Once again reaping the fruits of international cooperation on nuclear technology, the Philippine Nuclear Research Institute – Department of Science and Technology (PNRI-DOST) will receive an online environmental radiation monitoring system by the end of 2014 through its partnership with the Korean government.
The Eco Friendly Radiation Detector EFRD-3300, which will be formally inaugurated at PNRI on December 8 during the 42ndAtomic Energy Week, is being donated by the Korean Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy through a project of the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA).
Designed for continuous and real-time monitoring of ambient gamma radiation, the system boasts the ability to provide stable dose rate measurements, discrimination between artificial and natural radionuclides, and data transmission through an online network in conjunction with other monitoring stations. The EFRD-3300 is the product of joint research and development by the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI), the Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety (KINS) and Satrec Initiative, a Korean company manufacturing radiation detection systems. Similar EFRD systems have been installed in China, Thailand, Malaysia, Qatar, and Korea.
The EFRD-3300 donation project is the result of the cooperation of KOTRA, Satrec Initiative and ALV Technologies, a local partner with the PNRI Health Physics Research Section.
The brand-new equipment will be part of a nationwide early-warning system for monitoring radiation emergencies such as that which transpired at the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant Station in 2011. The first unit will be deployed at the PNRI compound, where it will be integrated to the Institute’s Nuclear Emergency Response Support Center. The real-time environmental radiation monitoring system is also designed to receive radiation data from remote monitoring stations. Additional EFRD units are expected to arrive by 2015 and will be installed at selected areas throughout the country, helping to improve the Philippines’ radiation emergency preparedness and response capability.
The EFRD-3300 will also compliment the PHP52 Air-Particulate Radionuclide Monitoring Station of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO) operated by PNRI in Tanay, Rizal, as well as the portable gamma spectrometers and other equipment used by PNRI for their regular monitoring activities.
Beyond nuclear power plant accidents, the need for real-time radiation monitoring is also intensified by possible risks of nuclear terrorism through radiation dispersal devices (RDDs) or “dirty bombs” that scatter radioactive materials with conventional explosives.
KOTRA, which will sponsor the installation and training of PNRI personnel in using the system, continues to be PNRI’s partner in environmental radiation monitoring.
