Remote manipulations / diagnostics in radioactive areas and handling of radioactive material Workshop,

Geneva, Switzerland 6th May 2013

THE REPLACEMENT OF THE ISOLDE ROBOTS

JL.GRENARD (CERN)

Engineering Department / Transport Group

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The ISOLDE facility

JL GRENARD EN-HE

ISOLDE: Isotope Separator On Line

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What do the robots do?

Exchange the targets for the ISOLDE facility

The robots are part of the process of the facility

Weight ~26Kg

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The target area

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Key target positions and movements

High Resolution Separator(HRS)

General Purpose Separator (GPS)

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Interfaces of the facility

Front end Storage shielded shelves

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A need for a ‘’robot’’ why?

Dose rate when exchanging the targets-> several Sv/h in contact Repetitive task -> ~30 targets per year Well defined environment -> target area

designed for this dedicated task

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The existing robots

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The environment

Several Gray/year Obstacles on the GPS line

Ventilation duct, pipes on the celling

Vacuum chamber

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Reason of the replacement

Many breakdowns during the last years The robots are 20 years old -> will not be

supported by the robot manufacturer in the coming years

The facility will evolve : new storage, new targets types, improvement of target life cycle

No flexibility in the programing of the trajectories of the present robots

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Different options were evaluated

Dedicated manipulator Robot mounted on an Automatically Guided

Vehicle Industrial robot mounted on a linear axisAnd some variant of the previous options…

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Dedicated manipulator

Custom built manipulator mounted on a track system- Possibility to integrate a force feedback- Could be used for other tasks(ie: repair of the front end)

Not retainedCustom built equipment much more complex than

needed

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Robot mounted on an AGV

Completely autonomous vehicle- Battery powered- Onboard controller- Navigation system integrated for the

positioning

Not retainedIn case of failure all the electronic is

onboard

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Industrial robot mounted on a linear axis

Two options

Copy of the existing system-> trench not covered

Robot mounted on a linear axis installed on the celling

-> floor cleared

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How to decide in between those options?

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How to decide in between these options?

Risk analysis as a guideline Experience of the current process

List of failures during operation with the existing system

Machinery directive Standards (human aspect) Facility aspect (protection of equipment installed in the

area)

Upgrade of the facility New risks caused by the robots New risks caused by the change of the process

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Solution adopted 1/2

Two industrial robots mounted on a linear axis

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Solution adopted 2/2

Robot positioning based on resolver technology

Foundry arm (already include Viton seals) which makes it partially radiation hard

Safe robot technology which integrate safety volumes -> no need to add extra sensors for protecting the infrastructure

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The gripper

Include recovery method

Sensor feedback for each movement

Collision detection module (with a release function)

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Some modifications

Relocation of an electronic board outside of the radioactive area

Replacement of all the cables

Replacement of all cables supports

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A full scale mock up

Testing of the system including recovery methods

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Interfaces with the infrastructure

Sensor feedback of the position for each movement / interface

In the presently installed robots there is no sensor feedback

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Recovery in case of failure

Integrated in the design

All sensors feedback could be overwritten in an expert mode

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Installation

Point to be considered during the design phase as high dose rates -> ALARA Level 3

Collective dose expected : ~10mSv Shielding of the area Use of special tooling

for installation

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Modification of the infrastructure

Rerouting of ventilation duct, pipes and cables trails

Modification of one portion of the robot rail

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Programming of the trajectories

Dedicated simulation software which automatically generates the code

Limitation: depending on the installation some points wouldhave to be adjusted

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Some points to note

A robot could be use for a dedicated task with a well prepared and known environment.

The installation process must be integrated in the design phase

The design of the interfaces (mechanical, sensor feedback) is as critical as the design of the robot itself

Testing of the failures in a mock up installation is the only way to demonstrate the recovery procedures

Keeping the ‘’human’’ in the loop is important

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Summary

A robot for a dedicated and repetitive task : the ISODLE target exchange

Several solution studied before a final choice

Testing all the failure scenarios

The installation and the commissioning of the robot

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