Slurry dispenser for radioisotope production

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10201787-B2
Application number	US-201615288858-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 7, 2016
Priority date	Jul 15, 2010
Publication date	Feb 12, 2019
Grant date	Feb 12, 2019

Abstract

A slurry dispensing system is disclosed. A peristaltic pump may direct a flow of slurry out of a horizontal mixer to a slurry dispenser. This slurry dispenser may be operated on a programmed manner by a controller to dispense slurry into a container. Both a bypass valve and a dispensing valve of the slurry dispenser may be opened/closed on a programmed basis by the controller to deliver slurry to a container, such as a glass column. Slurry may be intermittently directed into a metering chamber of the slurry dispenser, while the remainder of the slurry being directed into the slurry dispenser may be recirculated back to the horizontal mixer.

First claim

What is claimed:

1. A slurry dispensing system comprising: 1) a slurry mixer comprising a mixer outlet and a mixer recirculation port; and 2) a slurry dispenser fluidly connectable with said slurry mixer and comprising:
a housing assembly comprising a plurality of separate housings that are disposed in a stack;
a slurry bypass channel fluidly connectable with each of said mixer outlet and said mixer recirculation port, wherein said slurry bypass channel extends completely through said housing assembly;
a slurry flow channel that extends from said slurry bypass channel, that is disposed within said housing assembly, and that proceeds through said stack to a perimeter of said housing assembly, wherein said slurry flow channel comprises a metering chamber;
a metering chamber inlet valve between said slurry bypass channel and said metering chamber; and
a metering chamber outlet valve for said metering chamber.

2. The slurry dispensing system of claim 1 , further comprising:
at least one feed source fluidly connectable with said slurry mixer, wherein a fluid and a plurality of particles are directed into said slurry mixer by said at least one feed source, and wherein a discharge out of said mixer outlet comprises a slurry.

3. The slurry dispensing system of claim 1 , wherein said slurry mixer comprises a horizontal mixer.

4. The slurry dispensing system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a pump between said mixer outlet and said slurry dispenser.

5. The slurry dispensing system of claim 4 , wherein said pump comprises a peristaltic pump.

6. The slurry dispensing system of claim 1 , wherein said slurry bypass channel comprises a dispenser inlet port and a dispenser recirculation port, wherein said slurry dispensing system further comprises:
an outlet line extending between said mixer outlet and said dispenser inlet port; and
a recirculation line extending between said dispenser recirculation port and said mixer recirculation port.

7. The slurry dispensing system of claim 6 , wherein said slurry flow channel further comprises a slurry inlet channel that intersects said slurry bypass channel between said dispenser inlet port and said dispenser recirculation port, and furthermore that extends to said metering chamber, wherein said metering chamber inlet valve controls a flow through said slurry inlet channel to said metering chamber.

8. The slurry dispensing system of claim 1 , wherein said slurry flow channel further comprises a slurry inlet channel extending from said slurry bypass channel to said metering chamber, wherein said metering chamber inlet valve controls a flow through said slurry inlet channel to said metering chamber.

9. The slurry dispensing system of claim 8 , wherein said slurry dispenser further comprises an injection needle in fluid communication with said metering chamber.

10. The slurry dispensing system of claim 9 , wherein said injection needle extends through said slurry bypass channel and at least into said slurry inlet channel.

11. The slurry dispensing system of claim 10 , wherein said injection needle extends through said slurry inlet channel and at least to said metering chamber.

12. The slurry dispensing system of claim 9 , wherein said injection needle is disposed within a flow through said slurry bypass channel and is also disposed within a flow through said slurry inlet channel.

13. The slurry dispensing system of claim 12 , wherein said injection needle is disposed transversely to said flow through said slurry bypass channel and is disposed parallel to said flow through said slurry inlet channel.

14. The slurry dispensing system of claim 9 , wherein an effective outer diameter of said injection needle is smaller than an effective diameter of each of said slurry bypass channel and said slurry inlet channel.

15. The slurry dispensing system of claim 9 , wherein said slurry dispenser further comprises a controller configured to execute a container slurry-loading sequence comprising closing said metering chamber outlet valve, thereafter opening said metering chamber inlet valve, thereafter closing said metering chamber inlet valve, thereafter opening said metering chamber outlet valve, and initiating a fluid flow through said injection needle after said metering chamber inlet valve has been closed.

16. The slurry dispensing system of claim 9 , wherein said metering chamber inlet valve seals against said injection needle to fluidly isolate said slurry bypass channel from said metering chamber.

17. The slurry dispensing system of claim 1 , wherein said slurry dispenser further comprises a fluid injector fluidly connectable with said metering chamber.

18. The slurry dispensing system of claim 17 , wherein said fluid injector is configured to deliver a fluid to said metering chamber when said metering chamber inlet valve is closed and when said metering chamber outlet valve is open to facilitate removal of slurry from said metering chamber.

19. The slurry dispensing system of claim 17 , wherein said fluid injector is configured to deliver a fluid to said metering chamber when said metering chamber inlet valve is closed and when said metering chamber outlet valve is open to flush said metering chamber.

20. The slurry dispensing system of claim 18 , wherein said fluid is selected from the group consisting of air, water, or solvents.

21. The slurry dispensing system of claim 17 , wherein said slurry dispenser further comprises a controller configured to execute a container slurry-loading sequence comprising closing said metering chamber outlet valve, thereafter opening said metering chamber inlet valve, thereafter closing said metering chamber inlet valve, thereafter opening said metering chamber outlet valve, and initiating a fluid flow through said fluid injector after said metering chamber inlet valve has been closed.

22. The slurry dispensing system of claim 1 , wherein said slurry dispenser further comprises a controller configured to execute a container slurry-loading sequence comprising closing said metering chamber outlet valve, thereafter opening said metering chamber inlet valve, thereafter closing said metering chamber inlet valve, and thereafter opening said metering chamber outlet valve.

23. The slurry dispensing system of claim 1 , further comprising a container fluidly connectable with said slurry dispenser.

Assignees

• Curium Us Llc

Inventors

• Worley Mark D
• Mahoney Michael R

Classifications

• G21G1/0005 Primary

  Isotope delivery systems (use of radioisotopes as tracers G21H5/02) · CPC title

• B01F5/10 Primary

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• B01F9/06

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• B01F3/12

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• B01F3/1271

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic