1. Design Concepts and Process Analysis for Transmuter Fuel Manufacturing
Eighth Information Exchange Meeting on Actinide and Fission Product Partitioning and Transmutation
Design Concepts and Process Analysis for Transmuter Fuel Manufacturing
Georg F. Mauer, Professor
Jamil Renno, Graduate Student
Department of Mechanical Engineering
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
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DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

2. Design Concepts and Process Analysis for Transmuter Fuel Manufacturing
Table of Contents
Introduction
Manipulator Dynamics
Analysis Of Fuel Fabrication
Simulations of Robotic Material Handling Processes
Conclusion
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3. A manufacturing plant for transmuter fuel would have to process considerable quantities in a hot cell.
Transmuter Fuel Manufacturing: Approx. 100 tons of Americium fuel annually.
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4. Transmutation Impact: Lower radiotoxicity
Shorter time frame of concern
Smaller volume of waste
Optimized waste forms
Source: Herczeg 2003
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5. Dispersion Fuels (several subtypes exist)
Transmuter Fuel Types
With regard to fuel manufacturing, we may distinguish among three categories:
Dispersion Fuels (several subtypes exist)
Ceramic Fuels (several subtypes exist)
Metallic Fuels
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6. Modeling Fuel Manufacturing Process
3D Drawings of Hot Cell Components
Define Dynamic Properties, Kinematic Constraints
Command generation, and Equipment Control through Feedback.
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7. Fuel Fabrication Equipment
Wälischmiller Robot:
Modular design
All drives and Sensors in Base
30 to 240 kg Load capacity
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8. Robot Analysis UNIVERSITY OF NEVADA LAS VEGAS
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9. ROBOT PATH PLANNING AND KINEMATICS
The robot model was developed using the Denavit-Hartenberg formulation
Arm motion is modeled as a series of successive spatial rotations and translations. For an arm with n joints, the end effector position relative to the base (index 0) is
   
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11. ROBOT PATH PLANNING AND KINEMATICS
   
Path generation in Matlab
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12. Smooth Motion Profile For Trajectory Planning
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13. Control Law Implementation Simulink and MSC.visualNastran
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14. (1) Hot Cell Design and Analysis for Powder Processing
Pellet Press
Sintering Oven
Surface Grinder
Inspection Station
Cladding Tube
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15. Possible Floor Plan for Powder Processing
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16. Hot Cell in Operation Loading Pellets for Insertion into the Cladding Tube
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17. The simulation permits the detailed analysis of process parameters, such as speed and forces on a fuel pellet.
Two examples follow.
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18. Robot Speed and Forces on Pellet
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19. Friction Forces on Pellet
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20. Accident Analysis Collision
Manipulator repeatedly impacts the wall, while moving the pellet to the inspection station.

21. Accident Analysis Collision
Impulses during Collisions with a rigid obstacle.

22. Accident Analysis Pellet Stack Buckling

23. Accident Recovery: Dropping a Pellet

24. Time-Motion Studies Powder Processing
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25. (1) Time-Motion Studies - Powder Processing
Pellet accelerations not to exceed 20 m/s2
Pick and Place Time Intervals, per pellet.
Hot cell with two active Robots.
Operation
Time in Seconds
Robot 1: Image Acquisition (Identify pellet in output tray of the pellet press, select pellet for grasping, compute pellet location and orientation) 5
Pellet Press to Sintering Boat 6
Return robot arm to Pellet Press 4
Total time Robot 1 14
Robot 2: Sintering Boat to Grinder
Return robot arm to Sintering Boat
Grinder to Dimensional Inspection Station 8
Dimensional Inspection Station to V-tray for Insertion into the cladding tube
Total time Robot 2 30
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26. Time-Motion Studies - Powder Processing
The time required for pellet handling is small
in comparison to the sintering time.
(between 1 and 18 hours, depending on process)
The time required for the handling metal pins and dispersion fuel compacts will be comparable to those for powder processing, or less.
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27. Metallic Fuel Processing
Time-Motion Studies
Metallic Fuel Processing
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28. Insertion of Metal Pins into the Cladding Tube
   
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30. (2) Time-Motion Studies - Metallic Fuel Processing
Pin accelerations not to exceed 20 m/s2
Pick and Place Time Intervals, per pin
Hot cell with a single active Robot.
Robot Operation
Time in Seconds
Storage Rack to Grinder 6
Return robot arm to Rack 4
Grinder to Dimensional Inspection Station 8
Dimensional Inspection Station to V-tray for Insertion into the cladding tube
Return robot arm to Storage Rack
Total time for Robot, per pin 30
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31. Dispersion Fuel Processing
Time-Motion Studies
Dispersion Fuel Processing
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32. Dispersion Fuel Manufacture
   
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33. Design Concepts and Process Analysis for Transmuter Fuel Manufacturing
Conclusion
The simulation analysis performs detailed evaluation of the manufacturing process, and detects possible accidents and failures in the hot cell. It allows for the comprehensive examination and testing of failure scenarios as well as recovery procedures, and thus for the iterative optimization of all mechanical hot cell components, ensuring maximum reliability and safety.
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34. End of Presentation UNIVERSITY OF NEVADA LAS VEGAS
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38. Simulation Examples
Pick and Place Operation:
Move fuel pellet from sintering press to preparation area for fuel pin loading.
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39. Simulation Example: Friction Forces during Fuel Pin Loading
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40. Simulation Example: Torque in Joint 3 (Elbow) during Fuel Pin Loading
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41. 3D Modeling: Robot Simulation
We developed a complete mathematical model of robot kinematics, dynamics, and control.
3D CAD models of hot cell equipment and robots were developed and integrated with the robot dynamics model, using Visual Nastran4D software.
Each robot is controlled from Matlab through a Simulink interface with Visual Nastran4D.
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43. The Robot Controller (Matlab Simulink)
Manipulator dynamics are represented as block ‘vNPlant’
   
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44. Source: J. Breese, DOE, 1999 UNIVERSITY OF NEVADA LAS VEGAS
DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

45. Fuel Fabrication Equipment
Hot Cell Equipment (Wälischmiller )
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46. Fuel Conditioning Facility at ANL West, Idaho Falls. Hot Cell Schematic.
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48. Transmuter Fuel Fabrication Issues:
Hot cell required
Criticality concerns mandate small batch sizes
Large fuel quantities suggest process automation
Equipment for hot cell operation must be identified or developed.
Material flow and operational sequence
Long term reliability must be ensured
Design must prove he ability to cope with a wide range of contingencies (e.g. equipment failures, spillage, breakage)
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49. Three processes for Americium Fuel Fabrication (Haas et al.), 1998
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50. Americium Fuel Fabrication for 1 ton of Am/year (Haas et al.), 1998
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