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The union of three large companies in the sector promotes the development of the RCVD robot, created to measure the levels of Cherenkov radiation in nuclear fuel tanks.
Soon, an autonomous floating robot will be able to perform a crucial role in the expertise of spent nuclear fuel around the world. The robot, called the Robotized Cherenkov Viewing Device (RCVD), had its genesis through a collaboration between data from the Australian national science agency CSIRO (Commonwealth Industrial Science and Research Organization), Datastart, a Hungarian robotics company, and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). This project aims to measure the levels of radiation in tanks where there are nuclear fuels.
Cherenkov, nuclear fuels and production: RCVD robot will further analyzes and promote more safety for employees
The robot, run using autonomy-enabling software designed by CSIRO's Data61 (specialized digital arm), autonomously navigates a nuclear fuel storage tank while updating a real-time map with images and data of Cherenkov radiation from the fuel sets.
As explained in the IAEA statement, Cherenkov radiation is a form of energy observable as a blue glow generated by electrons and protons.
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In this way, moving faster than the speed of light in a specific medium. This phenomenon is named after Russian scientist Pavel Cherenkov, for whom he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1958.
The RCVD analyzes the position of each assembly and the unique signature each has to detect whether fuel has been removed or replaced.
The information collected is communicated directly to the team working on the inspection. In this way, working conditions at nuclear installations are safer for employees.
Operational safety is an important factor
A prototype of the robot has completed a successful test at an operating nuclear power plant in South America.
The prototype RCVD sailed on a spent fuel tank and provided inspectors with real-time data that could be used for safeguards verification.
The prototype will remain in the testing phase, but with plans for the device to be equipped with computer vision to increase autonomy in the next phase of development.
“The test demonstrates that autonomous robots could soon help in the field measurement and analysis of spent nuclear fuel. Providing greater protection to workers. Inspectors currently operate above the reservoir on a suspended platform, sometimes in 40 degree Celsius heat. Using a handheld device to identify hundreds of spent nuclear fuel rods. So this new technology will remove humans out of harm's way and ensure that the value of security inspections matches that of nuclear materials," said Rosie Attwell, the CSIRO technical program manager.
The IAEA Technology Foresight Specialist, Dimitri Finker, stated that the use of an autonomous system will reduce the difficulty of carrying out verifications in the field for the professional who is in charge of the installation and for the agency.
“It also significantly improves the quality of the data collected. The instrument can be optimally positioned close to the fuel, leading to more consistent and accurate measurements,” he said.
At present, safety inspectors are required to use a small handheld optical instrument called an Enhanced Cherenkov Viewing Device (ICVD).
It is suspended above a pool of nuclear fuel and manually examined through a lens. The RCVD robot will facilitate and protect employees from radiation emitted from storage.
