Autonomous drone for nuclear power plant crisis management
Building upon the Flying Sensor S3, our team has designed a variant (Flying Sensor 3, a rugged autonomous drone) tailored to the needs of sensitive sites, such as nuclear power plants, for managing major serious crises resulting from significant damage, for example, to a nuclear reactor.
Context of Use and Technical Features of this Autonomous Drone
This drone is deployed in the event of severe incidents that render standard tools ineffective — for instance, following an earthquake that causes a dam to rupture, generating a tsunami in the valley housing a nuclear reactor. This scenario was planned in 2014 by the ILL (Institut Laue Langevin) nuclear reactor in Grenoble. Edouard GUILHOT participated in and won the subsequent call for tenders, then delivered the two drone systems that were approved by the ILL in 2016. This was a first worldwide in several aspects:
- Supplying drones to a nuclear power plant
- Delivering 100% autonomous, versatile drones
- Capable of performing automatic, autonomous deliveries
- Conducting 4 deliveries across different waypoints per flight
- Operating in heavy rain and gusts up to 70 km/h for a 4 kg drone
- Being very quiet (much quieter than typical drones)
Functional Capabilities of the Autonomous Flying Sensor Drone for the Nuclear Power Plant
The Flying Sensor 3 autonomous drones will be used once turned on, with a single click on the “Start Mission” button to:
- Take off automatically, even in rain, while handling wind gusts up to 70 km/h, to reach 4 different waypoints several kilometers apart
- Collect atmospheric samples for 1 minute at each waypoint
- Return and land on the aerial drone at the starting point, within less than 1 meter (usually just a few centimeters)
- Change the payload using a pin in 2 minutes and attach a multi-drop payload, then select the desired option “drop” or “release” (at 2 meters above ground, configurable) for dropping packages
- Re-launch the drop mission: the drone will visit 4 waypoints again, releasing or dropping a radioactive measurement probe at each waypoint
Our Proven, Turnkey, and Custom Drone Delivery Solution
No one will be exposed to radiation levels exceeding the safety threshold, which could be fatal.
Our Flying Sensor 3 autonomous drone solution has been operational since 2016 with successive improvements, allowing it to fly in challenging conditions — near high-voltage cables, close to the nuclear reactor containing a significant amount of reinforced concrete, and near CEA facilities.
If you need to manage the safety of a sensitive site, contact us for advice. Since 2004, we have been designing and implementing drone solutions, including connected drones integrated with digital platforms and AI.
References of our drone experts
