Engineers at Toshiba Corporation in Japan have unveiled a small scorpion-like robot designed to investigate the inside of the stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.
Developed in conjunction with the International Research Institute for Nuclear Decommissioning (IRID) the robot – which is approximately 54 cm long and 9 cm wide – will be used to investigate the interior of the primary containment vessel (PCV) of Unit 2 of the plant. This part of the plant was damage by a hydrogen explosion during the initial crisis and is thought to have suffered significant damage.
The robot will be used to determine the location and positioning of fallen objects and fuel debris, if any, and conditions along access routes to the PCV base. This must be done prior to a full investigation around the PCV base.
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Equipped with two cameras, LED lights, a radiation dosimeter and a thermometer, and remotely operated by a wired cable, the robot will enter the PCV along a pipe approximately 10cm in diameter.
LED lights and CCD cameras are attached to both the front and rear of the robot. Once the robot reaches a point near the centre of the PCV, the operator will raise the rear section, like the tail of a scorpion and video the interior of the PCV: the robot will illuminate its surroundings with the LED lights, and swivel its rear to capture a wide area of the PCV, even in darkness or fumes. According to Toshiba the robot is designed to be self-righting, so rollovers are not a concern.
Training of robot operators will begin in July, with the aim of deployment on site by the end of August.
Overview of the Robot
- Weight: Approx. 5kg
- External dimensions: Approx. 54cm (L) ´ 9cm (W) ´ 9cm (H)
- Power supply: Wire-supplied
- Specs: Two CCD cameras, LED lights (12 embedded LEDs per camera + one separate LED), one radiation dosimeter, one thermometer
- Radiation hardness: Approx. 1000 Sv (target) or higher (Design target:100 Sv/h ´ 10 hours)
- Drive time: Designed to operate approximately for 10 hours in an environment with a dose rate of 100 Sv/h
Please pass my concerns to those involved this small robot will be useless as the drag on the supply cable will limit its travel.
In addition it will have a limited view point from its height.
A far better solution is using remote controlled Drones of which there are many that have a greater advantage point and over 30 minutes duration with HD cameras.
Regards,
Mike Barker
(World leading scientist in bomb disposal of all kinds including nuclear bombs who helped design the very first robot to support the UK Bomb disposal community in 1972)
I have undertaken reactor vessel inspections and the technology is well proven. There will be issues with drag on the cable if it needs to travel around any corners and especially if it is impossible to install rollers at strategic points. However in a straight line they are extremely capable and very powerful.
The ‘robot’ itself is more correctly a remotely operated vehicle and looks like it is built from many off the shelf parts.
The problem with drones is guaranteeing a good signal. I also undertook external inspections of the buildings which contained the pressure vessels and their reliability is not great even when the operator has line of sight. We considered using them for the internal inspections but in the end decided to use ROVs, very similar to the one in the photo.
Hi Mike
Are you saying that there are drones on the market that can be used for this, “Equipped with two cameras, LED lights, a radiation dosimeter and a thermometer, and remotely operated by a wired cable, the robot will enter the PCV along a pipe approximately 10cm in diameter”.
Regards
David
Here’s what you should know about nuclear energy, IMO, in a nutshell —>
(1) Nuclear energy is NOT carbon-emission-free.
Nuclear power plants release 90 – 140 g of CO2 per kwh.
And each nuclear power plant releases Carbon-14 which is CONVERTED TO CO2 in the atmosphere!
Nuclear energy = Carbon14 = CO2 = Climate Change
(2) Nuclear power plants also release dangerous radiation into the air and water during their daily operations.
This radiation is linked to all kinds of cancers, heart disease, diabetes, birth defects, miscarriages, thyroid problems, leukemia, ADHD, autism, the list goes on and on
(3) During refueling, nuclear power plants release 1,000X the amount of radiation and Dr. Ian Fairlie believes this is what causes the increases in childhood leukemias around nuclear power plants.
(4) Let’s discuss the childhood leukemias and cancer deaths caused by nuclear energy:
Quote from Dr. Ernest Sternglass —>
“…The official measurements carried out by the Office of Radiological Health, and by the government, and the Public Health Service, they measured the radiation doses around the first big reactors in Dresden near Chicago, and they found that indeed there were doses almost as high as half of the normal background, and
according to Dr. Stewart’s finding, that would mean an increase of 40-50% in childhood cancers and leukemias around the fence of every nuclear plant.”
SOURCE: youtube /watch?v=hN7rcjSnxZs
(5) Dr. John Gofman’s research found that each nuclear power plant causes up to 1,600 cancer DEATHS per year.
(6) There is NO solution to nuclear waste, and nuclear waste is the largest form of LONG TERM DEBT that any country with nuclear energy will ever have.
The cost to store and guard nuclear waste for up to 250,000 years is INFINITE, and there is no container that can even hold nuclear waste that will last even 30 years.
(7) Each nuclear power plant uses up to 30 MILLION gallons of water per HOUR.
(8) In the event of a meltdown, the cost will be up to a TRILLION dollars, along with horrible health effects and pollution of land and water for eternity.
(9) To learn more, go to the highly recommended website ENENEWS
dot com
(10) See how every state can be run entirely with Renewable Energy at www thesolutionsproject dot org
Dear Anonymous,
So many incorrect statements and untruths in one post. To correct a few:
(1) “And each nuclear power plant releases Carbon-14 which is CONVERTED TO CO2 in the atmosphere! Nuclear energy = Carbon14 = CO2 = Climate Change”
To convert Carbon-14 (or -12 or- 13) to CO2 requires oxidation by combustion or by respiration in plants. This does not happen in a nuclear power plant.
(4) “according to Dr. Stewart’s finding, that would mean an increase of 40-50% in childhood cancers and leukemias around the fence of every nuclear plant.”
Where is the evidence of this? There was one childhood leukemia cluster at Windscale/Selafield in the early 80’s. No link was found to radiation and the problem went away and did not recur. A 40-50% increase would be easily detected.
(6) “and there is no container that can even hold nuclear waste that will last even 30 years.”
So where is all the nuclear waste that has been created since the 1950s (60 years ago) being stored? Long term storage solutions exist. It may, however, be better to keep it available for use as fuel in newer generation reactors.
(7) “Each nuclear power plant uses up to 30 MILLION gallons of water per HOUR”
All thermal power stations (coal, gas, oil, wood, nuclear) use similar amounts of cooling water to condense the steam and increase the efficiency.
(8) “along with horrible health effects and pollution of land and water for eternity”
As radioactive materials decay quite rapidly how can this be for eternity? Plutonium-239 has a half-life of 24,100 years, Arsenic is for ever.
(9) “http://enenews.com/”
Oh dear!
Best regards
Roger