Objective Most reprocessing plants, at the end of their lifetime, consist of small shielded cells, inside which the process equipment is installed. The plant philosophy required the operator to enter the cells for any maintenance interventions; the cells are usually accessible from a top corridor through openings closed by shielded plugs. The present research projects aims at testing a robotic system that can dismantle the equipment of a small cell of this type and remove cut parts from the cell without any direct intervention of the operator. The envisaged robotic system consists of a servomanipulator (MASCOT IV) and a hoist installed inside a containment box; the box has the purpose of avoiding the dispersal of contamination both during the cutting operations and during the transfer of the cut parts to the conditioning cell. The robotic system will be tested using a mock-up of the dissolution cell of the EUREX plant, built according to the criteria of small shielded cells. The aim of the project was to build and test a robotic system to dismantle a reprocessing plant according to the contact cell philosophy. The system consists of a servomanipulator installed in a containment box. The box is positioned over the process cell and communicates with it through a hole provided with a double lid system to ensure containemnt of the contamination.A hoist and the slave of a two arm bilateral servomanipulator installed at the bottom of a telescopic column are present inside the box. The manipulator is let into the cell and carries out the dismantling operations instead of the operators. The hoist allows transfer of the dismantled equipment from the cell to the box.The experimental test of the system was carried out on a mock up of the EUREX plant, an Italian reprocessing plant built according to the contact cell philosophy.Two cutting tools were chosen in the planning stage (ie a grinder and a reciprocating saw). Thermal cutting tools were not considered. A suitable support was designed and built to allow the MASCOT to grip the grinder. Special vices were studied to fix the reciprocating saw to the equipment it must cut.Preliminary tests pointed out some difficulties concerning the tightening of the vices. A new saw was bought. The dismantling test gave good results. The grinder was used to cut piping of small diameter. Large piping and supports were cut with the saw. The cell decontaminatin wqas carried out after dismantling the equipment. The test gave good results, but furthur studies are necessary.WORK PROGRAMME 1. Design and construction of a mock-up of the dissolution cell of the EUREX plant 2. Design and construction of a containment box and installation of the MASCOT IV servomanipulator 3. Nonradioactive testing of the robotic system with dismantling operations, using the cell mock-up. 4. Nonradioactive testing of the robotic system with simulated cell decontamination operations, including simulated smear tests. 5. Specific data on costs of the system and its radiological impact on work force and working area. Fields of science engineering and technologyelectrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineeringelectronic engineeringroboticshumanitiesphilosophy, ethics and religionphilosophy Programme(s) FP2-DECOM 3C - Specific research and technological development programme (Euratom) in the field of decommissioning of nuclear installations, 1989-1993 Topic(s) A5 - Adaptation and qualification of remote controlled systems Call for proposal Data not available Funding Scheme CSC - Cost-sharing contracts Coordinator Ente per le Nuove Tecnologie l'Energia e l'Ambiente (ENEA) EU contribution No data Address Strada Statale Jonica 106 KM.419 75026 Rotondella Matera Italy See on map Total cost No data
