BEP Robots Project

Jim Harken BEng (Hons) CEng FIMechE

Remote Engineering Team, Workington Laboratory

NNL Technical Conference, 30 April 2015

BEP Robot Project

involves the development of a robotic system for

the remote handling of legacy nuclear waste in a

new plant at Sellafield: BEP.

Work Pack 1 of BEP project :-

Work performed for Sellafield Ltd on behalf

of the NDA

BEP Project

BEP – Box Encapsulation Plant

New plant at Sellafield to be commissioned by 2018 and which will :-

• Receive a wide range of legacy MBGW waste items from a number of different donor plants on the Sellafield site i.e. storage ponds and silos.

• Recover the MBGW waste items, identify them and then process them as necessary.

• Encapsulate the processed waste by means of flood grouting.

• Transfer the grout encapsulated waste for interim storage in BEPPS before ultimate disposal in the GDF.

BEP Robot Operations

Operators will use robots in BEP to :-

• Recover a variety of legacy MBGW items from a number of different types of import skips.

• Use CCTV cameras to identify the waste items and then determine whether waste processing is required.

• If necessary, process the waste e.g. disruption of cans and containers with the intention of

• Releasing any trapped liquors

• Breaking the containers open sufficiently to ensure full grout infiltration of the contents thus minimising any voidage in them.

• Transfer the processed waste into the export container, a 3m3 box liner, for subsequent grout encapsulation.

BEP Waste Treatment Cell (WTC)

BEP Robot Test Rig, Workington Lab

• Drums, cans and containers (incl. tins and fuel bottles)

• Pipes, hoses and tubing

• Plastic bags and sheeting

• Filters

• Wire rope and reels, cables, slings, chains etc.

• Plant equipment (incl. valves, motors, gearboxes, pumps etc.)

• Generic scrap (incl. chutes, trays, plates etc.)

• Boxes (incl. ammo boxes, lug boxes etc.)

• Graphite blocks

• Magnox swarf

• Aluminium doughnuts

• Sludge carryover

• Specific waste types such as Zeolite skips, Ionsiv cartridges, wetbay baskets, SMF waste, swarf bins etc.

Waste Types to be delivered to BEP

Project Significant Features

• BEP project is working to an accelerated timescale to assist in delivering the Sellafield High Hazard and Risk Reduction programme.

• Project aim is to minimise development and trials, and utilise LFE from elsewhere.

• Project aim is to utilise proven commercial ‘off the shelf’ technology.

• As no man access to cell is possible, very high reliability of in cell equipment is required.

• Project has adopted a collaborative working approach between different groups & organisations.

• The Waste Treatment Cell has space constraints.

• Adopted systematic approach to tech. development.

BEP Project Recent Timeline

• 20 Mar 2014: Orders placed for 3 Kuka robots.

• 20 Oct 2014: Robots delivered to Workington Lab.

• 03 Nov 2014: Robot installation/commissioning completed.

• 06 Nov 2014: Robot trials started.

• 21 Nov 2014: Stakeholder demonstration trials completed.

• 11 Dec 2014: Sellafield Ltd CTEO Review endorsed use of robots in BEP.

• Present: continuing development and proving trials.

BEP Robot Selection

Kuka KR 500 robots were selected for BEP WTC due to:• High payload (0.5 tonne), but robot weighs less than 3 tonnes.

• Robot uses resolvers rather than encoders.

• Ability to operate in tele operation mode and programme mode.

• Force feedback, zoning and collision avoidance features.

• Well proven technology e.g. automatic tool changing with a wide range of tools and service provision.

• High accuracy and repeatability e.g. 0.08 mm.

• IP67/65 rating for wet and sludgy environment.

• Robots have well proven high reliability.

• Concepts available for robot recovery in failure mode.

• 3D live simulation of robots and environment.

• Kuka robots used in other nuclear applications.

• Good support from Kuka.

BEP Robot Tooling Selection

Currently the robot primary tooling consists of:

• Large hydraulic grab

• Small hydraulic grab

• General purpose gripper jaws

• Hydraulic shear

• Drilling tool

• Nut runner

• Spray tool

Robot Primary Tooling

Large Grab and Small Grab-

used for general waste recovery and handling.

Robot Primary Tooling

Gripper Jaws –

used for precise pick and place and

handling of ancillary tooling e.g. pump.

Robot Primary Tooling

Shear Tool –

used for disruption of waste and general waste

handling.

Robot Primary Tooling

Drilling Tool – used for drilling Zeolite

skips to drain liquor from them and aid

grout flow into them.

Robot Primary Tooling

Nut Runner Tool –

used for removal of fill port plugs from Ionsiv cartridges.

Robot Primary Tooling

Spray tool –

Used for cleaning table and recently integrated into the jaw grippers rather than a

separate tool.

Robot Tool Stations

The robots automatically pick up the tools from

their parking spaces on the tool

stations.

Housekeeping Tools

Robot Control

For the trials each of the three robots were controlled by a team of three: one robot supervisor

and two robot operators.

BEP Robot Test Schedule

Waste Recovery Operations

Waste Handling and Filling Operations

Waste Disruption Operations

Plastic Loading and Compaction

The robots have proven very effective at loading plastic bags and sheeting into new sacrificial cans,

and then lidding and compacting the cans.

BEP Robot Trials Results

The major findings of the trials to date are:• All of the test materials trialled have been successfully recovered,

handled, disrupted and deposited in export liner, remotely using cameras, and at acceptable throughput rates, using 2 robots.

• Controllable degrees of disruption have been demonstrated.

• Robots have a very high degree of dexterity & control, both in manual tele operation mode & auto mode, and are easily operated.

• Programmed sequences reduce operator workload.

• Minimal amount of robot training has been needed.

• Using the robots enables high waste consolidation & packing efficiency and enables packing of light weight waste into new cans.

• Efficient waste/liquor management and housekeeping activities have been proven.

• Robot Force Torque Sensors give useful feedback to operators.

BEP Robot Project Future Work

Future work will involve:

• Current test rig will be modified from ‘Rig 1’ to ‘Rig 2’.

• Robot 3 will be relocated to a separate rig for trials of the remote installation/removal and failure recovery equipment.

• The radiation and environmental tolerance assessments will be completed.

• A minimal amount of nuclearisation modifications on the robot implemented e.g. hydraulic oil.

• Further trials to further investigate issues such as robot reliability, human factors, waste identification, etc.

BEP Robot Project

Any questions?