Jacobs unveils innovative Waste Container Inspection Robot for Sellafield’s Intermediate Storage Facilities

The thrilling culmination of a year-long Game Changers proof of concept project saw Jacobs and Sellafield Ltd showcase their Waste Container Inspection Robot for accessing difficult-to-reach areas within Sellafield’s Intermediate Storage Facilities (ISF). The technology, perfectly tailored to fit and navigate between the canyons and stacks of the ISF, was demonstrated in a non-active deployment at Jacobs Birchwood facility early this year.

Within the ISF, radioactive waste is stored in self-shielded boxes (SSBs) for potentially 50-100 years prior to transfer to a Geological Disposal Facility (GDF). It is necessary to monitor the physical condition of waste packages throughout the duration of their interim storage. The original Game Changers challenge for monitoring of waste packages was launched on behalf of Nuclear Restoration Services (previously Magnox Ltd) and Sellafield Ltd in the summer of 2021. Innovations in this area could lead to improved inspection efficiency, reduced operator dose rates and increased safety, and better knowledge of how the waste containers are changing over time. Between Sellafield Ltd and Nuclear Restoration Services, eight projects were initially selected for Game Changers feasibility funding with two down-selected for further funding at proof-of-concept stage.

This remarkable device has been designed to deploy into the narrow canyons between stacked SSBs via an overhead crane. It is then able to reach into the narrow horizontal gap between the stacked boxes without touching them. The goal is to deploy cameras and sensors at the precise location of filters situated in the lid of all SSBs, feeding back information on the integrity of the waste packages before they are removed from the ISF for ultimate disposal. The demonstration proved the robot’s ability to autonomously locate mock-up filters and successfully deploy a camera and hydrogen sensor in a replica geometry.

Paul Hughes, Technical Manager at Sellafield Ltd, said “We’re really impressed by Jacobs and Game Changers. The Game Changers innovation programme has enabled this work, finding the people with the right skills, and managing the project and collaboration in a flexible and easy-to-access way, getting us the results we want quickly.”

Jacobs’ Robotics Technical Director, Andrew Ludar-Smith, said: “We’re grateful to the Game Changers programme for giving us a great opportunity to show how we can design a robot to carry out complex tasks in a sensitive and potentially hazardous environment, enabling constant monitoring of waste containers while keeping operators safe. This is one of many examples where we are developing robotic systems to revolutionise operations and maintenance in areas where human access is impossible or difficult.”

Sellafield Ltd is now considering the next phase of development and a demonstration of the device in an active environment before the end of this year.