HAZMAP - A REMOTE DIGITAL MEASUREMENT SYSTEM FOR WORK IN HAZARDOUS ENVIRONMENTS

In a continuing drive to reduce the radiation exposure of nuclear workers, many routine aspects of nuclear plant maintenance and refurbishment are increasingly undertaken by robotic or remote handling tools. Accurate ''as built'' documentation of plant records is vital to the successful planning and execution of such operations since an unexpected obstruction or undocumented site modification may result in a costly disruption or even failure of the intervention. In recognition of the importance of such documentation, a recent European Community dagger sponsored project has been directed towards the development of techniques for cost effective survey and modelling of such plant. This paper will detail the rationale behind the design of such a system and will describe typical results from a number of pilot projects.