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#Industry News

GE SWIMMER ROBOT INSPECTS NUCLEAR REACTORS

Remote-Controlled, Free-Swimming Robot Reduces Time Workers Need to Spend Inside Radiation Zone

As much as any of us might like taking a dip in the pool, there are certain places it’s better not to go swimming, like a nuclear reactor. But like any municipal swimming pool, the large pool used to moderate the temperature of nuclear reactions needs to be routinely inspected and cleaned. Currently, this hazardous task is carried out by a team of eight or so people using cameras and tools attached to long poles. This method is expensive, labor intensive and exposes the workers to radiation. In the age of high-tech industrial machines surely it would be faster and cheaper to invent a robot to take care of such hazardous tasks?

Well, GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy thought so too and has developed the Stinger; a remote-controlled robot that swims around a reactor vessel as it checks for faults and imperfections. The robot has been in service for almost two years, and it is hoped it can be upgraded sometime in the future so it can carry out repairs as well as inspections. In an interview with Gizmag, Jerry Dolan, Senior Tooling Manager at GE described how Stinger works and the benefits it brings.

“Stinger performs inspections of welds within nuclear reactors. It is remotely operated and swims to these welds within this highly irradiated area. Stinger uses a hydrolaser to blast welds with water before it shoots HD video of the weld. This video is then beamed near real-time to Nuclear Regulatory Commission-approved inspectors at our global Center of Excellence in Wilmington, NC, where they are analyzed. Stinger literally replaces eight people standing on the bridge of the reactor lowering cameras and brushes with ropes and pulleys. It is much faster and more accurate than previous methods while also significantly reducing radiation dose.”

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