VR quickly solves dangerous and tricky nuclear removal problems

Original title: VR quickly resolves dangerous and tricky nuclear demolition issues

Safely decommissioning any nuclear reactor is a challenge. How can one retired a nuclear reactor that has been in production for more than 60 years? This is the problem faced by engineers on the Savannah River Site (SRS). This base of the US Department of Energy was established in 1952. It covers an area of ​​310 square kilometers and was originally used to help the US military to produce nuclear weapons. Carolina's countryside. There are five nuclear reactors in the SRS base, numbered R, P, K, L, and C, which were once used to produce thorium and thorium. After the end of the Cold War, the SRS base also lost its use. After the last batch of products was completed in 1992, the reactors had been closed. But the story did not end there. Closing a nuclear reactor is a difficult task. This is the mission of the US Department of Energy's Environmental Management Office. They are planning to safely decommission the C reactor.

P and R reactor history photos

What is inside a nuclear reactor?

By using 3D technology

Working group can understand the space inside the reactor

In addition to the C reactor, there are P and R reactors that need to be decommissioned at the same time. This process involves removing millions of gallons of water and pouring more than 200,000 cubic yards of grouting. To assist in the planning of this process, engineers and designers at the Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) took a look at the construction drawings for thousands of buildings and key equipment. The team members quickly realized that it was difficult to fully understand the internal conditions of the reactor, because these drawings were only construction guidelines for the construction and process stages. This means that there are no real drawings that can provide information on the inside of a nuclear reactor.

A group of engineers perform a laser scan to create a VR model.

To help the working group and make them have a three-dimensional sense of the internal reactor, the SRNL team has created 3D CAD models and 3D printing models for building structures and key equipment. After completion, these 3D printing models can help the team members better understand the internal structure of the building. Because it presents data in three dimensions. Even engineers with years of experience need to translate 2D drawings into 3D images in their heads. When the information is spread across many drawings, analyzing the data is a daunting challenge.

The 3D printing model also improves the safety of team members. Every time a worker enters the facility, he is exposed to various dangers such as tripping, high temperature and radiation. With a reference model, you can reduce the number of times you reach the actual building, and the team can more effectively plan the construction steps before entering the facility.

Improve 3D planning process

Using 3D models during the decommissioning of P and R nuclear reactors saved the project team a few months of planning time. Even though this process is still very time consuming, it takes six months to interpret drawings and create 3D models. The SRNL team knows that if they can speed up the modeling process, this will greatly improve the reactor decommissioning process.

With experience in P and R reactors, the SRNL team has explored a new way to navigate 3D models in VR. Want to fully grasp the 3D data, not only on the computer to browse the 3D model. Through VR technology, it allows planners to “enter” the facility and view it in real three-dimensional space without exposing them to the dangers of nuclear radiation.

In designing the decommissioning process for the C reactor, the SRNL R&D project team decided to use laser scanning to create a VR model of the building. Laser scanning not only accelerates the modeling process, but also collects more data beyond the building structure and major equipment. The C reactor scan includes the structure, all equipment, pipelines, and even signboards. The color image is superimposed on the laser scan image. Signage is important because it often lists equipment numbers, circuits, and pipes. This data is important because it helps the staff to better understand the equipment in the building. CAD and 3D printing models lack such details.

So far, the SRNL team has conducted more than 200 scans on the underground area of ​​the C reactor. These areas have been integrated into a VR environment where workers can browse the C reactor in VR.

The team uses VR to train how to operate high-risk equipment

VR provides technical assistance beyond expectations

The P and R 3D CAD models are designed for how to grout and stabilize the contaminants inside the reactor. With the spread of this technology, many groups have begun to use this technology. But in some cases, CAD models can't provide more detail. As the amount of information collected by the scan increases, the VR model will eventually be used as an aid.

For example, after a project completes the planning phase and enters the actual operation phase, the VR model can be used to assign tasks to employees. With VR, supervisors can show their team the task at hand and the dangers that exist in the building. At present, this preparation work is used outside the construction site and is usually used for 3D display of 2D drawings. Planning in VR allows staff to preview work in a secure environment to discover Security risks and minimize exposure to hazardous environments.

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