Using Drones To Monitor Nuclear Power Plants
In 2019, nearly 10% of the world’s electricity generation was supplied by civilian nuclear power plants. While some believe that nuclear power is an expensive and unreliable renewable energy source, the bottom line remains that nuclear power is a growing industry. From November 30 to December 2, 2021, the bi-annual World Nuclear Exposition (WNE) met north of Paris in Villepinte, France, to discuss the future of the nuclear power industry. “For three days,” said Sylvie Bermann, Ambassador of France and President of WNE, “the global nuclear industry gathered in Paris has demonstrated its ability to meet the challenge of climate change. Because it can produce low-carbon electricity continuously and at competitive prices, but also of innovating and adapting to the multiple challenges of today’s world by developing new solutions, our industry confirms that it is, as the theme that has guided us for three days states: a key player for a low-carbon society in a responsible future.”
Unfortunately, when people think of nuclear power, they are often reminded of the catastrophic events at plants like Chernobyl and Fukushima. And while the world is still recovering from these events, nuclear power causes fewer fatalities per unit of energy produced than energy sources like hydroelectricity and coal. Still, it is the responsibility of those in the industry to continuously improve the technology supporting nuclear power to prevent further disastrous events. At the WNE, ways of improving how nuclear power plants are monitored are a key focus.
At this year’s conference, WNE awarded Azure Drones 1st place in the Products and Services Innovations for their newest system using drones to monitor nuclear power plants. Founded in 2012 out of Mérignac, France, Azure Drones operates Europe’s largest autonomous drone research and development center. After 3 years of development, in partnership with AVNIR Energy, Azure released their drone-in-a-box securities solution, Skeyetech. A multi level platform, Skeyetech provides everything needed for autonomous drone missions.
Skeyetech consists of a charging/storage/communication box, an adaptable drone, and AI software. The drone can be outfitted with a range of cameras, sensors, and payloads. For nuclear power plants, Azure developed Skeyetech-DIZI, a drone with a scintillation detector that can detect radiation levels 24/7, with no human involvement. This greatly speeds up the process, keeps employees safer, and saves money too. The drone is housed and charged inside the box. The AI system is programmed per the user’s guidelines to launch the drone and carry out a prescribed mission. All data is wirelessly transferred from the drone to the box, then to a secure database.
Just a few weeks after launching, Azure brought Skeyetech-DIZI to the WNE, winning the prestigious award, proving that drones provide the means necessary for nuclear power monitoring. There are currently 444 working nuclear power plants in the world, with 53 under construction, and plans to build nearly 100 more to meet the growing power needs of the world. The majority of these nuclear power plants are in the United States. To ensure cataclysmic nuclear power failures never happen again, vigilant radiation detection is necessary. As Patrick Landais, President of the WNE Awards Jury explained, “Skeyetech-DIZI is a real innovation for the safety and environmental control of nuclear sites. Thanks to the miniaturization of the detector embedded in an autonomous drone, it offers, in comparison with current solutions, essential advantages for radioactivity measurement.”
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