Submersible ROV Could Remove Sludge from Cooling Ponds

UK engineering firm Red Marine has developed a remotely operated submersible vehicle concept designed to remove sludge, residuals and debris from storage ponds at nuclear power stations.

Drawing on technologies used in the oil and gas sector, the 2m-long tracked "Stobot" can excavate sludge using both a backhoe and a front-mounted scoop. According to Red Marine, this reduces sludge disturbance and water separation issues compared to alternative dredging solutions. Material is then transported via an export conveyor to a skip system that transfers the excavated sludge to the processing location.

The vehicle is part of a complete package with its own dedicated launch and recovery, umbilical management and decontamination systems.

"The Stobot is a versatile and robust work platform with significantly more load capacity than a traditional flying ROV [remotely operated vehicle]," says Joe Orrell, Red Marine's managing director. "We believe the vehicle will be beneficial to the sector due to its unique ability to be reconfigured for a wide range of pond decommissioning tasks, including cutting, drilling and breaking.”

Red Marine is currently in discussion with potential development partners in the nuclear industry, with plans to begin testing of the first unit in early 2017.