
Innotec Ltd
Innotec Ltd
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assignment_turned_in Project2017 - 2021Partners:CAS, OC Robotics, BP (United States), Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, Forth Engineering Ltd +87 partnersCAS,OC Robotics,BP (United States),Nuclear Decommissioning Authority,Forth Engineering Ltd,EDF Energy (United Kingdom),UK Trade and Investment,EDF Energy (United Kingdom),Beihang University,Rolls-Royce Plc (UK),Shadow Robot Company Ltd,EDF Energy Plc (UK),University of Manchester,Sprint Robotics,Nuclear AMRC,Virtual Engineering Centre (VEC),Rolls-Royce (United Kingdom),Moog Controls Ltd,ITER - International Fusion Energy Org,NUVIA LIMITED,Nuclear AMRC,BP British Petroleum,NNL,NNL,OC Robotics,Beihang University (BUAA),James Fisher Nuclear Limited,Sellafield Ltd,Rolls-Royce (United Kingdom),Festo Ltd,Sellafield Ltd,FSC,MTC,Moog Controls Ltd,ABB Ltd,Longenecker and Associates,Longenecker and Associates (United States),ABB (Switzerland),ABB (United Kingdom),Valtegra,UK Trade and Investment,Forth Engineering Ltd,Uniper Technologies Ltd.,Tharsus,Atomic Weapons Establishment,BP British Petroleum,NUVIA LIMITED,Japan Atomic Energy Agency,Japan Atomic Energy Agency,Italian Institute of Technology,Sprint Robotics,Valtegra,Sellafield (United Kingdom),EDF Energy (United Kingdom),Fusion for Energy,Department for International Trade,University of Salford,Gassco (Norway),Createc Ltd,NDA,The University of Manchester,ITER - International Fusion Energy Org,Shadow Robot (United Kingdom),Innotec Ltd,MTC,Rolls-Royce (United Kingdom),Oxford Investment Opportunity Network,Manufacturing Technology Centre (United Kingdom),AWE,Createc (United Kingdom),Nuclear Decommissioning Authority,Chinese Academy of Sciences,Uniper Technologies Ltd.,Tharsus,The University of Texas at Austin,Fusion For Energy,Virtual Engineering Centre (VEC),Gassco,Createc Ltd,Imitec Ltd,CAS,Nuvia (United Kingdom),James Fisher Nuclear Limited,Festo Ltd,James Fisher Nuclear Limited,Chinese Academy of Sciences,NDA,Italian Institute of Technology,Imitec Ltd,Oxford Investment Opportunity Network,National Nuclear Laboratory (NNL),Innotec (United Kingdom)Funder: UK Research and Innovation Project Code: EP/R026084/1Funder Contribution: 12,203,200 GBPThe nuclear industry has some of the most extreme environments in the world, with radiation levels and other hazards frequently restricting human access to facilities. Even when human entry is possible, the risks can be significant and very low levels of productivity. To date, robotic systems have had limited impact on the nuclear industry, but it is clear that they offer considerable opportunities for improved productivity and significantly reduced human risk. The nuclear industry has a vast array of highly complex and diverse challenges that span the entire industry: decommissioning and waste management, Plant Life Extension (PLEX), Nuclear New Build (NNB), small modular reactors (SMRs) and fusion. Whilst the challenges across the nuclear industry are varied, they share many similarities that relate to the extreme conditions that are present. Vitally these similarities also translate across into other environments, such as space, oil and gas and mining, all of which, for example, have challenges associated with radiation (high energy cosmic rays in space and the presence of naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORM) in mining and oil and gas). Major hazards associated with the nuclear industry include radiation; storage media (for example water, air, vacuum); lack of utilities (such as lighting, power or communications); restricted access; unstructured environments. These hazards mean that some challenges are currently intractable in the absence of solutions that will rely on future capabilities in Robotics and Artificial Intelligence (RAI). Reliable robotic systems are not just essential for future operations in the nuclear industry, but they also offer the potential to transform the industry globally. In decommissioning, robots will be required to characterise facilities (e.g. map dose rates, generate topographical maps and identify materials), inspect vessels and infrastructure, move, manipulate, cut, sort and segregate waste and assist operations staff. To support the life extension of existing nuclear power plants, robotic systems will be required to inspect and assess the integrity and condition of equipment and facilities and might even be used to implement urgent repairs in hard to reach areas of the plant. Similar systems will be required in NNB, fusion reactors and SMRs. Furthermore, it is essential that past mistakes in the design of nuclear facilities, which makes the deployment of robotic systems highly challenging, do not perpetuate into future builds. Even newly constructed facilities such as CERN, which now has many areas that are inaccessible to humans because of high radioactive dose rates, has been designed for human, rather than robotic intervention. Another major challenge that RAIN will grapple with is the use of digital technologies within the nuclear sector. Virtual and Augmented Reality, AI and machine learning have arrived but the nuclear sector is poorly positioned to understand and use these rapidly emerging technologies. RAIN will deliver the necessary step changes in fundamental robotics science and establish the pathways to impact that will enable the creation of a research and innovation ecosystem with the capability to lead the world in nuclear robotics. While our centre of gravity is around nuclear we have a keen focus on applications and exploitation in a much wider range of challenging environments.
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