Status on underwater plasma arc cutting in KHI, 3

In Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd., the development of a remote dismantling system by underwater plasma arc cutting process has been advanced, expecting its application to the dismantling and removal of nuclear reactor facilities. In the previous two reports, the fundamental experimental results such as the comparison of the cutting capability in air and in water were shown, but this time, the remote automatic cutting of wedge-shaped specimens was carried out, using a newly installed manipulator for underwater works, therefore its outline is reported. Also the cutting experiment by overhead position and vertical position was performed by using the same equipment, and comparison was made with the cutting capability by downhand and horizontal positions. It is important to grasp the cutting characteristics in the case of upward advancing and downward advancing cuttings by overhead and vertical positions when the cutting of pressure vessels and horizontal pipes into rings is supposed. The experimental apparatus, the cutting conditions, the testing method and the test results of the cutting capability test, the test of changing direction during cutting, and the remote cutting of pipes into rings are described. The underwater plasma arc cutting can cut all metals, the cutting speed is relatively high, and the apparatus is simple and compact. (Kako, I.)