The nuclear site in the north of Scotland, which was
the centre of the UK’s research into fast reactor
technology in the last century, is being cleaned up and
taken apart. The most contaminated areas of the site
are found in the Fuel Cycle Area (FCA) facilities, which
examined and reprocessed spent nuclear fuel. The nature
of the facilities means that the most contaminated
areas are generally also the most inaccessible.
The site is collaborating with the Robotics and
Artificial Intelligence in Nuclear (RAIN)
Hub, a consortium of universities led by the University
of Manchester, to explore ways to overcome some of
these challenges.
A group of scientists from RAIN
carried out trials earlier this year in the
FCA laboratories
of a small remotely operated vehicle (ROV) equipped with
sensors, cameras and a manipulator ‘arm’, which
provided useful information.
Jason Simpson, project manager for the decommissioning
of the laboratories, said:
The legacy of the operations in our labs is that we
have areas of contamination that are very radioactive
and difficult to access using our normal procedures.
These decommissioning challenges could be addressed
using robotics and we are pleased to be working with
the RAIN
Hub to find solutions.
A survey of the under-floor drains in the laboratories
is planned for later in the year.
