This paper describes the development and operation of an autonomous robotic system designed for pyroprocess automation. The unique challenges of pyroprocess automation, such as the need for a highly dry atmosphere to handle materials like chloride, are addressed through this system. For the experiments, a specialized dehumidifier and dry mock-up facility were designed to produce dry air condition. Performances of dry air conditioning for the various simulated situations were evaluated, including assessing worker access within a mock-up to determine the system’s feasibility. To enable automation, containers used for processing materials were modified to fit the gripper system of the gantry robot. The loading and unloading of materials in each equipment were automated to connect them with the robotic system. This gantry robot primarily utilized macro motions to approach waypoints containing process materials, reducing the need for precise approach motions. Its tapered jaw design allowed it to grip target objects even with imperfect positioning. The robot’s motions were programmed initially using a robot simulator for positioning and motion planning, and real-world accuracy was tested in a dry mock-up facility using the OPC platform. Finally, the paper discusses the potential application of XR (eXtended Reality) technology in this context, which could enhance the robot’s operation and provide valuable insights into the automation process. Further analysis of XR technology’s feasibility and benefits for this specific pyroprocess automation system are presented.

The process basket assembly is an important module in pyroprocess, because pyroprocess is a batch process, so process materials are contained in a basket assembly and transferred with the basket. The basket assembly is composed of upper and lower assembly. The lower assembly is a basket or crucible which contains process materials, and it can have electrodes. The upper assembly mainly consists of heat shields, a flange, and connectors for supplying currents to electrodes of the lower assembly. During the electrolytic recovery process, the lower part is submerged into molten salt, whose temperature is about 500°C at least and the heat from salt is transferred to the upper assembly. And the heat affects the performance or durability of parts on the top of equipment and can raise cell temperature, which is an undesired situation. In addition, the handling equipment can pick the assembly when it is hottest, and during the transfer, the gripped part is under thermal and mechanical stresses. Because of this, the thermal effects from the heat should be required during equipment design stage. In this study, the thermal analyses of process basket assembly were conducted for 3 cases: the steady state of the basket assembly when it submerged in molten salt, the thermal and mechanical stresses when gripped by remote handling device, and the temperature changes under natural convection. These analyses were performed using Solidworks with flow simulation package, and the results will apply to improve the thermal resistant performance of the basket assembly.