By Jennifer Chu
MIT News Office
As workers continue to grapple with the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear powerplant in Japan, the crisis has shone a spotlight on nuclear reactors around the world. In June, The Associated Press released results from a yearlong investigation, revealing evidence of “unrelenting wear” in many of the oldest-running facilities in the United States.
Tiny robots may monitor underground pipes for radioactive leaks.
That study found that three-quarters of the country’s nuclear reactor sites have leaked radioactive tritium from buried piping that transports water to cool reactor vessels, often contaminating groundwater. According to a recent report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office, the industry has limited methods to monitor underground pipes for leaks.
Filed under: General technology, Associated Press, AUVs, Center for Robotics and Intelligent Machines, Energy, Georgia Institue of Technology Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Information Systems and Technology, Japan, MIT news, MIT News Office, Nuclear, nuclear reactor, Nuclear reactor technology, technology, The Associated Press, U.S. Goverment Accountability Office, United States
