In industries such as nuclear power, manual inspection and maintenance tasks can pose serious risks to human workers due to the extreme, unfavorable, or dangerous conditions involved. In response, service providers have developed a wide variety of inspection robots and robotic devices to relieve workers of these tasks. These robots can be remote-controlled or autonomous, enabling operators to stay out of harm's way.
Level of distribution
One of the critical features of these robots is the tactile feedback of robot arms or gripper forces, which can be technically expensive but necessary for precision handling. For instance, Cybernétix, now TechnipFMC, produces flexible and slim robot arms that are integrated into customized solutions for servicing nuclear power plants. Radiation-proof mobile platforms are also common carriers for manipulator arms or sensor equipment, often tracked or equipped with segmented tracks for climbing stairs or negotiating uneven floors. Groupe INTRA in France maintains a selection of inspection and intervention robots that are chartered to respond to a nuclear accident within 24 hours for its member organizations.
Automated inspection systems are necessary for inspecting weld seams in reactor cores and pipes in nuclear power stations due to extreme safety standards. The inspection equipment is squeezed in a narrow gap between the biological shield and the reactor core, which only automated inspection systems can access. OC Robotics has presented a foldable, modular robotic system that can be introduced into the gap on a rail system. The robot scans the areas to be inspected with an array of inspection sensors, covering the entire surface in segments. The inspection trajectories are generated by offline programming systems, and the reactor core is scanned to map material flaws' growth.
GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy has developed the Stinger, a free-swimming, remote-controlled robotic device that replaces humans for cleaning and inspecting reactor vessels. It uses multi-directional thrusters to move about and a high-resolution color video camera to see where it is going. The tungsten-clad underwater autonomous vehicle (UAV) can remain submerged for up to three weeks at a time. Meanwhile, the Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) has started developing a robot to inspect the nuclear waste storage tanks, inserted in the gap between the primary and the secondary tank.
These robots' main improvement in work safety is that the operator can stay well away from the potentially dangerous area, reducing protection requirements and health risks for the worker. As they are less sensitive to radiation, toxic gases, and high temperatures, these robots can stay in the area for longer than humans can, thus improving productivity. Typically, the robots used are teleoperated or operated under human supervision, and the cost of the human operator is negligible compared to the overall gain in productivity and achievable results in these confined and hostile environments.
Overall, the economic viability of these robots depends on their degree of utilization, i.e., the number of applications that require their use. Nevertheless, their ability to enhance safety and productivity in extreme environments makes them indispensable for inspection and maintenance tasks.
Cost-benefit considerations and marketing challenges
Considerations regarding costs and benefits, as well as marketing challenges, are important factors to take into account when implementing a camera guidance system and other sensory channels for robots in potentially hazardous environments. One major advantage of such systems is the significant improvement in worker safety, as protection requirements can be reduced and health risks minimized. These robots are also less susceptible to radiation, toxic gases, and high temperatures, allowing them to remain in hazardous environments longer than humans can, thus increasing productivity. Typically, these robots are teleoperated or operated under human supervision, and while the cost of a human operator is negligible compared to the productivity gains and achievable results in these environments, steering remote-controlled robots requires significant skill and experience, particularly for fine adjustments. Depending on the task and the need for interaction with other machinery, economic viability will be determined by the degree of utilization, i.e., the number of applications that require the use of the robot.