Primus (Platform for Robotic Inspection and Maintenance for Unstructured Settings) developed by Fuzzy Logic and Visionic for Framatome Intercontrôle is a robotized NDT system for nuclear infrastructures. This software and hardware package can be used by non-robotic NDT operators, a major differentiating factor compared with existing solutions on the robotics and NDT markets. The collaboration between Fuzzy Logic, Visionic and Framatome was born within the framework of Rima (Robotics for Inspection and Maintenance), a European Union project that aims to establish a network of "Digital Innovation Hubs"and industry associations to support the development of robotics.
To be effective, today's NDT technologies require a controlled, laboratory-like environment, which is precisely what is difficult to achieve under field conditions. This is a challenge that Framatome Intercontrôle faces when inspecting components in the primary circuits of nuclear power plants (CNPE), particularly for specific welds such as piquage, the junction points between primary and secondary piping systems.
In order to overcome these challenges, Framatome Intercontrôle uses industrial robots in an innovative way to solve many NDT problems. Ultrasonic detection performed by a robot characterizes the weld's internal volumetric defects in order to detect any cracks. Currently, these inspections are prepared upstream on site, and require a 3D scan of the weld and measurement of the environment, as each weld and each environment are geometrically unique. A roboticist then calculates the robot's trajectory for future inspection. At the time of inspection, if the environment differs from the initial measurements or does not correspond exactly to the archived scan, it is no longer possible to directly adapt the prepared trajectory; measurements and trajectory calculations must be readjusted. Yet the nuclear environment is complex and subject to highly restrictive safety regulations: each intervention is therefore costly in terms of human resources, all the more so as the radiation exposure threshold for personnel is 12 millisieverts per year, which increases the cost of recovery interventions when they become necessary.
According to Yannick Caulier, expert I, VTI level III, Coffmet level II at Framatome / Intercontrôle : "Preparing for inspections is complex, time-consuming and costly, because the environment is not easy to model. That's why we were looking for software that would enable us to easily redefine trajectories in order to adapt our inspections on nuclear sites."
Today's industrial robots and programming tools are not suited to unstructured field environments. What's more, they require considerable expertise to operate and program. To overcome these constraints, Fuzzy Logic and Visionic have developed the Primus platform.
Primus, a unique software platform
The Primus software and hardware platform enables NDT service providers to meet infrastructure inspection requirements quickly and efficiently. How it works is simple: the first step is to model the environment as it is at the time of inspection. Any additional elements likely to interfere with the trajectory are then integrated into this modeling stage, providing a complete simulation of the process prior to on-site inspection. In the second stage, a robot is positioned close to the welding zones on the pipe. The need for precise movement of the inspection probe requires the use of a robot to achieve accurate positioning and orientation. Thanks to Fuzzy Logic's Fuzzy Studio software, the robot can be quickly set up by operators, without the need for highly precise positioning on the pipe. The robot's integrated 3D sensors enable it to be quickly and easily realigned with its real environment. Trajectories can be determined in a matter of seconds, with just a few clicks of the mouse. The combination of the complex trajectory calculated by Fuzzy Studio and Visionic's 3D scan of the weld structure generates the inspection trajectory adapted to the actual surface. The final step is ultrasonic inspection of the weld.
This method is unprecedented in the field of NDT, and the results obtained are much more precise thanks to the control of probe positioning, which has been adapted thanks to 3D scanning of the surface.
Visionic offers robots and their optical systems. Fuzzy Logic provides improved conditions for agile programming, carried out by non-roboticists, eliminating numerous adjustment steps. Framatome Intercontrôle provided both the know-how and a robotized NDT weld inspection test bench to develop, test and validate the Primus solution in an operational environment.
The Primus system has reduced Framatome Intercontrôle's inspection time from two weeks to just one day.
What's more, Primus increases the efficiency, quality and safety of non-destructive testing, while reducing operators' exposure to radiation. Thanks to the cooperation and support of Rima network partners, the Primus system was developed, deployed and tested in a record 14 months, putting industrial robotics at the forefront of nuclear infrastructure inspection.
Yannick Caulier declares: "The ergonomic and versatile no-code software, which can be used on all Primus robots, offers us unprecedented accessibility. You can place the robot wherever you want and generate its trajectory with just a few clicks. That's one of the things that really appealed to us.
Effective collaboration
Ryan Lober, CEO and co-founder of Fuzzy Logic: "Framatome, like many other manufacturers, are pushing the boundaries of what we think we can do with industrial robots; they are, however, hampered by expert tools. By offering a solution accessible to non-experts, we're unlocking these applications, once thought impossible."
According to Xavier Savin: "This specific application for Framatome, which responds to a particular problem, can be transposed to any situation where material health inspection is carried out by ultrasound on surfaces whose geometry is poorly controlled. Our solution can be extended to robotic applications where a different trajectory definition is important. The more variable the trajectories, the more meaningful the solution will be.
Yannick Caulier explains that the software dedicated to this application can be extended to other types of weld inspection. "The prototype is destined to evolve with new functionalities and the fluidification of the inspection chain".
Rima, a daring gamble
The collaboration between Framatome, Fuzzy Logic and Visionic began in autumn 2019, via the Rima consortium. Framatome had an atypical request in robotics, since its need was located in a non-expert environment: it was to design a software platform that would define trajectories to adapt pipe weld inspections on a nuclear site. Visionic and Fuzzy Logic responded together, convinced of the unprecedented technological potential of their solution.
Rima subsidized R&D costs for the Visionic and Fuzzy Logic consortium to the tune of €300,000.
"Rima financed a previously non-existent technology to meet an atypical need. Rima's gamble has paid off, since in 14 months our Primus solution, developed by a start-up and an innovative SME, has demonstrated the strength of its impact in a sector reputed to be difficult".says a delighted Ryan Lober.
Xavier Savin, for his part, explains: "We were aware of the commercial potential beyond our technical solution. The international market for Primus is real. Each of France's 56 nuclear reactors must undergo a major refurbishment, i.e. continue operating after 40 years. Replacing piping systems in this environment is both costly and complex. Our solution, which characterizes defects and delivers reliable results, enables us to decide on the most appropriate maintenance steps after inspection. Our solution offers considerable economic potential. It should be multiplied by the number of power plants in Europe and worldwide".