RWE Nuclear and the Fraunhofer Institute for Computer Graphics Research IGD have received the EU Nuclear Innovation Prize for their joint research project ROBBE (ROBot-assisted Processing of Assemblies). The project, funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research within the FORKA program (Research for the Decommissioning of Nuclear Facilities), was selected by the jury for third prize in the category of radioactive waste management. The ceremonial award presentation took place today during a formal event at the 10th Euratom Conference on the Disposal of Radioactive Waste in Lyon. Rosalinde van der Vlies, Director for Clean Planet at the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Research and Innovation, presented the prize—endowed with EUR 20,000—to Gabriele Strehlau, Commercial Managing Director of RWE Nuclear GmbH, and Pedro Santos, Head of the Department for Digitalization of Cultural Heritage at the Fraunhofer Institute for Computer Graphics Research IGD in Darmstadt.

“We are proud of the team’s unconventional approach. In particular, combining solution approaches from a completely different field of application—namely the digitalization of cultural heritage—with standardized industrial products has resulted in a technology that spares people physically demanding work and opens up an efficient and resource-saving way of treating radioactive residues,” says Gabriele Strehlau.
“For the first time, we are able to fully capture the surfaces of any objects in 3D without prior references such as CAD models and then process them. Together with RWE Nuclear, we were able to successfully demonstrate the practical applicability of our fully automated processes in an industrial context,” adds Pedro Santos.

During the safe decommissioning of a nuclear power plant, dismantled components from controlled areas—often coated steel parts—are examined for possible contamination. Any radioactive particles adhering to the surface are removed during decontamination. Minimizing radioactive waste is a primary objective during decommissioning and is also required by law. Often, this involves manually performed mechanical high-pressure water cleaning in special cleaning cabins. The majority of the dismantled material can be cleaned to such an extent that, under regulatory supervision, it can be released—i.e., falls below the legally defined radiation exposure limits—and returned to the materials recycling loop.

Congratulations on third place in the Nuclear Innovation Prize in the important category “Radioactive Waste Management.”
The robot-assisted processing of assemblies jointly developed by RWE and Fraunhofer IGD provides a significant boost in efficiency for decontamination and thus for the entire decommissioning process.

At the core of the technology is the autonomous capture of the 3D geometry of coated components of any shape and size, followed by robot-assisted de-coating using ultra-high-pressure water jet technology. The autonomous and automated approach enables faster, more efficient processing of components while optimizing radiation protection.
“Originally, we developed the technology for the precise 3D digitalization of cultural artifacts, for example in archaeological excavations. Together with RWE, we transferred our innovative scanning technology to the requirements of robot-assisted decontamination in decommissioning,” explains Pedro Santos.

From the initial project idea, through the laboratory model, to industrial application as a prototype at RWE’s decommissioning facility in Biblis, the innovative project impressed the jury overall. At the Biblis site alone, around 15,000 tons of coated steel parts will accrue during decommissioning. With robot-assisted processing, an efficiency increase of well over 50% compared to manual processes is expected. At the same time, the innovation significantly improves occupational safety by reducing radiation exposure for operating personnel and decreasing the amount of physically demanding manual work.

The start of regular operation at the Biblis decommissioning facility is planned for autumn 2022.
“Of course, we also see great potential for deploying this innovative technology at our other decommissioning sites or even in other industrial sectors,” explains Gabriele Strehlau, highlighting the benefits for RWE. A corresponding patent application has already been filed.