To enhance the real-world applicability of the AI analysis technology, image information from square basin and full-blown speculative channel were obtained and utilized. Credit: Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology
Interceptor Facility Development and Testing
In addition to ensuring the structural safety of the interceptor, the jobs crucial goals were to establish and test an interceptor facility with collection support functions for benefit of collection, responsiveness to changes in water levels of rivers, and keeping an eye on functions to determine proper collection timing.
Dr. Jungs research team carried out research in the following stages: characterization of the target river, choice of the optimum river point, style of the barrier, assistance stacks, and connections, and on-site building of the interceptor facility. In specific, the design and building of the interceptor center was performed collectively with Foresys Co., Ltd., and the mathematical design experiment and full-scale empirical tests were brought out at the River Experiment Center in Andong, Gyeongsangbuk-do.
The River Experiment Center covers a location of 192,051 m2. The center has the largest testing facilities in South Korea with a flow supply capability of as much as 10 m3/s, supplying an optimal empirical screening infrastructure.
A view of the river drifting trash interceptor center set up at the downstream branch of the Yugu-cheon in Gongju, Chungcheongnam-do. Credit: Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology
Execution and AI Integration
Making use of the results of this study, an interceptor center was built and put into operation in May 2023 on the Yugu-cheon (also referred to as Yugu Stream) situated in Gongju, Chungnam. During the job, a tracking system was built based upon the opinions of city governments to identify the appropriate collection time and inspect real-time details on the operation status.
Based on the image data gotten through this, a support group was also established. It utilizes expert system (AI) to examine the quantity and composition of floating particles in the river and figure out the proper collection cycle.
Impact and Future Prospects
” Garbage that enters the sea is challenging to gather due to its wide dispersing nature and includes pollutants (salts, mud, etc) that increase the cost of the cleaning-up process, so it is required to obstruct and gather it from rivers before it gets in the sea,” said Dr. Jung. He also stressed that “by combining traditional river engineering with sophisticated innovations such as infotech and AI, these technologies can solve local issues and global ecological problems additionally.”
The task is highly expected by the local neighborhood for the living lab-based merging innovation development and sustainability. The interceptor center and tracking system set up at Yugu-cheon will be in operation and continually improved until 2026, and discussion with pertinent city governments is underway to spread out the results to other rivers in the future.
Funding: Ministry of Science and ICT.
Chungcheongnam-do (also understood as Chungcheongnam Province and Chungnam) has the third longest coastline in South Korea, with a total of 500 rivers and streams in the region. The quantity of marine debris in Chungnam has been increasing every year, and marine debris flowing in through rivers accounts for about 61.2% of the total. The primary factor for this damage is that the structure and functions of the interceptor were not designed in consideration of the geometry and characteristics of the river (water level, width, circulation rate, water level modification, and so on).
The River Experiment Center in Andong has three curved and straight speculative water channels with measurements of 700m( L) * 11m( W) * 2m( H), and runs a lab for empirical testing of dike failure and metropolitan flood defense innovations. Credit: Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology
To reduce marine debris, which triggers severe environmental pollution in the sea, researchers at the Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology (KICT, President Kim, Byung-suk) have actually developed an innovation for minimizing drifting particles in rivers.
Since the river is the primary transportation channels for land-originated marine particles, the research group led by Dr. Sang Hwa Jung released a living lab task including regional governments, local citizens, and professionals.
Chungcheongnam-do (also known as Chungcheongnam Province and Chungnam) has the 3rd longest coastline in South Korea, with a total of 500 rivers and streams in the area. The main reason for this damage is that the structure and functions of the interceptor were not created in factor to consider of the geometry and characteristics of the river (water level, width, flow rate, water level modification, and so on).
A view of the river floating garbage interceptor facility installed at the downstream branch of the Yugu-cheon in Gongju, Chungcheongnam-do. Credit: Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology