Robotic dismantlement systems at the CP-5 reactor D&D project.

The Chicago Pile 5 (CP-5) Research Reactor Facility is currently undergoing decontamination and decommissioning (D&D) at the Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) Illinois site. CP-5 was the principle nuclear reactor used to produce neutrons for scientific research at Argonne from 1954 to 1979. The CP-5 reactor was a heavy-water cooled and moderated, enriched uranium-fueled reactor with a graphite reflector. The CP-5 D&D project includes the disassembly, segmentation and removal of all the radioactive components, equipment and structures associated with the CP-5 facility. The Department of Energy's Robotics Technology Development Program and the Federal Energy Technology Center, Morgantown Office provided teleoperated, remote systems for use in the dismantlement of the CP-5 reactor assembly for tasks requiring remote dismantlement as part of the EM-50 Large-Scale Demonstration Program (LSDP). The teleoperated systems provided were the Dual Arm Work Platform (DAWP), the Rosie Mobile Teleoperated Robot Work System (ROSIE), and a remotely-operated crane control system with installed swing-reduction control system. Another remotely operated apparatus, a Brokk BM250, was loaned to ANL by the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL). This machine is not teleoperated and was not part of the LSDP, but deserves some mention in this discussion. The DAWP is a robotic dismantlement system that includes a pair of Schilling Robotic Systems Titan III hydraulic manipulator arms mounted to a specially designed support platform: a hydraulic power unit (HPU) and a remote operator console. The DAWP is designed to be crane-suspended for remote positioning. ROSIE, developed by RedZone Robotics, Inc. is a mobile, electro-hydraulic, omnidirectional platform with a heavy-duty telescoping boom mounted to the platform's deck. The work system includes the mobile platform (locomotor), a power distribution unit (PDU) and a remote operator console. ROSIE moves about the reactor building floor around the reactor assembly and, like the DAWP, is controlled from a console in the control room. The remotely-operated crane control system with installed swing-reduction control system was installed on the CP-5 polar crane and allows a load suspended from the crane to be remotely operated while reducing the induced swing in the load, The system includes a remote-controlled rotational hook, two remote-reading load cells and a lightweight portable operator controller. The last component in this discussion, the Brokk BM250, is a commercially-available electro-hydraulically operated demolition tool. A variety of attachments including a 750 lb. jackhammer, hydraulic shear or 1/3 cubic yard bucket can be quickly installed onto its articulated boom. This paper will primarily discuss the teleoperated robotics systems, DAWP and Rosie, their performance, tooling and lessons learned during the dismantlement of the CP-5 reactor structures. Other aspects of the robotics systems' deployment and use such as operator training and maintenance will be briefly discussed as they pertain to the overall performance of the robots