For the first time, Robot Crawlers Will be Used in at Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant (PGDP)

At the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant (PGDP) in Paducah, USA, during the initial phase of decontamination of production buildings, site engineers recently tested a crawler robot designed to inspect piping previously used to support uranium enrichment operations. The system is adapted to work in process gas piping and other facility equipment. A similar system is used to inspect municipal water pipelines.

The crawler robot is equipped with a camera and a detector based on sodium iodide to detect uranium deposits in the process of piping and equipment operation.

At the end of the inspection, workers download a file containing data collected during the robot’s scan that indicates where the deposits are located in the equipment. This new technology gives analysts a secure way to learn more about what’s inside the piping without having to manually scan each section.

In addition, the crawler robot is expected to play an important role in determining a process gas piping disposal method that will be safe and meet all requirements.

According to the US Department of Energy