BLES - A team of researchers from the Bristol School of Physics and Engineering has completed a comprehensive survey of Chernobyl's Red Forest. The object is known as one of the most radioactive on Earth. The tree massif, dangerous for all living things, is located just 500 meters from the 4th reactor of the Ukrainian nuclear power plant.
The accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant occurred on April 26, 1986. This is the worst nuclear disaster in human history. After being defeated by the "invisible enemy", the pine needles turned red. They still have an orange tint. Hence the name of the forest - Red.
A group of scientists have found a way to investigate and evaluate the current degree of radiation distribution. The deadly work was done by unmanned aerial vehicles. The newfangled gadget is equipped with cameras with unprecedented spatial resolution. "All-seeing" drones have detected previously unknown sources of radiation, without endangering human life.
A tourist will always find a path
The April two-week expedition was led by Professor Tom Scott of the Interface Analysis Center. Scott is a member of the National Center for Nuclear Robotics (NCNR). This is the first of the missions that NCNR has planned to carry out in Ukraine over the next 12 months.
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Over the past year alone, 70,000 tourists have visited the Chernobyl exclusion zone. National authorities have urgently requested accurate radiation maps to update safety protocols. Hot spots should be known when developing tourist routes. Their influence is important to consider when building new solar energy farms.
"Curious" drone
The NCNR team worked together with colleagues from the Ecocenter of the State Power Engineering Administration of Ukraine. The agency is responsible for collecting research data in the exclusion zone. The area is impressive - 2,600 square kilometers around the failed reactor. 50 flights were made in 10 days. In total, the drones spent 24 hours in the air. A map covering 15 square kilometers has been compiled.
Fixed-wing drones are used for rapid radiation mapping over large areas for the first time in the world. They flew at an altitude of 45-60 m at a speed of 65 km / h. The old soil sifting machine was found to be highly phonetic. In order to reduce the volume of waste, with its help, radioactive debris was separated (fragments of concrete, graphite were scattered over long distances by an explosion).
Safe technology
The drone flew lower and slower than the manned aircraft. Having performed an examination and fixation for a person, the device helped to recreate the most complete radiation map of the Red Forest. For example, zones of high pollution in Kopachi were identified. This village, 4 km from the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, was completely buried (buried) after the accident.
Professor Scott noted that the same research technology that is safe for humans is being applied in other sectors. For example, it can be used to quickly, cheaply and non-invasively identify rare earth deposits, gold or copper ores.
The method can be especially useful for developing countries. It is there that people are interested in assessing the volume and value of mineral resources. Such data is in demand, in particular, with the upcoming cancellation of the rights to the extraction of minerals.
Marina Nezhentseva