What question did this study set out to answer?

This research aims to create a remotely operated vehicle for effective ultrasonic testing of shroud internals.

March 15, 2026Transactions of the JSME (in Japanese)0 citationsOpen Access

Development of shroud remotely operated vehicle for ultrasonic testing (Formulation of design requirements and development of a vehicle for internal surface operations of shrouds)

YYYasuhiro Yuguchi TNT Nakagawa TMTakeshi Maehara

Key Points

This research aims to create a remotely operated vehicle for effective ultrasonic testing of shroud internals.
Developed a flat-type remotely operated vehicle (ROV) named the Shroud Vehicle for Shroud I.D.
Utilized phased array ultrasonic testing (PAUT) for inspection purposes.
Tested ROV positioning accuracy and its applications in shroud ultrasonic testing (UT).
The Shroud Vehicle can adhere to the shroud surface using thrusting propellers.
It can operate through a circular opening as small as approximately 270 mm.
The study demonstrates improved inspection accuracy for in-vessel shroud operations.

Abstract

This paper presents the development and application of phased array ultrasonic testing (PAUT) and a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) for the in-vessel inspection of boiling water reactor (BWR) internals. Since the 1990s, stress corrosion cracking in reactor internals has emerged as a critical issue, leading to an increasing demand for thorough inspections. This paper highlights the advantages of the water immersion method and the outcomes of ROV development. Notably, the authors developed a flat-type ROV for shroud inspection named the Shroud Vehicle for Shroud I.D., which can adhere to the shroud surface using thrusting propellers and mechanically scan through a circle opening as small as approximately 270 mm. The positioning accuracy of the ROV and its applications for shroud UT are also tested.

Ask AI

Helpful

Bookmark

View Full Paper