2017年CRI Robot helps to clear storing nuclear waste

 

An aquatic¹ robot is being tested in Japan ahead of being deployed² into the damaged core of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant.

The robot is able to locate and clear materials in places which are inaccessible³ to humans.

Named Avexis - short for Aqua Vehicle Explorer for In-situ Sensing - the robot is designed to explore radioactive areas.

Doctor Simon Watson, lecturer in robotic systems at University of Manchester, said Avexis offers a far more cost effective solution than other nuclear inspection⁴ robots.

"What we're trying to develop are small, low-cost and disposable mobile robotic systems that can be used in hazardous⁵ environments. This vehicle here is Avexis, which is the Aqua Vehicle Explorer for In-Situ Sensing, and it's been designed to characterize and explore nuclear storage facilities or nuclear disaster areas. So the two areas that we're primarily focused on are the legacy⁶ ponds at the Sellafield site in the UK and the Fukushima site in Japan."

Avexis is specially⁷ designed to fit through spaces of just 150 millimeters and the cheapest model costs about 13,000 dollars.

A similar version of the Avexis robotic platform is being used to help dislodge and clear waste from the Magnox Swarf Storage Silo at Sellafield, the largest nuclear site in Europe as well as the site of Britain's worst nuclear accident in 1957.

The robot has cameras for sending images and it can also clear away small bits of waste clinging to the silo wall.

"Primarily it's visual inspection, so we've got an HD camera in the front of it. But we also want to get more information about the environment. So, this version which is being developed for monitoring or characterizing Fukushima; it will have a gamma radiation sensor⁸ and a neutron⁹ detector¹⁰ so that we can detect the types of radiation down there. We're also going to be mounting an acoustic¹¹ sonar underneath¹² the bottom of it so we can map the floor areas to find out where objects of interest are."

The mission is hazardous even for a robot, as the radio-active cocktail¹³ could pose a risk to its electronics.

But the first pictures show "Avexis" has successfully made its debut¹⁴ journey.

"This one here, this can be deployed through 150 millimeter port opening, we've also got versions that are down to 100 millimeters. In terms of radiation we need to make sure that they're robust¹⁵ to the effects of radiation, but the approach that we're trying to take is to make them low-cost and to understand how long they will last in a radioactive environment. If it only lasts for two hours but it costs significantly less than a big expensive one then we could put several of these in over a period of time to get the data out that we need."

In July, Tokyo Electric Power, the operator of Fukushima nuclear plant, released video footage suggesting there may be nuclear fuel inside the damaged No. 3 reactor¹⁶, one of three that had meltdowns in the 2011 disaster.

In early October Avexis was successfully tested at the Naraha research facility, located approximately 15 km from Fukushima Daiichi.

Further tests are ongoing¹⁷, ahead of eventual¹⁸ deployment¹⁹ into Fukushima's damaged nuclear core.

1 aquatic   

adj.水生的，水栖的

参考例句：

• Aquatic sports include swimming and rowing.水上运动包括游泳和划船。
• We visited an aquatic city in Italy.我们在意大利访问过一个水上城市。

2 deployed   

（尤指军事行动）使展开( deploy的过去式和过去分词 )； 施展； 部署； 有效地利用

参考例句：

• Tanks have been deployed all along the front line. 沿整个前线已部署了坦克。
• The artillery was deployed to bear on the fort. 火炮是对着那个碉堡部署的。

3 inaccessible   

adj.达不到的，难接近的

参考例句：

• This novel seems to me among the most inaccessible.这本书对我来说是最难懂的小说之一。
• The top of Mount Everest is the most inaccessible place in the world.珠穆朗玛峰是世界上最难到达的地方。

4 inspection   

n.检查，审查，检阅

参考例句：

• On random inspection the meat was found to be bad.经抽查，发现肉变质了。
• The soldiers lined up for their daily inspection by their officers.士兵们列队接受军官的日常检阅。

5 hazardous   

adj.(有)危险的，冒险的；碰运气的

参考例句：

• These conditions are very hazardous for shipping.这些情况对航海非常不利。
• Everybody said that it was a hazardous investment.大家都说那是一次危险的投资。

6 legacy   

n.遗产，遗赠；先人(或过去)留下的东西

参考例句：

• They are the most precious cultural legacy our forefathers left.它们是我们祖先留下来的最宝贵的文化遗产。
• He thinks the legacy is a gift from the Gods.他认为这笔遗产是天赐之物。

7 specially   

adv.特定地；特殊地；明确地

参考例句：

• They are specially packaged so that they stack easily.它们经过特别包装以便于堆放。
• The machine was designed specially for demolishing old buildings.这种机器是专为拆毁旧楼房而设计的。

8 sensor   

n.传感器，探测设备，感觉器（官）

参考例句：

• The temperature sensor is enclosed in a protective well.温度传感器密封在保护套管中。
• He plugged the sensor into a outlet.他把传感器插进电源插座。

9 neutron   

n.中子

参考例句：

• Neutron is neutral and slightly heavier than the proton.中子是中性的，比质子略重。
• Based on the neutron energy,the value of weighting factor was given.根据中子能量给出了相应的辐射权重因子的数值。

10 detector   

n.发觉者，探测器

参考例句：

• The detector is housed in a streamlined cylindrical container.探测器安装在流线型圆柱形容器内。
• Please walk through the metal detector.请走过金属检测器。

11 acoustic   

adj.听觉的，声音的；(乐器)原声的

参考例句：

• The hall has a fine acoustic.这个大厅的传音效果很好。
• Animals use a whole rang of acoustic, visual,and chemical signals in their systems of communication.动物利用各种各样的听觉、视觉和化学信号来进行交流。

12 underneath   

adj.在...下面，在...底下；adv.在下面

参考例句：

• Working underneath the car is always a messy job.在汽车底下工作是件脏活。
• She wore a coat with a dress underneath.她穿着一件大衣，里面套着一条连衣裙。

13 cocktail   

n.鸡尾酒；餐前开胃小吃；混合物

参考例句：

• We invited some foreign friends for a cocktail party.我们邀请了一些外国朋友参加鸡尾酒会。
• At a cocktail party in Hollywood,I was introduced to Charlie Chaplin.在好莱坞的一次鸡尾酒会上，人家把我介绍给查理·卓别林。

14 debut   

n.首次演出，初次露面

参考例句：

• That same year he made his Broadway debut, playing a suave radio journalist.在那同一年里，他初次在百老汇登台，扮演一个温文而雅的电台记者。
• The actress made her debut in the new comedy.这位演员在那出新喜剧中首次登台演出。

15 robust   

adj.强壮的，强健的，粗野的，需要体力的，浓的

参考例句：

• She is too tall and robust.她个子太高，身体太壮。
• China wants to keep growth robust to reduce poverty and avoid job losses,AP commented.美联社评论道，中国希望保持经济强势增长，以减少贫困和失业状况。

16 reactor   

n.反应器；反应堆

参考例句：

• The atomic reactor generates enormous amounts of thermal energy.原子反应堆发出大量的热能。
• Inside the reactor the large molecules are cracked into smaller molecules.在反应堆里，大分子裂变为小分子。

17 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

18 eventual   

adj.最后的，结局的，最终的

参考例句：

• Several schools face eventual closure.几所学校面临最终关闭。
• Both parties expressed optimism about an eventual solution.双方对问题的最终解决都表示乐观。

19 deployment   

n. 部署,展开

参考例句：

• He has inquired out the deployment of the enemy troops. 他已查出敌军的兵力部署情况。
• Quality function deployment (QFD) is a widely used customer-driven quality, design and manufacturing management tool. 质量功能展开(quality function deployment,QFD)是一个广泛应用的顾客需求驱动的设计、制造和质量管理工具。