RADIATION MONITORING & ALARA |
capabilities, the new system will allow obtaining a full 3D aerial photogrammetry model superimposed with the radiological maps and radionuclide identification.” UAV- based technologies will be crucial for advancing radiation monitoring, including improved environmental mapping and better long-term monitoring of contaminated areas, said Miroslav Pinak, Head of the IAEA Radiation Safety and Monitoring Section.
UAVs in Central Asia IAEA also said in 2021 that UAVs would be deployed to monitor radiation at uranium legacy sites in Central Asia, including former uranium mining and processing areas in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. “Uranium mining and processing in this region between the 1940s and 1990s has left behind a number of radioactively contaminated uranium legacy sites,” said IAEA remediation safety specialist Sven Altfelder. He said that, as most of the sites are in mountainous and seismically active areas, monitoring with backpacks is challenging. This challenge was recognised by the IAEA’s Coordination Group for Uranium Legacy Sites (CGULS), which in 2017 partnered with experts from Germany, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan for a research project funded by the German Ministry of Education and Research to develop a drone.
The initial phase of the project was completed in 2020
Top: Full 3D aerial photogrammetry superimposed with a radiological map obtained using a single UAV in two consecutive flights within Fukushima prefecture in Japan Photo credit: IAEA and Fukushima Prefecture
Above: Measuring equipment was attached to a Sabca autonomous drone in May, in the presence of Belgium’s Minister of the Interior, Annelies Verlinden Photo credit: SCK CEN
V its instrumentation and related software for data taking and analysis. IAEA said the established methodology “has a great potential to be expanded and applied in radiological mapping relevant to contaminated sites as a result of nuclear accidents, mining activities as well as part of decommissioning and remediation projects”. In 2021, IAEA announced that its instrumentation and methodology for UAVs equipped with radiation detectors, cameras and GPS devices had been tested and validated under real conditions in the Fukushima Prefecture and was now available for practical use in routine or emergency
situations. This included: ● A complete UAV-based radiation detection system with data processing and storage capability developed and built at the IAEA Nuclear Science and Instrumentation Laboratory (NSIL);
● Post-measurement analysis and interpretation methodology, with training at Fukushima Prefecture and at NSIL in Seibersdorf on how to apply the UAV and its instrumentation system, as well as on how to use the software for obtaining and interpreting data.
IAEA is currently working on integrating and testing improved instrumentation, including its adaptation to the next generation of UAVs. “These novel developments will allow both longer flight time of the UAV and determination of the dose equivalent rates and gamma spectra in a single measurement,” said Danas Ridikas, Head of the IAEA Physics Section. “When combined with high quality camera
34 | March 2022 |
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with practical tests of the system in Ronneburg, Germany, where detailed contamination maps were obtained from flights over partially remediated uranium legacy sites. CGULS facilitated participation by Central Asian experts in practical workshops and coordination meetings and provided logistical assistance for field work. The UAV will carry a gamma spectrometer specially selected for its accuracy in detecting the presence and concentration of the radionuclides. It is now undergoing final testing.
Other UAV developments Currently several other organisations and private companies in Europe, Russia and the USA are also developing UAVs for radiation monitoring.
Activities in France NUVIATech Instruments, a subsidiary of Vinci Construction has developed the NuEM DRONES G for environmental radiation monitoring. It is designed for surveying smaller areas to search for uncontrolled radioactive sources or potential contamination, or places with a hazardous dose level. It comprises a NaI(Tl) gamma spectroscopy probe, a high dose level detector equipped with two energy compensated GM tubes and a mini air sampler for air contamination measurement. In 2021 Azur Drones announced an initiative with industrial nuclear engineering company AVNIR Energy for remote monitoring and detection of radiation leaks at nuclear plants, as well as at industrial sites at risk of contamination. Azur plans to offer the remote, autonomous radiation detection service across France and abroad. The platform will use Azur’s Skeyetech drone-in-a-box package, with AVNIR Energy’s Ionised Zone Inspection Device (DIZI) radiation sensor integrated into the craft and its operating system. Skeyetech is an autonomous drone that can fly day or night missions, with or without remote piloting. Rather than functioning as a Geiger counter, the onboard
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