GE Hitachi’s (GEH) remotely operated Stinger In-Vessel Visual Inspection (IVVI) tool reached a milestone recently when it was deployed for the ninth time for a refueling outage at a U.S. reactor.
With this outage mission, the tool has been used to examine more than 1,000 reactor components.
Stinger uses advanced camera and remote-positioning technology to aid in reactor inspections, reducing the number of inspection workers needed for refueling and saving money. The tool can examine several components, from reactor-vessel flanges to annulus floors, allowing for uninterrupted fuel movement through remote operations. Data and high-resolution video gathered by Stinger’s visual inspection capabilities can be analyzed in real time by Nuclear Regulatory Commission-certified technicians based in Wilmington, North Carolina.
“From its initial deployment at Plant Hatch in 2013, Stinger has repeatedly helped our customers reduce cost, dosage and outage duration,” GEH Nuclear Fuels and Services Executive Vice President Lance Hall said.
