Modern Drone Know-how Permits Inspection of Extremely Radioactive and Area-Restricted Areas for the First Time Since 2011: Fukushima Nuclear Website Drone Inspection
by DRONELIFE Workers Author Ian J. McNabb
Liberaware IBIS drone
Chiba-based industrial drone developer Liberaware lately introduced that their flagship Ibis drone, designed for industrial survey and inspection in severely space-limited environments, was used to survey the Fukushima nuclear catastrophe web site earlier this yr. These beforehand unexplored areas of the catastrophe web site embody the highest portion of the Main Containment Vessel, the place a lot of essentially the most radioactive nuclear gasoline waste is saved. Whereas earlier operations have been centered on the decrease portion, this was the primary effort for the reason that 2011 earthquake to achieve entry to the higher phase of the PCV, the place radioactivity makes human inspection unattainable and the slender areas are too confined for many conventional surveying UAVs.
Due to the complicated topography of the reactor web site, together with an uneven flooring and a number of ranges, the Ibis was chosen over ground-based inspection equivalents. Measuring simply 20 cm sq. and with an ultra-high sensitivity digicam supported by a built-in LED lighting system, the Ibis accessed the slender seal space and confirmed the existence of some icicle or stalactite-like deposits close to the primary management mechanism, in addition to the widely good situation of the remaining concrete.
Liberaware CEO, Hong Gyu-Min, mentioned, “My first encounter with drones was 11 years ago, when I participated as a researcher in a project commissioned by the Agency for Natural Resources and Energy to Chiba University. In that project, we took on the mission of developing a drone that could fly autonomously inside the reactor building after the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. We faced many challenges while battling the limits of technology, but the project was completed with a demonstration experiment. Now, after 11 years, I have the opportunity to take on that mission again. This time, as a member of Liberaware, I feel truly happy to have been able to realize a dream that I had been unable to achieve in the past and contribute to society. I am also truly honored to have had this opportunity. At Liberaware, we aim to contribute to society by developing products that are more high-performance and easier to use.”
Extra data on the mission, in addition to Liberaware, is out there right here (in Japanese)
Learn extra: