Sellafield is one of the most important assets in the United Kingdom’s nuclear decommissioning program. Since the announcement, the site has conducted its first successful trial using the four-legged robot to help monitor radiation levels. This effort is to improve safety standards and decommissioning strategies by using cutting-edge robotics in dangerous environments. The trial comes on the heels of a similar successful test conducted at the Joint European Torus (JET) facility in Culham, Oxfordshire.
The health physics team at Sellafield conducts hundreds of swabs on surfaces daily to ensure the safety of personnel and the environment. Sellafield is firmly committed to improving both safety and efficiency. In order to facilitate this, they have rolled out a manta-sized robotic solution that can perform swabbing tasks in contaminated zones with radioactive components. The tidy android features a sweeping mechanical arm that holds a custom designed yellow sampling tool. This design enables it to perform the swabbing action typically performed by human workers.
Deon Bulman, the lead for remotely operated vehicle equipment at Sellafield, highlighted the advantages of using the robot in high-risk areas. Its outstanding agility gives it the ability to access places that could be deadly for humankind, significantly lessening the risk of radiation exposure.
“Together, these capabilities support faster, safer, and more cost-effective decommissioning operations while pushing forward the adoption of advanced robotics in the nuclear sector.” – Deon Bulman
The robotic system gives operators feedback down to the millimeter, allowing for tight control over the robot’s movements. This feature multiplies the reliability of data that may be collected during monitoring activities, which is very important in figuring out what decommissioning strategies work best.
Dr. Kirsty Hewitson, the director of RAICo, made it clear how important these trials are. She expects that these innovations should have a big effect on both nuclear decommissioning and fusion engineering habitats. Clear successes from this technology’s implementation at Sellafield represent a breakthrough achievement in the journey to adopt advanced robotics into nuclear operations.
“It could have an impact on both nuclear decommissioning and fusion engineering sites.” – Dr. Kirsty Hewitson
Today, the nuclear sector faces unprecedented pressures to be both safer and more efficient. Sellafield’s exploration of robotic technology to tackle these challenges brings a rare, future-focused mindset to these challenges. If the trial is deemed a success, positive test results would lead towards wider adoption of robotic systems in like environments.
