Robotics application for in-service inspection of the ALMR

The US Advanced Liquid Metal Reactor (ALMR) Program is developing and licensing a reactor system that is compact for factory fabrication and modular construction. The design includes provisions for in-service inspection to verify performance and safety capabilities throughout the life of the plant. A DOE sponsored robotics team, comprised of members from the universities of Florida, Michigan, Tennessee, Texas and from Oak Ridge National Laboratory, is developing advanced inspection equipment using robotics for nuclear application. This equipment is compact and remotely operated and particularly suited for inspection of the ALMR. Extensive 3D simulations are used to refine and demonstrate the inspection methods. This paper focuses on inspection methods for the reactor vessel and the reactor vessel auxiliary cooling system (RVACS). Inspection capabilities are included for visual inspection of the reactor vessel outer surface and volumetric inspection of the welds. The robotics team is devising a compact crawler design with the capabilities to perform these inspections. Similarly, various robot concepts are being evaluated for accomplishing the RVACS visual inspection and cleaning procedures