous Systems (RAS)
- to enable entry into difficult to access / contaminated environments to support characterisation, waste treatment and other decommissioning activities.
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Problem statement
“There are a number of plant areas on numerous sites where manual work cannot be undertaken owing to challenging radiological and conventional safety environments. There is a need for remote capability for dismantling / deconstruction of plant, size reduction and waste segregation to enable decommissioning of these areas”
4Minimal space and high radiation environments
Complex plant architecture
Different materials in different geometries
Limited penetrations / access points and limited visualisation by operators
Solution Wish List
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• Ease of device management across its lifecycle (i.e. easy to build, deploy, maintain and decontaminate).
• Minimal intervention required to deploy.• Radiation tolerance.• Reliability – minimised downtime.• Cost effectiveness – can control systems be used on multiple bits of kit from
different suppliers.• Low cost solutions.• Visualisation of “invisible” plant areas by operators.• Ability to use in complex and congested spaces.• Interchangeable tooling – one device that can be re-tooled to do everything
(cutting, unbolting and grabbing).• Effective cutting technology for different materials and geometries.
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Robotics
• ‘These technologies deal with automated machines that can take the place of humans in
dangerous environments or manufacturing processes, or resemble humans in appearance, behaviour, and/or cognition.’
• To day robotics is the ‘body’ of the system which includes the sensors, tools and deployments systems, with no or limited automatic behaviour.
• The operator has complete control of the device and interprets the sensors, moves the deployment system and operates the tools.
What is Robotics and Autonomous systems
Autonomous intelligence
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• ‘An autonomous agent is an intelligent agent operating on an owner's behalf but without any interference of that ownership entity.’
• To day an autonomous intelligent system can be thought of as the ‘brain’ of a system, but requires inputs to act on (Sensors), and links to the outside world to interact with via ‘deployment systems’ (e.g. arms and vehicles) and tools (e.g. grippers and shears).
Sellafield RAS Vision
• ‘Robust, RAS technologies delivering operations on site that is, safer for the operative, the facilities and the environment and reduces the site hazard quicker and cheaper.’
(under development)
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RAS Strategy goals
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• Predictable costs and timescales: – Tried and test RAS capabilities ready for use.
• Performance improvements to existing capabilities:– Applying seamlessly new technologies and processes to existing capabilities
• Generate a paradigm shift in future business:– Looking into the future and predicting what it might look like and making it
happen.
• The first choice for nuclear operations: – Making RAS technologies more efficient than sending a human operative into a
harsh environment.
Key Challenges
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• Incremental changes– Identifying risk in the Life Time Plan and mitigating them– Identify needs and providing for them
• Future Scenarios– Opportunities (focus today)
VISION OF THE FUTURE
Understand our challenge
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Future Scenario
Help to Define
Site Challenge: Manual
decommissioning operations
Site Challenge: Characterisation of the facilities
Site Challenge: Remote
decommissioning Operations
Site Challenge: POCO cleaning
the plant of Decommissioning
Typical Sites Challenges
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• Manual Cell entry– Operator safety– Tools available– Time at the work face– Secondary waste– Weight of material that
can be handled
Typical Site Challenges
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• Remote Decommissioning– High cost– Long time to deployment– Slow compared to man entry– Bespoke (difference system
need for each task)– Needs a structured environment– Hard to predict cost (high
financial risk)
RAS
Same approach with a twist!!!
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Future vision of the use of RAS
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• This area needs development but here is some present thoughts– Enhanced operator cell entry– Enhanced remote – Intelligent hand tools– Search and characterise cells and environments
These are just a few ideas to get your thoughts going
Protective suit
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Hand tools
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Big data Analysis
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Operator enhancements
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Real time information as it is needed
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Remote Handling
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Characterization and analysis
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Transform to suit the tasks
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Characterization
• Characterization in hard to reach environments or increase the numbers for clean-up activities
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From Vision to Reality
• Start off with a vision of how your development will work as a whole
• Break it down into the functional requirements needed to achieve your vision
• Then develop the functional requirement
The next couple of slides gives an example
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Future Scenario Development
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Future Vision Main Functional requirement
Sub-Functional Requirement
Main Functional requirement
Sub-Functional Requirement
Main Functions
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Future man entry into a hazardous
environment (Man in a cell)
Protect the Operative in a
cell
Stop the Cell interacting
with the man
Man in the cell using
tools
Pre-task Plan
Task support
Sub functions
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Protect the Operative in a
cell
Protective suits
Intelligent materialsSelf cleaning
Self repair
Head up displaysHazard detection
Environment status (Inside Suit and external to suit)Suit condition
Recovery systems
Life Support(Breathing, hazard
avoidance)
Sub function
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Task support
Control of tools
Dismantling plan
Cut plan
Image recognitionStrategy planningRoute planning
Heads up display management
Image recognitionCut planning
Off line planningHeads up display
Image recognitionCut planning
Off line planningHeads up display
Disruptive external technologies
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Inventory and Characterisation
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Protecting People
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Decontamination
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Waste water treatment by SMS Facet
Dismantling 1
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Dismantling 2
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Care and Maintenance
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Remediation of Contaminated Land
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Tech transfer opportunities
• Tech transfer opportunities from space
• High radiation• People in hazardous environments• Autonomy/sensors in planetary explorers• Low energy again in planetary explorers
• Tech transfer from military• Armour/protection• Command and control• Shaped explosives• Seeing through walls
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