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Manipulators excel in tests
British Nuclear Group has successfully completed endurance testing of two Heavy Duty Hydraulic Manipulators.
Testing was designed to simulate operational conditions with a target of achieving a minimum average of 1200 hours between failures. Both manipulators have exceeded this figure.
Once developed, the manipulators will be used to accelerate waste retrieval from the Magnox Swarf Storage Silos.
Over the last five years the remote handling team of eight has overcome significant technical challenges to develop manipulators that will be able to tackle specific plant tasks.
Speaking on behalf of British Nuclear Group, John Anthony, said: “Using existing technology, the team has used innovative techniques to engineer out any residual issues concerning the manipulators’ reliability. There has been a lot of learning gained during the process and the important work of capturing all this information and knowledge will be put into place during the next financial year. These manipulators have the potential to be very important tools to assist in clean up operations on our sites.”
