Fukushima Radioactive Contaminated Water to Be Monitored in Real Time Using 'Buoys'

Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute Develops Offshore Floating On-site Radiation Analysis System

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-su] As the discharge of contaminated water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant in Japan approaches, a system capable of analyzing radioactive contamination directly at sea has been developed. This is expected to significantly reduce costs and time since samples do not need to be transported to a laboratory.

The Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute announced on the 25th that it has developed the 'Marine Floating On-site Radioactivity Analysis System (MARK-U3),' which is fixedly deployed along major domestic coastlines to directly collect samples and periodically analyze radioactivity. This equipment uses a high-resolution gamma-ray detector to quickly and accurately measure and analyze radioactive substances such as radioactive cesium and radioactive iodine at sea.

Dr. Ji Young-yong's research team focused on the differences between marine and terrestrial environments. The sea has very low background radiation, and the density of seawater is about 1000 times higher than air, resulting in less influence from surrounding radiation. Thanks to this, the newly developed marine floating on-site radioactivity analysis system has the advantage of being able to measure even very minute amounts of radioactive substances compared to the conventional method of collecting samples and analyzing them on land. In particular, it can automatically collect samples every 15 minutes on-site without a separate transportation process, conduct radioactivity analysis, and transmit the results to land, maximizing monitoring efficiency.

The research team installed all necessary components for water sample collection, radioactivity measurement, and data communication inside a buoy-shaped cylindrical box commonly seen along the coast. The box is densely packed with a high-resolution gamma-ray detector, a 2-liter water sample container, a pump for collecting and draining water samples at specific depths, a control system for the detector and pump, a built-in battery, GPS for location tracking, and a Bluetooth device for communication.

The research team plans to further advance the on-site radioactivity analysis system and strengthen cooperation with industry to develop a final commercial product. Various upgrades are planned, including attaching an LTE router to enhance communication functions, installing a more precise pump capable of periodically collecting water samples at different depths, and adding solar panels for charging the built-in battery.

Dr. Ji explained, "If the on-site radioactivity analysis system is deployed at major points along domestic coastlines and offshore areas in the future, it will enable rapid detection and real-time on-site analysis not only of radioactive substance leaks into rivers and coastal areas but also of radioactive substances that could enter the country through the ocean, such as the contaminated water from Fukushima." He added, "The system developed this time is significant in that it enables real-time radioactivity analysis directly at sea."

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