The boiling water reactor of the Zwentendorf Nuclear Power Plant (NPP Zwentendorf) is the world’s only nuclear power plant which has been completed but never put into operation. In Zwentendorf areas are easily accessible which in other NPPs can only be visited under severe difficulties. In an active nuclear power plant extensive safety precautions are needed for human personnel due to the high level of radioactivity. Instead, in the NPP Zwentendorf engineers have transformed the plant and turbine halls into a training centre. Repair and dismantling measures but also critical incidents and disaster scenarios can be trained under realistic conditions.
Expect the typical interior of a power plant with elements like: low or no light, closed doors, dead ends, sharp turns, blockings, steep stairs and narrow passages; see example images.
Expect major difficulties for any kind of communication approach due to massive concrete walls and metal interiors.
Due to the active radiation sources inside the scenario nobody is allowed to accompany the robot(s). However, the scene will be equipped with cameras, allowing some basic supervision from outside. Additionally, Austrian radiation protection officials will ensure that there is no danger caused by the RN radiation, neither for team members nor for the robot systems!
A single run will last about 30 minutes plus some additional time to put the system into an operational state. So no time for debugging and online coding during the run; instead simply sign in for the next free time slot.
Naturally, a nuclear power plant contains areas which cannot be safely entered by human personnel. On the one hand due to inherent radiation in some areas, on the other hand due to technical problems or accidents. The later case might lead to an unpredictable and uncontrolled radioactive contamination. In any of these cases a robotic system offering the ability to do remote exploration and manipulation would be very helpful.
This EnRicH offers three different categories:
One or more robots and any combination of UGVs and UAVs may be used; UAV/UGV cooperation is strongly encouraged. Teams can choose to work on any combination of the tasks. However, radiation detection and maesurement is mandatory. A robot without a radiation sensor will not be allowed to start!
ADTA is the Austrian Armed Forces‘ technological centre of competence to support the whole life-cycle of weaponry, munitions, combat and other vehicles incl. robotics, military explosives, engineering, personal, NBC-defense, training and simulation equipment, optronical, electronical and medical materiel and provides for technical product documentation. ADTA is the MoD’s primary consultant for understanding the effects of modern technologies and defining their usability for future armed forces capabilities. ADTA’s scientific activities reach from laboratory efforts to providing technology services in the fields of physics, chemistry, biology, mathematics as well as civil, mechanical, materials and electrical engineering, safety and energy technology and some more. ADTA applies multi-disciplinary approaches to both advance knowledge through applied research and develop innovative technological solutions.
EVN is a leading, international and publicly listed energy and environmental services company, with headquarters in Lower Austria, the country’s largest federal province. Based on state-of-the-art infrastructure, EVN provides its home market with electricity, natural gas, heat, drinking water and wastewater treatment, waste incineration and related services from a single supplier. Furthermore, the company operates cable TV and telecommunications networks and offers various energy services for private and business customers as well as municipalities as part of its portfolio. EVN is currently active in 13 countries.
The Cognitive Mobile Systems Department of the Fraunhofer Institute for Communication, Information Processing and Ergonomics FKIE is working in the area of unmanned systems for more than 20 years now. Our main expertise is the development and evaluation of complex human-robot systems, with a special focus on CBRNE and nuclear & radiological reconnaissance.
European Robotics aims to bridge the gap between HAZOPER (Hazardous Materials Incident Response Operations) users, industry and research with a special focus on the field of ground robotics. European Robotics is a cooperation between representatives from the users community, industry and the research community and is strictly organized on a non-profit basis. All its activities are carried out on a purely honorary and complimentary basis.
