Remotely-controlled manipulator carrier system for a large-area cell of

Abstract

Remotely-controlled manipulator carrier systems are used in large-area hot ells such as a facility for reprocessing irradiated nuclear fuel materials. The system is used to perform manual-like operations on the process equipment in the hot cell which is disposed in racks along two longitudinally extending walls of the hot cell enclosure, the racks being filled with process equipment and defining a passageway in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the enclosure. The system includes a vertical guide column which is connected to the bridge beam of an overhead bridge crane. A support is mounted on the guide column for movement up and down the column. An extendible arm is cantilever-mounted on the support and has a manipulator or other remotely-controlled apparatus at its outer end. The extendible arm is to be subjected to a minimal bending moment when work is done in the racks containing the process equipment. For this purpose, the guide column is mounted at its respective ends between rotating upper and lower plates aligned to rotate about a common vertical rotational axis. The upper plate is rotatably mounted on the bridge beam; whereas, the lower plate is rotatably mounted on a base platform movable along a track on the passageway. The guide column is arranged between the upper and lower plates so as to be eccentric with respect to the vertical rotational axis whereby the guide column is movable, with the rotation of the upper and lower plates, to the racks on the left side of the passageway or to the racks on the right side thereof, as desired, and into proximity to the process equipment thereby reducing the distance to which the extendible arm has to be extended to permit work on the process equipment.