Development of an information reference system using reconstruction models of nuclear power plants

Many nuclear power plants in Japan are approaching the end of their planned operational life spans. They must be decommissioned safely in the near future. Using augmented reality (AR), workers can intuitively understand information related to decommissioning work. Three-dimensional (work-site) reconstruction models of dismantling fields are useful for workers to observe the conditions of dismantling field situations without visiting the actual fields. This study, based on AR and work-site reconstruction models, developed and evaluated an information reference system. The evaluation consists of questionnaires and interview surveys administered to six nuclear power plant workers who used this system, along with a scenario. Results highlight the possibility of reducing time and mitigating mistakes in dismantling fields. Results also show the ease of referring to information in dismantling fields. Nevertheless, it is apparently difficult for workers to build reconstruction models of dismantling fields independently.