Qinshan Nuclear Power Completes Overhaul Validation of Grille Cleaning Robotic Arm

The grille cleaning robotic arm, an integrated system of "UAV-based intelligent inspection + robotic arm automatic cleaning" independently developed by the Mechanical Team of the Fourth Maintenance Division at Qinshan Nuclear Power, recently completed on-site validation during the Unit 2 312 overhaul at Qinshan Phase II. Designed for seawater system intake grille cleaning scenarios, this equipment transforms the original manual operation requiring entry into deep wells into an unmanned operation conducted under ground-based remote monitoring.

The intake grille serves as a critical barrier for the cooling water system of a nuclear power plant, and its unobstructed condition is directly related to the stable operation of the unit. In traditional cleaning methods, workers were required to enter narrow shafts more than twenty meters underground to perform inspection and cleaning in confined spaces, which involved high labor intensity, low efficiency, and safety risks such as falls from height, oxygen deficiency, and asphyxiation.

To address this operation and maintenance challenge, the Mechanical Team of the Fourth Maintenance Division at Qinshan Nuclear Power conducted a technical research campaign lasting more than eight months, developing an integrated operation system combining UAV inspection, intelligent identification, and robotic arm cleaning. At the front end of the operation, a UAV equipped with high-definition sensing devices scans and identifies the grille area, generating a visualized operation map; subsequently, the robotic arm autonomously plans its path based on the transmitted data and performs tasks such as grasping and removal, while technical personnel conduct remote monitoring and command from the ground.

During the trial use in the Unit 2 312 overhaul at Qinshan Phase II, the robotic arm promptly detected a defect involving a damaged SEC grille bar, gaining valuable time for subsequent handling and reducing related safety risks during the overhaul. Following the on-site validation, the R&D team assessed the equipment's performance and identified directions for further optimization.

According to reports, after the application of this system, workers no longer need to enter deep wells, which can fundamentally reduce high-risk operations in confined spaces; meanwhile, cleaning work that may have originally taken several hours can be completed within minutes, helping to reduce the impact of related operations on unit operation and maintenance scheduling.

This validation demonstrates that Qinshan Nuclear Power has achieved phased application results in stable UAV inspection under complex environments and precise robotic arm operation in confined spaces. This technical approach can also serve as a reference for scenarios involving confined space operations in municipal drainage deep wells, large-scale water conservancy facilities, and chemical and energy industries.