Unmanned Radiation-Monitoring System

The absence of online radiation-monitoring systems (RMSs) has been observed in the case of the Fukushima nuclear accident. As the tsunami destroyed 23 of the 24 status-monitoring points, almost no relevant radiation dose measurement data were available. Rapid deployment of a mobile radiological unit that can quickly determine the activity and direction of the radioactive cloud spread on the ground or in the air can prevent unnecessary deaths and related financial losses. Although the design of the current generation of nuclear power plants (NPPs) incorporates features that minimize the risk of large radioactive releases outside the reactor, it is still important to focus on the development of systems that can mitigate the consequences of such events. In situations when the level of radiation does not permit the personnel to perform the required measurements, online unmanned RMSs may come into play. For such a purpose, the RMS-00x RMS could be used, which is a modular system covering the functionality of dose rate measurement, air sampling, and radiation map creation without requiring human personnel to be present at the measurement site. The main purpose of the RMS-00x RMS is the rapid deployment of unmanned monitoring devices to reduce the radiation burden on workers and on public. The system can be applied in the vicinity of an NPP or at any location, where the source of ionizing radiation could be present. Before this system is used in real conditions, its components must be thoroughly calibrated, based on certified measurement equipment and the state-of-art simulation tools. This article deals with the description of the RMS-00x sensor modules and demonstrates their functionality in combination with unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). In addition, the use of the developed technology was demonstrated as part of the regular emergency planning and preparedness exercise of Jaslovksé Bohunice NPP (EBO NPP) on October 26, 2017.