Case studie – Fuel debris retrieval – Fukushima Daiichi, Japan

Investigating a damaged reactor vessel

The Retiina team is working on fuel debris removal projects for Fukushima Daiichi, Japan. A remotely controlled boom-type system is being developed for the investigation of a damaged reactor. The next phases of the project aim to take samples of the nuclear fuel debris and eventually remove the fuel.
Retiina will also be used to create a sensor-based virtual reconstruction of the reactor interior for training operators, and for defining and testing the robotic procedures. A control room supports multiple operators with live VR representations of the actual operation.
Using the Retiina approach, the system design could be tested in VR early in the design phase. These tests revealed that the wand attached to the robotic system was too long to manoeuvre through the narrow environment. The design was adjusted, saving several months of valuable development and production time.

Proven technology from the offshore industry, now being used to de-risk nuclear decommissioning projects.

“The use of this technology together with proven methodologies has been a game changer for Veolia Nuclear Solutions. We have successfully deployed this approach on several key projects.”

Stephen Sanders, Remote Operations Director, Veolia Nuclear Solutions (UK)

With you for the
whole journey

Retiina makes difficult tasks easy. Designing procedures, testing, and training in a virtual environment saves time, improves cost efficiency, and helps teams get it right from the start.

Retiina offers excellent support for the complete project life cycle. Starting with low-threshold initial studies, it provides interactive visualisation of designs and ideas in the early phases of your project. Throughout the project, Retiina supports equipment design, task development, and – eventually – the operation, with fully interactive solutions.

Virtual reality like you’ve never seen it before: tailored to meet your project requirements.

Retiina

Project de-risking solutions for hazardous environments

Task development

• Develop and validate task procedures
• Visualise complex tasks
• Perform time-andmotion studies
• Physics-based digital mock-ups

Equipment and plant design

• Reduce time to market
• Reduce risk of late changes and cost overruns
• Optimise for remote maintenance in active environments
• Fast-failing prototyping

Supporting live operations

• Operator training
• Real-time robot and equipment monitoring
• Reverse engineering of unstructured environments

“It is rewarding that our simulation technology contributes to the safe execution of nuclear decommission projects. The excellent cooperation with VNS enables us to develop smart new solutions that are tailored to support the typical challenges of this demanding industry.”

Mr. G.A. Weder, Managing Director of Tree C Technology BV

Over 10 years of
partnership

Veolia and Tree C have been in partnership for over a decade. We’ve built up extensive expertise using VR-supported remote handling solutions in all aspects of decommissioning projects. Including specification, conceptualisation, design, development, fabrication, testing, visualisation, modelling, implementation, and operation.

We have mechanical design capabilities, workshops, and an Assembly, Integration and Testing facility. We develop and operate virtual and physical mock-ups of nuclear decommissioning challenges.

Remote handling

Designs and builds remote handling systems for extremely complex and hostile environments. Proven expertise and a track record of providing innovative solutions in key sectors, including nuclear fusion, nuclear decommissioning, and high-energy physics.

Veolia Nuclear Solutions is part of Veolia, the global leader in optimised resource management for water, waste and energy.

3D simulation

Provides simulation and remote handling software to the offshore and nuclear industries. Tree C has a track record of delivering complex hardware-in-the-loop, advanced physics-based simulators, and innovative visualisation solutions for remote operations. Specific experience in the virtual reconstruction of unknown environments, using (laser-scanned) point cloud data to update virtual reality simulations with as-built or damaged environment 3D data.

Retiina completes the remote handling process with a smart visual. In a nutshell, it provides a virtual representation of a site and accurately simulates the equipment interacting with this environment.

Invaluable to the most challenging projects in hazardous environments, Retiina can be rapidly configured and delivered to client requirements thanks to plug-and-play modules.