Remote manipulations / diagnostics in radioactive areas and handling of radioactive material Workshop, Geneva, Switzerland 6 th May 2013 THE REPLACEMENT OF THE ISOLDE ROBOTS JL.GRENARD (CERN) Engineering Department / Transport Group

The ISOLDE facility JL GRENARD EN-HE 2 ISOLDE: Isotope Separator On Line

What do the robots do?  Exchange the targets for the ISOLDE facility  The robots are part of the process of the facility Weight ~26Kg JL GRENARD EN-HE 3

The target area 1 2 Key target positions and movements High Resolution Separator (HRS) General Purpose Separator (GPS) JL GRENARD EN-HE 4

Interfaces of the facility Front end Storage shielded shelves JL GRENARD EN-HE 5

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 JL GRENARD EN-HE 6

The existing robots JL GRENARD EN-HE 7

The environment  Several Gray/year  Obstacles on the GPS line Ventilation duct, pipes on the cellingVacuum chamber JL GRENARD EN-HE 8

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 JL GRENARD EN-HE 9

Different options were evaluated  Dedicated manipulator  Robot mounted on an Automatically Guided Vehicle  Industrial robot mounted on a linear axis And some variant of the previous options… JL GRENARD EN-HE 10

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 retained Custom built equipment much more complex than needed JL GRENARD EN-HE 11

Robot mounted on an AGV Completely autonomous vehicle -Battery powered -Onboard controller -Navigation system integrated for the positioning Not retained In case of failure all the electronic is onboard Not retained In case of failure all the electronic is onboard JL GRENARD EN-HE 12

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 JL GRENARD EN-HE 13

How to decide in between those options? JL GRENARD EN-HE 14

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 JL GRENARD EN-HE 15

Solution adopted 1/2 Two industrial robots mounted on a linear axis JL GRENARD EN-HE 16

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 JL GRENARD EN-HE 17

The gripper  Include recovery method  Sensor feedback for each movement  Collision detection module (with a release function) JL GRENARD EN-HE 18

Some modifications  Relocation of an electronic board outside of the radioactive area  Replacement of all the cables  Replacement of all cables supports JL GRENARD EN-HE 19

A full scale mock up Testing of the system including recovery methods JL GRENARD EN-HE 20

Interfaces with the infrastructure  Sensor feedback of the position for each movement / interface In the presently installed robots there is no sensor feedback JL GRENARD EN-HE 21

Recovery in case of failure  Integrated in the design  All sensors feedback could be overwritten in an expert mode JL GRENARD EN-HE 22

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 JL GRENARD EN-HE 23

Modification of the infrastructure  Rerouting of ventilation duct, pipes and cables trails  Modification of one portion of the robot rail JL GRENARD EN-HE 24

Programming of the trajectories  Dedicated simulation software which automatically generates the code Limitation: depending on the installation some points would have to be adjusted JL GRENARD EN-HE 25

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 JL GRENARD EN-HE 26

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 JL GRENARD EN-HE 27