Pipe Crawling Activity Measurement System
A significant challenge in achieving “cold and dark” status for D&D of gaseous diffusion facilities is ensuring the amount of 235U in holdup deposits in pipes is below the criticality incredible (CI) level. Piping exceeding the criterion incurs costly removal, handling, and cleaning before disposal. Piping below the criterion is economically demolished in place. The current non-destructive assay (NDA) methodology observes radiation from piping exteriors to estimate 235U per foot. The methodology necessitates substantial time, cost, and safety risk, both in NDA and in requiring more remove-and-handle operations.
The Pipe Crawling Activity Measurement System (PCAMS) substitutes this with internal observation, achieving speed, accuracy, and economy unachievable by prior or competing approaches. It also performs auto-analysis and auto reporting. The disc-collimated detection method used by the PCAMS measures gamma activity on lengthwise increments of pipe wall, and then derives the quantity of 235U per foot of pipe. Complete data-logging, analysis, visualization, and archiving are inherent in the method.
PipeDream
From June to October 2017, the program developed PipeDream, which creates a geometric map of the steel piping, as well as a geometric map of the surface of the holdup deposits. The difference is the amount of 235U holdup. It also maps 235U using UV LEDs, and takes pictures of the inside of the pipe. This robot was deployed in the DOE Portsmouth Gasseous Diffusion Plant, in defunct gasseous diffusion pipes containing holdup deposit.
I was brought in to develop and assemble some of the PCBs on board the prototype, to design and implement wiring in the front and rear modules, and to implement wiring of the motor modules.
Disc-Collimated Robot
In August 2018, the program began to develop in parallel another robot named the DisCoBot (Disc-Collimated Robot). This robot moves a qualified radiation detector collimated by two lead discs down the axis of a pipe, measuring the radiation from the 235U. It also maps 235U using UV LEDs, and makes a similar, but less accurate geometric map of the holdup deposits. The DisCoBot robot traversed 30-inch diameter piping at the unprecedented speed of ten feet per minute and accurately determined quantities and locations of 235U in two defunct gaseous diffusion pipes.
I was responsible for the PCBs on board this robot, as well as the design and implementation of most of the signal wiring.
RadPiper
The DisCoBot proved such a success that a line of robots based on its design was immediately requested. The two production prototypes named RadPiper1 and RadPiper 2 began development in October 2017 and are scheduled for delivery in 2018. These production prototypes include the ability to assay both 30-inch and 42-inch pipes, a long-range point rangefinder, another 3D mapper, and wireless communications as upgrades.
I am responsible for the final design of the electronics, all the wiring on both robots, and the assembly of the electronics box and front sensor array.
MicroPiper
I spearheaded the design and proposal of a smaller version of the RadPiper, for 10-12 inch pipes.