Latest news with #CavendishNuclear
BBC News
2 days ago
- Science
- BBC News
Sellafield robotic arms to decommission nuclear gloveboxes
A development in robotic technology could be the answer to cleaning up hundreds of nuclear devices collected over in Cumbria, Europe's largest nuclear plant, has built up a stack of 700 gloveboxes - sealed containers with built in gloves that allow operators to handle radioactive are up to 60 years old, vary in size and shape and still contain contaminated materials like pipework and valves.A team of robotics experts has developed a dextrous mechanised arm that can be fitted inside an active nuclear glovebox to help tackle the challenging task of cleaning up and disposing of these devices. Known as the Risk Reduction of Glovebox Operations (RrOBO) project, it was developed in partnership with AtkinsRéalis, Cavendish Nuclear and Taylor Kightley Engineering."Removing hands from gloveboxes is a key challenge for the nuclear industry and we're proud to be helping to drive change and improve safety," said Robert Marwood, from AtkinsRé proved the robotic arm could successfully carry out a complex series of tasks safely, meaning the technology can now be deployed to legacy gloveboxes to accelerate decommissioning. A spokesman for Sellafield, which opened in 1947 and has the largest stockpile of radioactive plutonium in the world, said some of its older labs contained gloveboxes dating back decades, taking up space and posing "a potential hazard to workers and the environment"It started running a glovebox training facility this year to help meet demand for the spokesman said: "We'll need a pipeline of skilled glovebox operators for many years to come, but it's difficult work requiring high levels of dexterity and consistent standards."They added the nuclear industry nationally needed thousands of new gloveboxes to support "current and future missions in the decommissioning and defence sectors." Follow BBC Cumbria on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Robotic arm fitted inside nuclear glovebox for first time
A robotic arm has been fitted and operated inside an active nuclear glovebox for the first time. The project was completed by a group of robotics experts at Sellafield. Sellafield had a major challenge of safely cleaning up and disposing of hundreds of unused nuclear gloveboxes, some of which are up to 60 years old and still pose a risk to workers and the environment. However, a demonstration project at the site has successfully proven that a robotic arm can be retrofitted to a nuclear glovebox and thus reduce the risk to operators. The project, named the Risk Reduction of Glovebox Operations (RrOBO), is a joint effort among Sellafield Ltd., Atkins Réalis, Cavendish Nuclear, and Taylor Kightley Engineering. It is classed as an Active Demonstrator project, where Sellafield Ltd works closely with suppliers to identify key clean-up challenges and to design, test, install, and demonstrate potential technological solutions. The key component of this project is the AtkinsRéalis Remote Glovebox Operations (ARGO) system, which can be inserted into an existing glovebox and safely controlled remotely by operators. The robotic arm inside the glovebox (Image: Sellafield Ltd) After months of designing and off-site testing, the system was incorporated into two gloveboxes at Sellafield's MOX Active Demonstration Facility. Engineers operated the robotic system while operators provided critical interface support and feedback. This maximised learning to guide future developments. The demonstration proved that the robot could successfully carry out a complex series of precise glovebox tasks while maintaining full containment integrity. Thus, it can now be used on other legacy gloveboxes at Sellafield to broaden its range of applications and assist in accelerating decommissioning work across the site and other NDA Group sites. Nicholas Clarke, Sellafield Ltd's remediation technology and innovation lead, said: "RrOBO has delivered outstanding results, completing months ahead of schedule and significantly under budget. "It demonstrates the viability of robotic glovebox operations and shows what we can achieve when we enable our teams to collaborate, think freely, and innovate together. "And we've gained valuable insight into how this technology can be scaled up to support the wider Sellafield mission and help other nuclear sites across the UK and globally." Robert Marwood, AtkinsRéalis' head of robotics and technology, said: "Removing hands from gloveboxes is a key challenge for the nuclear industry, and we're proud to be helping to drive change and improve safety. The robotic machine created at Sellafield (Image: Sellafield Ltd) "This collaboration is a great demonstration of how solutions from other industries can be integrated into the nuclear sector in a lean and agile manner. "By driving innovation, we can make nuclear operations safer and more efficient." Kate Canning, head of research and development at the NDA, said: "RrOBO is a fantastic example of using robotic technologies to reduce risks, eliminate manual handling hazards, and enhance efficiency. "The demonstrator project has shown the real potential of the technology to be transferred more widely across NDA group."
