A teleoperated system for remote site characterization
- Pacific Northwest Lab., Richland, WA (United States)
- Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (United States)
- Lawrence Livermore National Lab., CA (United States)
The detection and characterization of buried objects and materials is an important first step in the restoration of burial sites containing chemical and radioactive waste materials at Department of Energy (DOE) and Department of Defense (DOD) facilities. To address the need to minimize the exposure of on-site personnel to the hazards associated with such sites, the DOE Office of Technology Development and the US Army Environmental Center have jointly supported the development of the Remote Characterization System (RCS). One of the main components of the RCS is a small remotely driven survey vehicle that can transport various combinations of geophysical and radiological sensors. Currently implemented sensors include ground-penetrating radar, magnetometers, an electromagnetic induction sensor, and a sodium iodide radiation detector. The survey vehicle was constructed predominantly of non-metallic materials to minimize its effect on the operation of its geophysical sensors. The system operator controls the vehicle from a remote, truck-mounted, base station. Video images are transmitted to the base station by an radio link to give the operator necessary visual information. Vehicle control commands, tracking information, and sensor data are transmitted between the survey vehicle and the base station by means of a radio ethernet link. Precise vehicle tracking coordinates are provided by a differential Global Positioning System (GPS). The sensors are environmentally protected, internally cooled, and interchangeable based on mission requirements. To date, the RCS has been successfully tested at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory.
- Research Organization:
- Pacific Northwest Lab., Richland, WA (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE, Washington, DC (United States); Department of Defense, Washington, DC (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC06-76RL01830
- OSTI ID:
- 10190691
- Report Number(s):
- PNL-SA-22765; CONF-9308159-3; ON: DE94001674; TRN: 93:025556
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: SOAR 93: space operations, applications, and research conference,Houston, TX (United States),3-5 Aug 1993; Other Information: PBD: Aug 1993
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
SITE CHARACTERIZATION
REMOTE HANDLING EQUIPMENT
REMOTE VIEWING EQUIPMENT
HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
UNDERGROUND DISPOSAL
OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY
HEALTH HAZARDS
RADIATION PROTECTION
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540220
540230
SITE RESOURCE AND USE STUDIES
CHEMICALS MONITORING AND TRANSPORT
RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS MONITORING AND TRANSPORT