The Dounreay nuclear decommissioning plant in northern Scotland has successfully reactivated a critical radioactive waste handling crane with the help of Boston Dynamics’ Spot robot . The crane had been decommissioned in 2023 due to issues related to aging equipment, and strict safety restrictions prevented human personnel from interacting with the switchboard to restore it to working order.
Challenges in the Dounreay nuclear decommissioning
The Dounreay plant, which is in the process of nuclear decommissioning, urgently needed this crane to facilitate the transport of radioactive waste and continue its cleanup and restoration work.
After consulting with the plant’s innovation team, it was decided to use Spot, a quadruped robot with advanced mobility capabilities. However, because Spot lacked a manipulator arm, it was necessary to enlist the help of the robotics and artificial intelligence collaboration RAICo.
This partnership includes renowned institutions such as the UK Atomic Energy Authority, the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, Sellafield Ltd., and the University of Manchester, which specialize in solving nuclear decommissioning challenges through robotics.
How did the robot Spot help with the crane?
With support from RAICo, robotics experts fitted Spot with a special attachment that allowed it to use a boom pole to operate the crane’s breaker, successfully reenergizing it. The operation, which followed a series of tests on a de-energized model of the breaker at a nearby substation, marked a milestone in the use of robotics in nuclear decommissioning .
Dounreay’s senior facilities manager, Suzy Nellies, highlighted the excellent collaboration between the decommissioning teams and RAICo experts, which enabled the crane’s modernization to progress.
Greater safety and efficiency thanks to robotics
This innovative use of robotics highlights the growing importance of automation in high-risk sectors, such as nuclear, enabling dangerous tasks to be performed efficiently and safely while protecting human personnel from radiation exposure.
According to Kate Canning, Director of R&D at the NDA, this achievement is a clear example of how the RAICo collaboration accelerates the use of robotics to solve real-world challenges in a safe environment. The application of these technologies could reduce human involvement in hazardous areas by 50% by 2030 , improving the safety and efficiency of nuclear decommissioning processes in the future.
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Source and photo: Nuclear Restoration Services and Nuclear Decommissioning Authority
