Abstract
Michigan State University (MSU) in East Lansing, MI was selected by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to design and establish a Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB), a cutting-edge research facility to advance the understanding of rare nuclear isotopes and the evolution of the cosmos. The research conducted at the FRIB will involve experimentation with intense beams of rare isotopes within a well-shielded target cell that will result in activation and contamination of components. The target cell is initially hands-on accessible after shutdown and a brief cool-down period. Personnel are expected to have hands-on access to the tops of shielded component modules with the activated in-beam sections suspended underneath. The modules are carefully designed to include steel shielding for protecting personnel during these hand-on operations. However, as the facility has greater levels of activation and contamination, a bridge mounted servomaniputor may be added to the cell, to perform the disconnecting of services to the component assemblies. Dexterous remote handling and exchange of the modularized activated components is completed at a shielded window workstation with a pair of master-slave manipulators. The primary components requiring exchange or maintenance are the production target, the beam wedge filter, the beam dump, and the beam focusing and bending magnets. This paper provides an overview of the FRIB Target Facility remote handling and maintenance design requirements, concepts, and techniques.
