Subscribe to our newsletter to receive the latest news and events from TWI:

Subscribe >
Skip to content

Cutting-edge technology for nuclear decommissioning

Back to Media and Events 2013-07-creepimage-inspecting-creep-damage-in-critical-power-plant-components 2016-09-cutting-edge-technology-for-nuclear-decommissioning A career in welding inspection Additive manufactured medical implants to enter mainstream Additive Manufacturing UK Strategy update available for download Advanced electron beam facilities meet advanced industrial challenges Advanced ultrasonic full matrix capture inspection software launched Armourers & Brasiers' awards open for entries Art exhibition leads to new method of laser metal deposition Asbestos detection made easier and more reliable ASME issues White Paper on auditing of welding Audit shows TWI as integral to innovation Aviation Industry Corporation of China collaborates with TWI BeamAssure™ – electron beam welding quality assurance tool Best practice for nuclear construction industry welding BS 7910:2013 - Assessing flaws in metallic structures Call for papers: 12th International FSW Symposium CII and TWI awareness seminar in composites technology Coatings and surface engineering: addressing the needs of industry Combatting ice and erosion in extreme low temperatures - EIROS Combining Cathodic Protection with Aluminium Coatings CROWN project commended for offshore wind corrosion work Depositing silicon carbide coatings by thermal spraying Digital Twin Technology to monitor offshore assets Digital twin technology wins environmental business award Dr Melissa Riley presents paper at international conference Dr Melissa Riley represents TWI at international conference eLearning package for CSWIP 3.1 Welding Inspector launched Entry is now open for SkillWeld 2016 Extending Aircraft Life Using Cold Spray Technology Fibre delivered laser beam cutting optimisation Friction stir welding – joining the future of industry Friction stir welding and Japanese jewellery Government funds £10 million technology hub in Teesside Has your PCN NDT Certification been voided? TWI Can Help… Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal opens new laboratories at TWI High-pressure hydrogen testing at TWI Ice-repellant coating for aerospace and energy industries Industry benefits of composites microwave processing Innovation Centres at TWI deliver progress for industry INTRAPID produces rapid in-line laser AM inspection systems Introducing the TWI Virtual Academy: studying on your own terms Investigating geothermal coatings for the future of renewable energy Laser scanner improves TWI weld analysis services for Members Lasers for decommissioning: the story so far Lifting the lid on innovation: exploratory projects at TWI Lord Heseltine opens new TWI technology and training centre Meeting reinvigorates Welding Institute's Liverpool branch Mike Russell appointed as TWI Operations Director 'Mind the doors' – New project investigates train door failure Mobile electron beam welds for fabricating large structures ModuLase - combining laser processes for the future of manufacturing MoU between ALFED and TWI enhances collaboration Nanosecond pulsed laser expands opportunities for project work NDT Voiding of PCN certification from NDT International New benefit for TWI Members: free access to Welding Abstracts journal New building to house TWI's structural integrity expertise New centre for Advanced Manufacturing Technologies launched New eBooks added for Professional and Industrial Members New facility for testing the barrier performance of polymers New fracture testing accreditation New Granta Centre manager guarantees premier conferencing New home and new capabilities for TWI in Middlesbrough New manufacturing process supports Hayter's winning position New sensor technology for safe shale gas extraction funded New TWI article breaks down the changes to ISO 15614-1 New ultrasonic testing courses from the TWI Virtual Academy New welding apprenticeship standards receive government approval Novel solution for submersible pumps in oil and gas industry Open Day sparks the start of a new era of research for TWI Pioneering tests being conducted on bespoke TWI rig Plant Inspection training meets need for competent workers Plastics welding experts answer your questions at Aquaculture UK 2014 Progressing graphene as a supercritical fluid barrier Project investigates Powder Metallurgy for astrospace use Purpose-built pressure testing facility opens for business at TWI Purpose-built pressure testing facility to be constructed at TWI Registration opens for TWI BS EN ISO 15614-1 (2017) training RJD Engineering gains Factory Production Control system Certification Rolls-Royce's Martin Boyd discusses the benefits of becoming an IEng Showing expertise in corrosion safety, investigation and assessment Simulating real-world conditions for oil and gas research Skills Development Fund Scheme provides extra TWI courses SkillWeld medallist goes on to take gold at EuroSkills 2016 SOCAR and TWI celebrate new competence training partnership Success for TWI's first blended learning course candidates Successful engineers graduate from EWF/IIW Diploma in Welding 'SUPERSLAB' to meet thicker high-strength steels challenge SurFlow: secure, robust, integrated data transfer through composites Symposium highlights developments in linear friction welding Taking the next step as a CSWIP Welding Inspector Tate Modern use solvent technology for art restoration Teletest business transfers to Eddyfi Technologies The 50-year view of fracture The Transport Systems Catapult and TWI Announce Partnership The Welding Institute Annual Awards and Dinner 2017 The Welding Institute Awards 2018 – Applied Technology Award The Welding Institute promoting career development at NECR exhibition True Stress-True Strain Tensile Testing to Failure TWI and Lloyd's Register launch Fullagar Technologies initiative TWI and Lloyd's Register projects advance take-up of AM TWI celebrates National Women in Engineering Day TWI CEO Christoph Wiesner awarded OBE TWI combines heritage with innovation for the Morgan Motor Company TWI commence 'SubSeaLase' decommissioning project TWI delivers plastics welding training course to Fusion Marine TWI develops essential metallography training to ensure best practice TWI enters research centre agreement with AECC BIAM, China TWI helping UK businesses to 'Access India' TWI helps bring Philips Avent's thermoplastic nebulizer to market TWI helps Engineering College meet industry demand for staff TWI holds successful cold spray technology course TWI hosts graduation ceremony for EWF/IIW Diploma engineers TWI joins 'Integral' nuclear waste project TWI lands NDA innovation award for nuclear decommissioning TWI launches course for advanced digital radiography TWI pioneers 'invisible weld' process TWI Pioneers New Dissimilar Weld for European Space Agency TWI rewards outstanding undergraduate engineering projects TWI signs Memorandum of Understanding with Saudi Aramco TWI Supports Underwater Laser Cutting Project TWI Technology Fellow given Visiting Professorship at LSBU TWI Training success story - Vera Dragoi TWI wins RIBA Awards TWI working to progress composites in the automotive industry TWI's Dr Philippa Moore: A role model for female engineers TWI's Dr Shiladitya Paul called as guest editor of Coatings journal Ultrasonic imaging climbing robot passes field trials Update on CPD for Welding Institute Professional Members Vince Cable India visit promotes UK business successes Welding Institute Annual Awards 2018 Welding Institute's latest Engineering Council registrants Welding the unweldable: TWI friction stir welds ODS steel WindTwin project to revolutionise wind turbine technology Workshop to address dissimilar materials joining challenge World's largest linear friction welded component produced World's most precise weld made at TWI
 
07 September 2016
LaserSnake trials under way; image courtesy of Sellafield Ltd
Image courtesy Sellafield Ltd

TWI, OC Robotics, NNL, ULO Optics, and Laser Optical Engineering invite you to see results and demonstrations of LaserSnake2, a collaborative project to develop new snake-arm robot and laser cutting technology for confined nuclear spaces.

On 21 September, TWI and project partners will host a demonstration of the latest LaserSnake2 project developments at TWI’s Cambridge headquarters. As well as updates of the results from each project partner, there will be demonstrations using the snake-arm robot and a 10kW laser source. 

In addition, to show the range of future applications, other demonstrations will include a wall-climbing robot from London Southbank University cutting a vertically mounted steel plate, and a Brokk manipulator cutting an array of tubing. 

A demonstration of ‘handheld’ laser cutting will also take place, using a newly developed mini cutting pistol. This tool will help demonstrate recent innovations by Lasermet, regarding laser safety for handheld applications.

There is still time to register for the event

Project background

The research and development phases of the LaserSnake2 project are complete, and the project is now in its demonstration phase. This is formed of two components: 

  • An active demonstration of the LaserSnake technology, size-reducing a large dissolver vessel at the nuclear site at Sellafield, UK
  • A public demonstration of the technology at TWI on 21 September 2016.

For close to two years, the LaserSnake partners have been in discussion with staff from Sellafield about the capabilities of the technology developed in the project and how it might be applied, as a demonstration, in an active environment.   

This has required sourcing a suitable component to be cut, arranging access to it, and establishing the safety case for the work, as well as the logistics of bringing the necessary equipment on-site and making it operational in the field.  

Two possible components were identified by Sellafield, located in the first-generation fuel reprocessing plant: 

  • A set of reagent tanks
  • A large, dual-walled, stainless steel dissolver vessel. 

After careful consideration, the dissolver was selected, as its geometry and wall thickness were such that it was felt to be representative of many such components on-site requiring future size reduction.  

The dissolver, about 1300mm in diameter and 2900mm high, weighing about five tonnes, was partly dual-walled, with an outer skin of 12mm thickness and an inner skin of 32mm thickness separated by an air gap of 40mm. 

In the project, techniques had been developed for cutting this combination in a single pass, using 10kW of laser power. However, for the work at Sellafield, safety called for 5kW maximum laser power. As a result, techniques had to be found to first remove the outer skin, before cutting the thicker inner sections. During cutting the target weight for a part was 25kg. Other challenges involved cutting initial sections at angles not normal to the wall (thereby effectively increasing the thickness of the part being cut), so that the cut parts were released and fell under their own weight, rather than being trapped, unable to fall. The images show the new snake robot and laser in place outside the concrete cell in which the cutting took place. The cell wall at the point of entry was 1000mm thick. 

The LaserSnake2 project is jointly supported by Innovate UK, the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC), the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA). 

For more information please contact us

For more information please email:


contactus@twi.co.uk