DOE 2000. - Waste Isolation Pilot Plant - U.S. Department of Energy

WIPP RH PSAR DOE/WIPP-03-3174 CHAPTER 4
Master/Slave Manipulators
There are four Design Class IIIA master-slave heavy duty manipulators in the Hot Cell that allow
operators in the operating gallery to reproduce the natural movements and forces of the human hand. The
operator must exert the same force on the master arm that he wishes to exert with the slave arm; however,
the tong squeeze motion does have a mechanical force multiplication. The manipulators are mounted in
the wall of the Hot Cell using a "thru tube".
PAR 6000 Bridge Mounted Power Manipulator
The Design Class IIIA PAR 6000 power manipulator is a crane mounted remote controlled arm with
shoulder, elbow, and wrist pivots which can be independently driven (Figure 4.2-14c). The wrist can
support various adaptor tools including a hook hand and parallel jaw hand. The manipulator is
suspended from a rotation drive assembly which permits full rotation of the manipulator about its vertical
axis. The manipulator is attached to the rotation drive by two locking pins which allow for remote
removal of the manipulator from the rotation drive assembly.
The rotation drive is attached to the bottom of a telescoping tube which provides manipulator vertical
motion. There are five square nested telescoping sections connected in such a way that movement of any
one tube causes all tubes to move. The telescoping tubes have an up-down travel of approximately 15 ft
(4.6 m) at a speed of 15 ft (4.6 m) per minute and have a lifting capacity of 5000 lbs (2668 kg). The
telescoping tube assembly is supported by the trolley carriage which travels on a bridge assembly. The
bridge can travel east-west for approximately 50 ft (15.2 m) at a speed of up to 22 ft (6.7 m) per minute,
while the trolley can travel north-south for approximately 25 ft (7.6 m) at a speed of up to 15 ft (4.6 m)
per minute.
The control panels for the PAR 6000 power manipulator includes the controls for bridge, trolley,
hoisting, and manipulator operation. The control equipment is located in panels along the north wall of
the operating gallery. The operator controls and indicators are mounted on the PAR 6000 manipulator
console. The console is mounted on wheels and can be moved near the viewing window that provides
the best viewing of the operation to be performed. The console includes cables that can be plugged into
any one of three connection boxes mounted in the operating gallery.
Closed-Circuit Television System
There are several closed-circuit television (CCTV) high resolution cameras in the Hot Cell which can be
monitored in the operating gallery. CCTV cameras are used to provide direct viewing of specific
operations. Each camera system includes a camera head which is mounted inside the Hot Cell, a control
unit which is located in the operating gallery, and connecting cable. The video output is directed to
monitors which are located for operator convenience. Each camera is fitted with a zoom lens and has its
own control unit, which is rack mounted in the operating gallery. The cameras are supported on a pan/tilt
unit to provide full motion.
4.2-10 January 28, 2003