Decommissioning at Calder Hall: Leveraging Boston Dynamics' Spot Robot

MARKETS: Nuclear

LOCATION: Cumbria, United Kingdom

CLIENT: Sellafield Ltd via Integrated Decommissioning Solutions (IDS) and Decommissioning Delivery Partnership (DDS)

COMPLETION DATE: January 2024

Challenge

Located at Sellafield, Calder Hall was the world’s first full-scale commercial nuclear power station, with buildings dating back to 1953. At that time, many of the buildings were constructed using asbestos, a material which at the time the health risks were not yet understood.

The main risk of this area revolved around the collapsing asbestos roof tiles in the building. As these tiles degraded, they posed a significant risk – not only could they fall from overhead or create weak spots underfoot, but their disintegration also released airborne asbestos particles. This posed a serious health risk to anyone entering the building, potentially causing serious respiratory issues. To safely decommission the site, a thorough inspection of the building was essential. Specialists needed to assess the extent of the work required to safely dismantle the structure and mitigate the hazard from the use of asbestos.

Solution

In December 2021, AtkinsRéalis purchased a Boston Dynamic Spot quadruped robot. This decision was driven by the enhanced Virtual Site Access (VSA) capabilities it offered, amongst the other benefits that Spot could offer to allow for safer procedures. Calder Hall marked the first active deployment of Spot at the Sellafield site.

Through Integrated Decommissioning Solutions (IDS) as part of the Decommissioning Delivery Partnership (DDP), AtkinsRéalis utilised Spot to provide a comprehensive solution Equipped with a 30x PTZ surveillance camera, Spot enabled live streaming, allowing the site team to view real-time visuals and inspect specific parts of the building remotely.

Prior to using Spot, one of the key challenges of acquiring onsite footage was the time required to deploy a human operator for inspections and to record visuals. Using Spot, we were able to capture 360-degree videos of the entire building while simultaneously live streaming through the camera. The setup allowed over 6 team members to view the visuals and identify specific areas of interest.

Due to the significant risk reduction that Spot offered compared, we were able to attain permissions to the site and enter the building much quicker than if a human operator was required.

Services provided

• Boston Dynamic Spot quadruped robot, including a 30x PTZ surveillance camera for live streaming.
• A live visual of the site using Spot and the PTZ camera – all done remotely and reducing any human risk.

Key Benefits

1. Significantly reduced risk to people on site as Spot entered the building.
2. Quick deployment of Spot compared to the safety requirements for human access.
3. Livestream allowed multiple connections to the call, enabling real-time feedback and tailored operation of Spot to investigate specific areas.
4. Significant time savings and risk reduction, allowing for quicker entry and inspection of the building.