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Introduction
A frequently voiced view in the early days of the robotics industry was that robots could play a major role in environments that posed a safety threat to humans. Such environments occur widely within the nuclear industries, where radioactive hazards frequently prevent or limit a human presence. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission's regulation 10 CFR 20 stipulates that a worker cannot receive a full body dose of more than 50 mSv per year and once this has been reached they must stop working immediately. This necessitates an increased number of workers but by using robots the number is minimised, which yields additional savings including a reduction in the quantity of protective equipment and clothing needed and a decreased administrative overhead.
There are over 450 nuclear power plants in the world and 210 in Europe. They provide approximately one-third of the total electricity generated in the EU; a figure that is forecast to increase to 16 per cent by 2020 and 24 per cent by 2030. The USA presently generates approximately 20 per cent of its power in this manner and the figure in Japan is 25 per cent. In view of the concerns surrounding "greenhouse" gases arising from fossil-fuelled power generation, the nuclear option is undergoing something of a renaissance; the installed global capacity continues to rise and is presently around 400 GW (Figure 1 [Figure omitted. See Article Image.]). Further, while some countries, such as the UK, are presently decommissioning many of its old nuclear power stations, in some countries there are efforts to extend the operating lives of older plants.
Handling heavy radioactive loads such as fuel rods or contaminated waste, conducting test, inspection, maintenance and repair operations in "hot" zones, decommissioning and other tasks have been performed with robots for many years but despite this, new robotic systems continue to be developed, often reflecting the challenges posed by decommissioning and more stringent inspection requirements. This article reviews the uses of robots in the nuclear power industry with an emphasis on newer developments and applications.
Robotic test and inspection
Nuclear reactors are necessarily the subject to extensive test and inspection regimes. These are growing in importance as many facilities are reaching the end of their working lives; in 2009, 14 of the world's...