Robotic removal of high-activity debris from a nuclear primary heat transfer system

A unique remote robotic solution, consisting of four single-purpose robots utilized in series, was used to successfully address the extraction of a high-activity source in the drain line of a nuclear generating station heat exchanger. The source activity was such that safety could be compromised in a manual extraction. In addition, the source was located in a confined space, necessitating design of a compact, radiation-hard, remotely-controlled solution. This paper reviews the strategy for extraction, design considerations, testing and execution, with a view to providing operational experience for future.