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A U T O T O M Y
CASE STUDIES
‘Shade Balls - California Reservoirs
Taller vegetation protects the water's surface from winds
Duckweed - Reduces water evaporation and has the capacity to perform as a radioactive sponge
Reeds and rushes provide wind protections
'Soft' Solutions
Multifaceted Functions - Floating Photovoltaics
'Hard' Solutions
DETAILED DRAWINGS
Belerus
Ukraine
Wetlands and Cooling Pond
Radiation Levels above
5 Microsieverts per hours
Key - Site Location (Highlighted White Area)
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Nuclear Power Station
TIMESPAN - Until a new form of more efficient energy harvesting is developed.
SITE'S RADIATION LEVEL - Above 5 MicroSieverts per hours
SCALAR EFFECT - INTERNATIONAL
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WATER EVAPORATION
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Radioactivity is concentrated in the sediment of water bodies. The water performs as a tool for radiation containment. If the water evaporates, the sediment becomes exposed and dries; the radiation can then spread in the dispersal of dust. Large areas of water bodies are emptying in the site, due to construction of flood barriers and the draining of the cooling pond.
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CONTAINMENT
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The sun's heat and wind both aid water evaporation therefore the 'Autotomy' has been designed to reduce both these elements.
Large vegetation, rushes and reeds are planted at the waters edge to create wind blocks. Duckweed is a free floating aquatic plant that will be used to cover the waters surface, whilst also acting as a 'natural filter' to clean stagnant waters.
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GENERATION
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Autotomy describes the process when an animal sacrifices a body part to save itself when under threat. [2]
The largest body of water on the site is the cooling pond, which is an area of 22.9 square kilometers. To reduce water evaporation the surface is covered in floating photovoltaics. The intervention would sacrifice the ecosystem, but would contain the radiation whilst generating 1016 MetaWatts of power, enough energy for 247,804 homes. The system would help relieve some of the economic pressures I previously mentioned the site is facing.
Floating Photovoltaics on water is advantageous to improving energy harvesting efficiency, due to the water's creating natural cooling for the system.
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LONG TERM ADVANTAGE - PROTECTION/ENERGY GENERATION
Utilising the site to generate renewable energy, paired with the energy storage system on the boundary, will help create a reliable energy resource for Belerus, and for the Ukraine, this will specifically aid their national interest to become energy independent from Russia, due to political tensions.
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In the future, I foresee a new more efficient form of energy harvesting, at which point assuming the radiation is at a 'safe level,' below 200 MilliSovierts annually, the waters can be released back to the wider ecosystems.
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[1] Buckley, M & Bugai, Dmitri & Dutton, L & Gerchikov, Mark & Kashparov, Valery & Ledenev, A & Voitsekho- vych, Oleg & Weiss, D & Zheleznyak, Mark. (2002). Drawing Up and Evaluating Remediation Strategies for the Chernobyl Cooling Pond. 10.13140/RG.2.1.1263.3840.
KEY WORDS - Containment, Economic Value, Political Interest
ISSUE - Water Evaporation in Radioactive Hotspots
Image - Chernobyl NPP Cooling Pond Bathymetry 2001 Survey, Spatial distribution of Cesium-137 [1]
Map depicts gas pipelines travelling through the country and areas of conflict in the Ukraine with Russia.
Animation Clip depicting a theoretically 'endless' modular system.
Buoyancy Float and Maintenance Path
Aluminium Structure
Standard Framed 90 Cell PV Module
Water Surface
Connection Pin
Detailed Drawing of Photovoltaic Floating Unit
A light weight structure is designed to be adaptable, through utilising pin connection joints. The photovoltaic panel is angled to 35 degree's, which is the optimum tilt for solar energy harvesting according to the latitude of the Exclusion Zone.
Detailed Drawing Depicting the Scalability of the Photovoltaic Units Applied to the Waters Surface.
'Typical' Environmental Section Drawing
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Calculating the Value of the Floating Photovoltaic
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Using this map which depicts the solar energy potential I was able to use the data from Starokozache Solar Park (in the South-West) [1] which generates 42.95 MW on 0.8 square kilometers. (11,000 households and saves up to 44,000 tons of CO2 emissions per year.
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The estimated energy generated from the floating Photovoltaics on the cooling pond (22.9 squared kilometers) is estimated to be -
1016 MetaWatts of power
Enough energy for 247,804 households
1,000,000 Tons of CO2 emissions per year.
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Consulting the Floating Solar Voltaics
The primary structure of the buoyancy floats, which the photovoltaics are then fixed to.
Presentation Animation Still
The Cooling Pond Applied with Photovoltaics
The drawing depicts the Cooling Pond before and after the application of Floating Photovoltaics, the image shows the extremity of the design and it's interaction with the landscape.