Remote-controlled vehicles with new transmission technology are to be tested in the Asse nuclear waste storage facility in Lower Saxony. The aim is to increase the safety for the miners underground, according to a joint communication from the Federal Association for Final Storage (BGE) and the development service provider IAV on Monday. The aim is to investigate whether vehicles with the WiFi 6 standard can be used in BGE mines.

Autonomous operating procedures under Days The attraction of the project results from the unfamiliar terrain and a possible contribution to the safe operation of underground applications, said Mirko Taubenreuther from the Berlin company IAV. “After the first tests on the surface, we will bring the system underground to around 700 meters and test it there in different environments,” he explained. For this purpose, the company is equipping a test vehicle and a workplace with the appropriate technology.

According to the responsible federal company, the start is currently planned for March. “We are approaching the technology of autonomous operational processes,” said the technical director of the BGE, Thomas Lautsch. The basis for this is a functioning, high-performance data transmission infrastructure.

During the tests, among other things, the propagation of radio waves in different Explored rock environments such as salt, claystone or ore. In the ailing former mine near Remlingen in the Wolfenbüttel district there are 13 chambers around 126. 000 Barrels with low and medium level radioactive waste. The BGE is responsible for the legal mandate to shut down the Asse immediately. Last it was said that a retrieval 2033 could start.

(tiw)