Nuclear inspection.

For the first time since Chernobyl disaster in 1986, Switzerland company Flyability conducted an inspection of Reactor five, using his UAV Elios 2. The goal was to identify, inside the reactor, the nuclear wastes, using the UAV with a camera. Because this reactor, at the moment of the disaster, was at the end of construction, and there were doubts about the possibility of the existence of uranium inside. Therefore, the inspection team in charge of dismantling work requested Flyability help for this mission.

Caged UAV

Elios 2 is one of few UAV, if not the sole, with the capability of « Beyond Visual Line » flights. The UAV is protected by a cage, and can flight without risking to be broken, its structure protecting him. It is the first time an UAV is used for dismantling mission, but not the first Flyability UAVs are used inside Nuclear Power Plants.

Chernobyl

The mission was difficult, due to infrastructure’s complexity. 70 m’s wall separated UAV’s operators from Reactor 5. If the signal was lost, there was no possibility to recover the aircraft, as explained Flyability Training Manager Charles Rey. Thanks to the data collected by UAV, it was established there was nuclear wastes inside open pool reactor.