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Northern Chapter of the New Mexico Network for Women in Science and Engineering LUNCHTIME TALK SERIES |
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Thursday, October 21, 1999
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Talk at 12:00: Nancy Scheer, NMT-15, LANL "NDA Robot and Host Computer for the ARIES Weapons Dismantlement System" |
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The Advanced Recovery and Integrated Extraction System (ARIES) has been developed at Los Alamos National Laboratory to demonstrate the technologies involved in dismantling nuclear weapons and converting the plutonium to forms for long-term storage or disposition. This system is a prototype for the production facility to be built at the Savannah River Site. The ARIES non-destructive assay (NDA) subsystem consists of four computer-based assay instruments, a robot to load and unload the instruments, and a host computer to schedule measurements, direct the activities of the robot, monitor sensors giving system status and configuration, and archive the results of assays.
The NDA robot is a three axes, overhead gantry in a Cartesian configuration, which is used to move sealed canisters of nuclear material throughout an eight-foot platform containing the four NDA instruments. The z-axis contains a force sensor used to detect collisions and to determine contact with an item to be gripped. A digital camera for reading data matrix codes is also mounted on the z-axis. Robot motion can be controlled by the host computer or locally from the robot controller. Manual operations utilize a handheld pendant. The robot reduces the operator radiation dose compared to the dosage associated with manual handling of the canisters.
Sideroom C is reserved from 11:30 to 1:30 for people who like to eat earlier or later, and informal discussion. You are welcome to come for just the talk at noon, and questions are encouraged!
For driving directions to Otowi Cafeteria (TA-3, building 261) at LANL, see:
http://www.lanl.gov/tools/maps November 16: Lunch-Time Talk December 9: Lunch-Time Talk If you would like to receive electronic
LAWIS announcements, Please send email to LAWIS Lunch-Time Talk Organizer: Huyen Dinh, dinh@lanl.gov, 665-0737
(Disclaimer).
(direct link to map showing the Otowi Building: http://nis-www.lanl.gov/cgi-bin/wthi?ta=3&bldg=261).
UPCOMING LAWIS EVENTS
Ojo Caliente Mineral Springs
For details see the links off the LAWIS home page:
(Call)
(registration form)
(draft agenda)
11:30-1:30 (talk at 12:00), Otowi cafeteria sideroom C, LANL
Katherine Prestridge, DX-3, LANL
"Fluid Instabilities: Ongoing research and a practical demonstration"
(link to abstract)
11:30-1:30 (talk at 12:00), Otowi cafeteria sideroom C, LANL
Robi Mulford, NMT-15, LANL*
"Disposition of Plutonium from Dismantlement of Nuclear Weapons --
the ARIES Project"
*work done in collaboration with Kristina Dziewinska
(link to abstract)
lawis-request@listman.lanl.gov (content ignored)
for automated information on subscribing to the LAWIS listserver
(you do not need to be a member).
LAWIS home page: http://home.lanl.gov/lawis
NMNWSE home page: http://www.nmnwse.org
