Sodium-cesium vapor trap system and method
AssigneeTerraPower, LLC
InventorsMichael Anderson, Thomas M. Burke, Robert A. Corbin, Christopher M. Regan
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Abstract
Sodium-cesium trap systems and methods for the simultaneous removal of both sodium (Na) and cesium (Cs) in gas are provided. The trap system includes a contacting vessel having an inlet and an outlet with carrier gas channeled therethrough. A heating system maintains a temperature gradient across the contacting vessel between a first temperature at the inlet and a second temperature at the outlet such that sodium and cesium contained within the carrier gas are condensed into liquid and the carrier gas exiting the vessel is substantially free of sodium and cesium.
Claims9
A method for removing sodium and cesium from a carrier gas stream received from a sodium-cooled nuclear reactor comprising:
- providing a vessel having an inlet at a first end and a gas outlet at the second end;
- passing the carrier gas stream containing sodium and cesium into the inlet of the vessel;
- flowing the carrier gas from the first end to the second end and out via the gas outlet;
- controlling the temperature of the carrier gas such that carrier gas at the first end of the vessel is at a first temperature above 800° F. and the carrier gas at the second end of the vessel is at a second temperature less than 220° F., thereby causing the sodium and cesium to condense into sodium liquid and cesium liquid within the vessel such that the carrier gas exiting the gas outlet is substantially free of sodium and cesium;
- and
- removing the condensed cesium liquid via a cesium outlet located in the vessel between the inlet and the gas outlet.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.