Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) System for Horizontal Tanks. Innovative Technology Summary Report
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is responsible for cleaning and closing over 300 small and large underground tanks across the DOE complex that are used for storing over 1-million gal of high- and low-level radioactive and mixed waste (HLW, LLW, and MLLW). The contents of these aging tanks must be sampled to analyze for contaminants to determine final disposition of the tank and its contents. Access to these tanks is limited to small-diameter risers that allow for sample collection at only one discrete point below this opening. To collect a more representative sample without exposing workers to tank interiors, a remote-controlled retrieval method must be used. Many of the storage tanks have access penetrations that are 18 in. in diameter and, therefore, are not suitable for deployment of large vehicle systems like the Houdini (DOE/EM-0363). Often, the tanks offer minimal headspace and are so cluttered with pipes and other vertical obstructions that deployment of long-reach manipulators becomes an impractical option. A smaller vehicle system is needed that can deploy waste retrieval, sampling, and inspection tools into these tanks. The Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), along with ROV Technologies, Inc., and The Providence Group, Inc., (Providence) has developed the Scarab III remotely operated vehicle system to meet this need. The system also includes a containment and deployment structure and a jet pump-based, waste-dislodging and conveyance system to use in these limited-access tanks. The Scarab III robot addresses the need for a vehicle-based, rugged, remote-controlled system for collection of representative samples of tank contents. This document contains information on the above-mentioned technology, including description, applicability, cost, and performance data.
- Research Organization:
- Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Office of Science and Technology (OST) (EM-50) (US)
- OSTI ID:
- 781966
- Report Number(s):
- DOE/EM-0587; R&D Project: OST/TMS ID 2086; TRN: US0103066
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: PBD: 1 May 2001
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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