Remotely Operated Systems

We have designed remotely operated vehicles for a number of establishments for various purposes. These are often required to work in particularly challenging environments. For instance, this might include underwater operations, constricted areas such as drains and ducts, and intense radiation fields. We can deploy remote sensing a wide variety of remote sensing instrumentation.

The ROV and control console shown here (top) were delivered to UKAEA for use in a high radiation environment. The sensor head was placed on a pan/tilt system. This embodied a camera, distance measuring laser and gamma probe.

These vehicles and instrumentation systems are built in-house and fully tested by our own experts.

Specialist Equipment Supply and Operation

In addition to Remotely Operated Systems, NDSL can design, build and operate special equipment to deal with decommissioning problems, using innovative and effective, but often simple solutions.

For example, NDSL conducted an option study into the disposal of some 33,000 mildly radio-active, sodium-filled, stainless steel coupons.

Following successful trials, a highly cost-effective system was deployed to check each coupon for the presence of fuel or other rogue contents, to open the coupons and deposit them into nitrogen-filled drums for incineration. For more information please have a look at the Sodium Coupons page.

The second photograph shows a tritium bubbler, designed and built by NDSL in response to a request from UKAEA for a system to measure the level of tritium in the gaseous extract system from the Dounreay Materials Test Reactor.

Build and Commission

As well as the design of ventilation systems, NDSL also undertakes, with the assistance of subcontractors, the build, installation and commissioning of such systems. Recent examples include the Hunterston A CCP Bay ventilation system, and the design and commissioning of ventilation systems for a range of buildings at Dounreay, including the DFR NAK Disposal Plant and DMTR.