Kerntechnische Hilfsdienst GmbH (KHG), a nuclear emergency protection organisation mainly funded by operators of German nuclear power plants, has contracted IABG to develop and deliver a high flexibility manipulator system for deployment in nuclear facility incidents. The HMS consists of a remotely controlled manipulator carrier system on basis of a commercial mini-excavator, excavator-based tools, a manipulator unit and a mobile control station. The particular technical challenge here is the radiation-resistant design and integration of all functional units.
The manipulator system can be deployed in damaged plants, where dose rates have become life-threatening for humans and is able to complete various tasks. It can thus - for example - provide new access and open or close doors, flaps or valves. In addition, camera pictures and information concerning the radiologic conditions can be transferred to the control station in real-time.
As general contractor, IABG is in charge of planning, procurement, control design and programming as well as of the system integration. IABG also executes the qualification of the overall HMS.
During the acquisition phase, the topic of “Manipulator Systems for Nuclear Disaster Control” has suddenly gained high topicality due to the incidents in the nuclear facility of Fukushima in Japan.
The political decisions made in the course of the change in German energy politics add particular importance to this contract for IABG. Since remote handling systems play an essential role in the decommissioning of nuclear plants, IABG has now various acquisition opportunities, both with the prevention of accidents and with pending decommissioning projects.
