Mould Gripper for Interim Storage of Radioactive Waste

Task:

For the disposal from nuclear power stations, it is necessary to seal the nuclear waste with glass and cast it in moulds. The handling of those moulds occurs in a manless system. This is aggravated by the fact that the temperature in the bottles is approx. 600 C.
For the handling of such moulds a gripper is to be engineered.

Solution:

In cooperation with the KFK (Kernforschungszentrum Karlsruhe, i.e. Nuclear Research Centre at Karlsruhe) the gripper system was made as follows:

modular system which covers all required applications
combination of up to three functions possible
operation without auxiliary energy
simple, rugged design
no wear parts
no lubricants required
insensitive to radiation (high-grade-steel construction)
good decontamination properties
can be used at increased temperatures
good centering with all diameters, due to wide openings and low center of gravity
long actuation travels, so actuation cannot go unnoticed
mechanical interlock of the gripper arms until actuation

Mould gripper for interim storage for radioactive waste