Fission product trap for salt pipe and pump shaft seals and methods of use thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2024249852-A1
Application number	US-202318157561-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jan 20, 2023
Priority date	Jan 20, 2023
Publication date	Jul 25, 2024
Grant date	—

Abstract

A fission product trap for a reactor system, such as for a pipe connection and/or a pump shaft of a pump of the reactor system, includes a porous container. The porous container may be mounted about the pipe connection and/or pump shaft and include an absorbing material contained therein. The absorbing material may be configured to collect fission products emitted from the pipe connection and/or the pump shaft. The fission product trap further includes an assembly encompassing the porous container and that defines a volume about the porous container and the pipe connection and/or the pump shaft.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A fission product trap for a pipe connection of a reactor system, the trap comprising
a porous container mounted about the pipe connection and having an absorbing material contained therein that is configured to collect fission products emitted from the pipe connection; and an assembly encompassing the porous container and defining a volume about the porous container and the pipe connection.

2 . The trap of claim 1 , wherein the absorbing material comprises loose activated carbon, silver zeolite, or carbon nanostructures.

3 . The trap of claim 1 , wherein the fission products comprise radioactive iodine, tritium, tellurium, cesium, or bromine.

4 . The trap of claim 1 , wherein the porous container encompasses the pipe connection and forms a sealed volume therearound.

5 . The trap of claim 1 , wherein
the pipe connection is defined by a pair of flanges, and the porous container defines a recessed band configured to receive the pair of flanges therein.

6 . The trap of claim 5 , wherein
the porous container comprises an inner shell that define the recessed band, and an outer shell arranged about the inner shell and defining a holding space therebetween, and the absorbing material is arranged in the holding space.

7 . The trap of claim 6 , wherein the inner shell defines a plurality of holes positioned within the recessed band.

8 . The trap of claim 1 , wherein the assembly comprises
a sleeve arranged over the porous container and the pipe connection, and a pair of clamping assemblies, each clamping assembly of the pair of clamping assemblies arranged along an end of the sleeve and configured to define a sealed connection with a respective pipe associated with the pipe connection.

9 . The trap of claim 8 , wherein each clamping assembly of the pair of clamping assemblies comprises
a clamping shaft having a threaded outer surface and an axial passage therethrough, the axial passage configured to receive the respective pipe, a gripping element abutting the clamping shaft along an outer surface of the respective pipe, and a clamping nut having a complementary threaded inner surface configured to threadably engage the threaded outer surface of the clamping shaft.

10 . The trap of claim 9 , wherein, in response to a threaded engagement of the clamping shaft and the clamping nut toward one another, the gripping element is compressed therebetween and encouraged toward the outer surface of the respective pipe to establish a sealed boundary of the clamping assembly.

11 . A system comprising
the trap of claim 1 , a first pipe, and a second pipe, wherein the first and second pipe cooperate to define the pipe connection.

12 . A fission product trap for a pump shaft of a pump of a reactor system, the trap comprising
a porous container mounted about the pump shaft and having an absorbing material contained therein that is configured to collect fission products emitted from along the pump shaft; and an assembly encompassing the porous container and defining a volume about the porous container and the pump shaft.

13 . The trap of claim 12 , wherein absorbing material comprises loose activated carbon, silver zeolite, or carbon nanostructures.

14 . The trap of claim 12 , wherein the fission products comprise radioactive iodine, tritium, tellurium, cesium, or bromine.

15 . The trap of claim 12 , further comprising at least one bearing mounted in a plate and receiving the pump shaft therethrough, wherein the at least one bearing is configured to permit rotation of the pump shaft while constraining radial movement of the pump shaft relative to the gas tight assembly.

16 . The trap of claim 15 , wherein the porous container comprises three sub containers, each sub container separated from one another by a respective one of the at least one bearing.

17 . The trap of claim 16 , wherein
the pump shaft is associated with a mechanical seal, and a first sub container of the porous container is configured to fit about a periphery of the mechanical seal and extend along and separated from the pump shaft.

18 . The trap of claim 12 , wherein the assembly is configured to form a sealed volume about the pump shaft and comprises
a sleeve arranged over the porous container and the pump shaft, and a pair of opposing flanges, wherein the sleeve is gasket-sealed to each flange of the pair of opposing flanges at respective ends of the sleeve.

19 . A system comprising
the trap of claim 12 , and the pump shaft.

20 . A method for capturing fission products from a reactor system, the method comprising
operating the reactor system including generating the fission products; emitting the fission products at one or both of a pipe connection or pump shaft of the reactor system, and receiving the fission products into an absorbing material arranged about the pipe connection or the pump shaft of the reactor system, wherein the absorbing material is arranged in a porous container mounted about the pipe connection or the pump shaft.

Assignees

• Abilene Christian Univ
• Univ Texas

Inventors

• Head Timothy
• Haas Derek

Classifications

• G21C13/067 Primary

  for tubes, e.g. standpipes; Locking devices for plugs · CPC title

• G21F9/02

  Treating gases · CPC title

• G21C19/307

  specially adapted for liquids (decontamination of liquids G21F9/04) · CPC title

• G21C19/50 Primary

  of irradiated fluid fuel {, e.g. regeneration of fuels while the reactor is in operation} · CPC title

• G21C19/48

  Non-aqueous processes · CPC title