Tomorrow's mobile robots in today's nuclear power plants

Conference · Wed Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1986 · Trans. Am. Nucl. Soc.; (United States)

OSTI ID:6818824

McDermott, K J; Pavelek, II, M D; Roman, H T

A primary motivation for utilizing robots in nuclear power plants is maintenance economics and the nuclear industry's concern with reducing personnel radiation exposure to as low as reasonably achievable as recommended by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). Recent studies by Battelle Columbus Laboratories, the Electric Power Research Institute, the NRC and others indicate that robots for surveillance and inspection can be retrofitted into existing boiling water reactor and pressurized water reactor plants, but economics must be evaluated on a case-by-case, site-specific basis, because nuclear power plants in the US are usually different in design. Application areas or robot functions being considered are broad and range from primary containment inspection, reactor maintenance, routine health physics tasks, and various operation and maintenance procedures, to facility decontamination and decommissioning, and post-accident recovery such as at Three Mile Island Unit 2. This paper will discuss the general use of robotic devices in nuclear power plants, the pioneering use of robotics technology at Three Mile Island nuclear power plant, and the field testing of mobile robots at Public Service Electric and Gas Company's Salem and Hope Creek nuclear plants.

• Research Organization: New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark
• OSTI ID: 6818824
• Report Number(s): CONF-861102-
• Conference Information: Journal Name: Trans. Am. Nucl. Soc.; (United States) Journal Volume: 53
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS
210800 -- Nuclear Power Plants-- Economics
22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS
220900* -- Nuclear Reactor Technology-- Reactor Safety
42 ENGINEERING
420203 -- Engineering-- Handling Equipment & Procedures
ACCIDENTS
ALARA
CLEANING
CONTAINMENT
CONTAINMENT SYSTEMS
CONTROL SYSTEMS
DECONTAMINATION
DEMOLITION
ECONOMICS
ENGINEERED SAFETY SYSTEMS
INSPECTION
MAINTENANCE
MANAGEMENT
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
NUCLEAR FACILITIES
NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS
PERFORMANCE
POWER PLANTS
PROCESSING
RADIATION PROTECTION
RADIOACTIVE WASTE PROCESSING
REACTOR ACCIDENTS
REACTOR DISMANTLING
REACTOR MAINTENANCE
RELIABILITY
ROBOTS
THERMAL POWER PLANTS
US NRC
US ORGANIZATIONS
USES
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTE PROCESSING