Robots are Making Nuclear Energy Safer and More Efficient
Felicity Bradstock

Innovations in technology are helping boost safety in nuclear energy operations through the use of robots, which can decrease human exposure to operational hazards. Energy companies around the globe are integrating autonomous smart technologies into operations to improve health and safety, reduce costs, and enhance remote access. Robots have become widely used in both fossil fuels and renewable energy operations worldwide and now their role in nuclear energy projects is expanding. Nuclear companies are increasingly using robotics for decommissioning activities, as well as monitoring operations. The use of robots is expected to grow in the coming years thanks to continual technological innovations and a greater openness to modernisation through digitalisation. 

In September, researchers used a fully autonomous robot to inspect the inside of a nuclear fusion reactor in a first-of-a-kind project looking at how to improve remote monitoring activities. The project at the U.K. Atomic Energy Authority's (AEA) Joint European Torus (JET) facility spanned 35 days. The Atomic Energy Authority used Boston Dynamics’ Spot robot to explore the reactor, using sensors to map the space, monitor conditions, move around obstacles and workers, and collect critical data. This job is typically conducted by human workers, but using robots for such tasks could help boost health and safety measures in nuclear operations. 

Robert Skilton from UKAEA's hazardous environments team stated, “This deployment demonstrates that autonomous robots can enhance safety and cut costs.” Skilton added, “These 'next generation' solutions are becoming ready to be used in other industrial facilities such as nuclear decommissioning, environmental clean-up, and disaster relief.”

While human access to nuclear plants is limited due to the extreme environments inside, which include radiation, vacuum conditions, and high temperatures, nuclear energy firms could safely employ the use of robots for long-term monitoring activities. The goal is to gradually decommission JET with the potential for recommissioning for future nuclear power projects. While this is the first example of a fully autonomous robot being used for decommissioning purposes, several companies around the globe have begun to integrate robotics into their operations. 

The nuclear decommissioning services market is growing rapidly, at an anticipated projected compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 13 percent between 2020 and 2024. Nuclear firms around the globe are increasingly adopting innovative technologies for decommissioning activities, such as the Internet of Things, Big Data, artificial intelligence, and 5G. In the past, the adoption of robotic technologies for nuclear power plants was hindered by strict sectoral regulations, which are increasingly being changed to allow for the use of new technologies. 

The U.K. is leading the world when it comes to the use of robots in decommissioning activities, with researchers having launched another shutdown with the aid of robotics in Scotland in May this year. Engineers use Spot to inspect buildings and equipment and sort waste at the 70-year-old Dounreay power plant in the north of Scotland. Dounreay has been left unused for several decades due to the complexities of decommissioning activities. There are over 200 separate facilities at the site, full of radioactive materials. Spot is helping engineers to map where the radiation is in the facilities to understand how they can best approach the task of decommissioning. 

Other countries are looking to follow the U.K.’s example, with industry players putting pressure on governments to develop national robotics strategies specific to the nuclear power sector. This will allow for the adoption of advanced technologies in nuclear operations with greater support from regulatory bodies. To date, Japan, South Korea, the European Union, the U.K., and several other countries have paid significant attention to the application of autonomous robots in nuclear decommissioning.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is encouraging companies worldwide to use advanced technologies in their operations to improve efficiencies, cut costs and improve health and safety conditions. Mikhail Chudakov, the IAEA Deputy Director General and Head of the Department of Nuclear Energy explained, “Whether it’s radiation-defying robots working at accident sites such as Fukushima Daiichi in Japan, or 3D modelling used to better plan dismantling at retired power plants, the nuclear decommissioning sector increasingly finds itself at the forefront of technological innovation.” Chudakov added, “These technologies provide vital insights for planning and implementing projects, especially in situations which could be risky for people, thereby helping to ensure these jobs are carried out safely and effectively.” 

Thanks to the recent advancements in robotics technologies, the IAEA believes that robots can be used from the start to the finish of decommissioning projects worldwide. The agency suggests nuclear firms should create modular, integrated information management systems by building an integrated system based on 3D scanning and computer-aided design (CAD) or producing building information management (BIM) models incorporating 3D radiological and other data. This type of model manages all information, is integrated with radiological physics models and other systems, and brings them all together into a system that supports the principle of reducing the radiological risk to ‘as low as reasonably achievable’ (ALARA). 

This approach is currently being used in Fukushima. In September, work began at the Unit 2 reactor at the defunct Fukushima nuclear power plant to retrieve a small piece of the fuel that melted down in 2011. Engineers are using a device called Telesco, a robotic grabber, to conduct the operation. Once collected, researchers will analyse the 3 grammes of fuel to understand what condition it is in. Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings and the Japanese government aim to clear the entire site of radioactive materials by 2050. If the project is successful, it will likely encourage nuclear companies in other countries to use robotics for their decommissioning activities. 

By Felicity Bradstock for Oilprice.com

 

 

Felicity Bradstock is a freelance writer specialising in Energy and Finance. She has a Master’s in International Development from the University of Birmingham, UK.

 

 

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