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For the full agenda and to register to join the discussions at this year's seminar, please visit the event website.
Could you briefly explain your role, involvement, and experience related to the focus of this event?
Jon Montgomerie (JM): I am Subject Matter Expert for nuclear Remote Handling in Jacobs, which of course includes in-cell cranes and given the magnitude of the project I was placed in that role for the Neutral Beam Remote Handling System for ITER, which included the rather novel NB Cell crane.
What do you consider to be the key areas of innovation in this industry, both in the UK and internationally?
JM: For my area of robotics the obvious answer is the rapid advances in computation and the benefits in control of remote systems - as a simple example, 30 years ago implementing automated control (or even simply controlling resolved motion, man-in-loop) of a kinematically redundant robot arm was a significant challenge, whereas now it is relatively straightforward. However we are also seeing major advances in radiation tolerance of materials and electronics - again a simple example from 30 years ago would be that nobody would have imagined it possible then to build a high resolution, colour, solid-state camera that could survive over a megagray of radiation, yet now we actually see this happening. Developments like these will allow us to engineer systems with far greater utility and capability than what we able to at the start of my career.
Who else are you most interested in hearing from on the programme?
JM: I would be particularly interested in the talk on Predictive Maintenance on Cranes in Nuclear from Jonathan Bates.
Why is it important for engineers to join this conference?
JM: Over the years I have seen so many instances of "re-inventing the wheel" which of course generate unnecessary costs in time and money. The way to combat this is for engineers to talk with one another about the projects they have tackled, the challenges they have faced and the means by which they have overcome them, so that the lessons they have learnt do not have to be re-learnt (the hard and expensive way) by others in the future.
The Nuclear Lifting 2024 seminar will take place on 19 November 2024 at ETC Venues Manchester
Taking place for the 10th time in 2024 and the only event of its kind, this is a key forum for those conducting high risk lifting to discover engineering solutions to the technical and environmental challenges.
New presentations will share best practice and lessons learned from projects across the industry, with input from SSE, Office for Nuclear Regulation, Sellafield, EDF Nuclear Services, Babcock, Jacobs SME Nuclear Remote Handling, The National Nuclear Lifting Forum and more.
For the full agenda and to register to join the discussions at this year's seminar, please visit the event website.