A portable underwater manipulator designed for inspection of critical welds on all types of Reactor Pressure Vessel (RPV) nozzles in nuclear power plants. Developed with Framatome, Germany this lightweight system offers comprehensive in-service inspections, which can be carried out simultaneously alongside other RPV activities. AquaNox-7 is lowered into the RPV pool then manoeuvred into position using Remotely Operated Underwater Vehicles (ROUV’s). The manipulator securely attaches to the vessel wall using four vacuum feet. Fine tuning position and nozzle centering are achieved through 7-axis of motion control and aided by built-in radiation-resistant cameras, before deploying the inter-changeable telescopic inspection head into the nozzle bore for ultrasonic (UT), eddy current (ET) and visual testing (VT).
November 11, 2025