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The optioneering study has used Recognised Good Practice (RGP)
A strong argument is presented in the optioneering report supporting the argument that this solution 'enables the mission':
The direct/immediate benefit of this robot is not present. However, this will provide <nnn> knowledge and experience which will benefit the overall mission of remediating the pond and its contents.
Tethered ROVs can be used for both inspections and maintenance activities, however the tether poses a significant challenge in terms of being snagged or tangled in complex structured environments. Tele-operation requires a human operator, which is a highly skilled job and creates a limitation on how long the vehicles can be operated for. By removing the tether and increasing the level of autonomy, the full capabilities of ROVs could be realised.
[Watson, S., Cross, G., Green, P., Parsons, J., Routledge, P., Tudor, N., & Wood, T. (Accepted/In press). A2I2:Autonomous Aquatic Inspection and Intervention in Nuclear Storage Ponds. In 2021 ANS Winter Meeting and Technology Expo]
The optioneering study has considered all operations in and around the pond and has been demonstrated there to not adversely effect their tolerability or ALARP status.
The risk is ALARP because the optioneering studies have considered all solutions (AFAIRP) and shown that any further mitigation would be disproportionately expensive (financially and on time. NB. it has shown that the additional time would be better remediating the contents of the pond to mitigate hazards which are latent there-in.