Design and development of a robotic crawler for CANDU fuel channel inspection

Abstract

For the design of a new robotic crawler drive unit for CANDU fuel channel inspection, a complete design and screening process was done in order to fulfil the objective of this research. A brief explanation of CANDU reactors is provided along with a discussion of the inspection systems that are currently in use. A study of some existing inspection systems is presented which was used for the development of the new robotic crawler design. A number of concepts were generated which underwent a screening process with the help of two design tools. With the help of these tools, a concept was chosen as the final design and details of it are presented. To demonstrate a proof-of-concept, the physical prototype of the robotic crawler was manufactured and assembled. A speed controller was implemented in the final design of the robotic crawler.