The Advanced Airborne Radiation Monitoring (AARM) system integrates an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) with a lightweight gamma spectrometer and other
positional sensors. (Credit: University of Bristol)
A new remote system to safely and accurately assess dangerous nuclear accident sites has been awarded funding from the Royal Academy of Engineering to help it move out of the Bristol science lab where it was developed and turn it into reality.
Hazardous nuclear events have the potential to cause huge levels of widespread damage to individuals and the environment. Getting close enough to these incidents to accurately assess the problem can be extremely dangerous. Following the incident at the Fukushima power plant in Japan in 2011, for example, helicopter pilots assessing the site were exposed to significant amounts of radiation.
Dr James MacFarlane and his team at the University of Bristol have developed an innovative system to safely and remotely assess nuclear hazards across the nuclear industry, providing real-time information on the source, intensity and location of radiation.
The Advanced Airborne Radiation Monitoring (AARM) system integrates an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) with a lightweight gamma spectrometer and other positional sensors. It is light weight and low cost, and able to capture high resolution images.
The AARM system could significantly improve the safety and effectiveness of nuclear hazard response operations, including rapid response monitoring of nuclear events. The system also supports routine monitoring at nuclear sites and naturally occurring radioactive materials at mining operations and oil and gas facilities.
Field demonstrations of the prototype have already been performed at a uranium mining site in Banat, southwest Romania, and validated against traditional surveying methods, attracting strong support from all areas of the UK Nuclear industry.
James Macfarlane said, “The AARM system has had a great reception within the nuclear industry, which reiterates to us that there is a real need for the capability it provides in the nuclear energy sector. Our technology is not only timely and novel, but will also be a massive benefit in the day-to-day processes of the nuclear industry. With the support of the Enterprise Hub and my two mentors, I look forward to the deployment of the AARM system in the UK in the very near future.”
Earlier this month we reported on a handheld radiation camera developed by University of Michigan engineering researchers that enables people to ‘see’ radiation.
