significantly different in design to P and R
reactors, the SRNL R&D engineering team
decided to use laser scanning to create a
VR model of the building. Laser scanning
not only speeds the modeling process, but it
also collects far more data than was built for
the P and R models. Whereas the P and R
models only included the building structure
and major equipment, the scans in the C
reactor include the structure, all equipment,
piping, and even signage, as color images
are overlaid with the laser scan. Signage can
be important, as it often lists equipment
numbers, electrical circuits, and piping. This
data is important, as it can lead to more
understanding about the equipment in the
building. The CAD and 3D printed models
lacked that level of detail.
To date, the SRNL team has made more
than 200 scans of the below ground areas of
C reactor, which have been combined into a
single VR environment that can be viewed
by planners.
VR provides applications beyond
planning
The 3D CAD models of P and R were
created specifically for the pouring of grout
to stabilize the contamination inside the
reactors. But once the word spread that there
were good CAD models of the buildings,
many other groups requested access to the
data. In some cases the CAD models could
provide the detail requested, but sometimes
they could not. With the increased level of
information that the scans are collecting, the
resulting VR model will find more uses.
For example, once work planning is
complete and the actual work begins, the VR
models could be used to prepare workers for
job tasks before they enter the building. Using
VR, supervisors can show their teams the
task at hand and the hazards that are present
in the building. Currently, this preparation
is handled outside the facility, often using
2D pictures that need to be interpreted.
Conducting the briefing in VR will allow
workers to see the work and hazards in a safe
environment and minimize the time needed
to be in the hazardous environment.
—John Bobbitt, Principal Engineer
R&D Engineering, Savannah River
National Laboratory
A team uses virtual reality technology for training on high hazard equipment. Credit: SRS Photography/SRNL
A historical photo of the nuclear reactor known as C, build
in the early 1950s, which the SRNL team was tasked with
decommissioning. Credit SRS Photography/SRNL
By using 3D technology, the decommissioning team gets a sense of the space inside the reactors. Credit: SRS Photography/SRNL
