The Technical Specifications and Concept of Operations were set by ORANO DS, as well as the in-situ operations against which the equipped robot would be challenged, led by SOGIN.
The platform on which most systems have been mounted is an UR 5e robotic arm, mounted on an RB VOGUI UGV. This remotely operated robot capable of autonomous indoor & outdoor navigation was developed by TECNALIA, With ANSALDO & ORANO DS. the platform has been assembled, upgraded and tested navigation-wise, protected against contamination, and radiation-hardened.
As for the different sensors upgraded to improve the quality and facilitate the assessment of the radiological status of the facilities, they relate to rapid dose rate mapping, gamma and neutron detection & identification, and soil & air contamination monitoring. The data from these sensors are wirelessly combined after the mission within a Digital Twin (DT), enabling accurate assimilation and planning of the radiological status and resulting operations.
The first two sensors developments on rapid dose rate mapping undertaken by INFN and CEA are respectively: the n/γ detection systems, and the Nanopix gamma imager.
Prototypes of their two gamma & neutron sensing parts (MiniRadMeter gamma counters/spectrometers and gamma-blind MiniSiLiF neutron counters) were set up by and thoroughly tested by INFN, with subsequent results encouraging as they are, in line with the expectations.
The CEA-developped Nanopix, improved with a new Timepix3 sensing chip and new electronics, is better suited for UGV embedment (compact, low-power consumption) and in-lab tests has shown drastic performance improvement and promising perspectives, allowing it to perform quick radionuclide location and identification.
The OSL/FO dosimetry and optical fiber shape-sensing technologies investigated by CEA has been focused on rewriting the shape-sensing algorithm to circumvent limitations. The POC has been demonstrated up to 6m and developments need to be undertaken to achieve lengths required for D&D operations.
Work carried out on gamma & neutron detection & identification done by WP4 on the sensors selection and their Geant4 simulations, has allowed them to complete the feasibility study and establish the responses and limits of detection of the scintillator-based sensors (Stilbene, CeBr3 and NaIL).
The contamination monitoring developments (WP6) concerned:
• the upgrade of an existing 14CO2 measurement system;
• and two complementary surface contamination monitors: a pixelated β/γ monitor based on modified plastic scintillators and a large surface monitor for α/β contamination.
ENEA’s work has consisted in designing the upgrade and supervise the manufacturing of their cryogenic system for radioactive 14CO2 monitoring. Designed to achieve continuous air collection from the demonstration room’s atmosphere, cryogenic CO2 sequestration was demonstrated and characterization tests demonstrated to detect CO2 concentration in air from environmental values (1.2 ppt of 14C/C) on.
CEA’s development of the β/γ surface contamination monitor consisted in the choice of scintillators, design of their mechanical frames and their characterization, and electronics improvement to achieve a multichannel readout capability.
Based on WP2 results, the payload limitation of the robotic arm, and complementarity with CEA’s β/γ contamination monitor, CAEN’s development of the PSD phoswich multidetector technology was reduced, from the initially proposed α/β/γ, to α/β contamination measurement.
WP8, led by CSM SPA, with TECNALIA and ENEA, started the development of the DT platform, whether in terms of software architecture, chosen technologies, and data structures acquired from different data sources (sensors, materials samples, historical database, etc.). The DT design has been described in terms of structured data collection and storage, user web interface with 3D functionality, and BIM-based DT approach. The PoStLAM software, provided by ORANO, complements it for radiological data exploitation.
Alongside the technical developments, WP5 & WP9 have worked on the developments’ adequacy to the Market, the training, and in-situ demonstration during the final workshop through use-cases relevant to End-Users and stakeholders.
Led by SOGIN, assisted by AiNT, WP9 has developed the concept for the training programme, with a modular approach based on individual course units, and set an End-users Network for investigation of their requirements to better fulfil needs on different applications. The first of a series of webinars with End Users is set for September 2022.
Within WP5, led by CAEN, ORANO DS has established a database of important indicators for the Market, enabling to perform a cost analysis of the UGV Platform on the different business cases, which has derived from the use cases described in the CONOPS.
