Recovery Of Isotopes From Radioactive Waste (e.g., Fission Products [g21f-9/00c] Patents (Class 976/DIG377)
  • Patent number: 5312597
    Abstract: An apparatus for recovering hydrogen and separating its isotopes. The apparatus includes a housing bearing at least a fluid inlet and a fluid outlet. A baffle is disposed within the housing, attached thereto by a bracket. A hollow conduit is coiled about the baffle, in spaced relation to the baffle and the housing. The coiled conduit is at least partially filled with a hydride. The hydride can be heated to a high temperature and cooled to a low temperature quickly by circulating a heat transfer fluid in the housing. The spacing between the baffle and the housing maximizes the heat exchange rate between the fluid in the housing and the hydride in the conduit. The apparatus can be used to recover hydrogen isotopes (protium, deuterium and tritium) from gaseous mixtures, or to separate hydrogen isotopes from each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 1992
    Date of Patent: May 17, 1994
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the United States Department of Energy
    Inventor: Leung K. Heung
  • Patent number: 5298196
    Abstract: Apparatus for heating an object such as a nuclear target bundle to release and recover hydrogen and contain the disposable residue for disposal. The apparatus comprises an inverted furnace, a sleeve/crucible assembly for holding and enclosing the bundle, conveying equipment for placing the sleeve onto the crucible and loading the bundle into the sleeve/crucible, a lift for raising the enclosed bundle into the furnace, and hydrogen recovery equipment including a trap and strippers, all housed in a containment having negative internal pressure. The crucible/sleeve assembly has an internal volume that is sufficient to enclose and hold the bundle before heating; the crucible's internal volume is sufficient by itself to hold and enclose the bundle's volume after heating. The crucible can then be covered and disposed of; the sleeve, on the other hand, can be reused.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 1992
    Date of Patent: March 29, 1994
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the United States Department of Energy
    Inventor: Leung K. Heung
  • Patent number: 5252258
    Abstract: The invention provides a method of recovering and storing radioactive iodine by a freeze vacuum drying process, in which off-gas generated when spent fuel is subjected to shearing and dissolving treatments is scrubbed and, when necessary, is subjected to a precipitation treatment by addition of additives, after which waste liquid containing radioactive iodine is freeze-dried by a freeze vacuum drying process to recover radioactive iodine as iodine compounds. As a result, since the radioactive iodine does not vaporize, release of the radioactive iodine into the environment can be eliminated. In addition, consumption of a collecting agent such as silver zeolite for collecting vaporized radioactive iodine can be reduced. The iodine compounds containing the recovered radioactive iodine is given the same composition as a stable, naturally occurring mineral and is solidified and mineralized as by a high-pressure press. This makes it possible to store long half-life .sup.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 15, 1991
    Date of Patent: October 12, 1993
    Assignee: Doryokuro Kakunenryo Kaihatsu Jigyodan
    Inventors: Katsuyuki Ohtsuka, Jin Ohuchi, Toru Suzuki