Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute Develops World's First 'Ultra-Low Power Leakage Diagnosis' Technology

Joint Development with Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute Convergence Team
AI-Based Leak Diagnosis Accuracy 99%
36 Months Usage with a Single 9000mAh Battery
Price Competitiveness Secured... System Implemented at Around 100,000 KRW

The Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute and the Korea Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute KSB Convergence Research Group have developed the world's first 'ultra-low power leakage diagnosis technology.' (Photo by Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute)

[Asia Economy Reporter Moon Chaeseok] The Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI) announced on the 20th that, together with the Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI) KSB Convergence Research Group, it has developed the world's first "smart sensor-based ultra-low power intelligent leak monitoring and diagnosis technology" for plants.

The two institutions stated that they developed the technology while conducting research on the "Development of Core Technologies for Self-learning Knowledge Convergence Superbrain," a future-leading convergence research project under the National Research Council of Science & Technology.

This technology detects and amplifies ultra-fine leak signals using smart wireless sensors, enabling real-time leak detection through an artificial intelligence inference server. The diagnostic accuracy was raised to 99% through AI inference.

They created an ultra-low power smart sensing technology that can monitor leaks for 36 months using a single 9000mAh battery, a world first. Previously, ultra-high capacity batteries or wired power sources were used.

KAERI stated that this technology has dramatically solved the frequent battery replacement issue, which has been considered the biggest weakness of wireless leak detection technology.

KAERI explained that by using this technology, when a 0.2mm hole occurs in a 1.7-atmosphere pipe causing a leak of 90cc per minute, the smart wireless sensor can detect the leak signal from a distance of over 5 meters. This is because the leak signal is amplified 450,000 times.

The technology is also highly cost-competitive. It is expected to be supplied at least 200 times cheaper than commercial products. Currently available commercial leak signal detectors have poor leak detection capabilities and only collect suspicious information, yet they are expensive due to the use of ultra-high capacity batteries and computers.

However, by using KAERI’s self-developed ultra-low power leak detection sensor module and low-cost AI servers (such as Raspberry Pi or Odroid), the system can be implemented at a cost of around 100,000 KRW.

Park Wonseok, Director of KAERI, said, "This is a representative case where government-funded research institutions have fused their expertise to develop new technology," adding, "Since pipe leaks directly affect safety, this development is expected to greatly contribute to industrial and public safety."

Cheolshik Pyo, Director of ETRI, said, "We are discussing commercialization through technology transfer with various companies," and added, "The commercialization of this technology will increase trust in the application of new technologies and promote the dissemination of convergence research outcomes."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.