Bottom loaded filter for radioactive liquids
AssigneeCombustion Engineering, Inc.
InventorWilliam G. Wendland
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A bottom loaded filter assembly for filtering radioactive liquids through a replaceable cartridge filter. The filter assembly includes a lead-filled jacket enveloping a housing having a chamber therein for the filter cartridge. A track arrangement carries a hatch for sealing the chamber. A spacer plug supports the cartridge within guide means associated with the inlet conduit in the chamber. The plug and cartridge drop out of the chamber when the hatch is unbolted and move laterally of the chamber. During cartridge replacement, a new plug and cartridge are supported in the guide means by a spacer bar inserted across the track means under the chamber. The hatch is then slid under the chamber and bolted to the vessel, engaging an O-ring to seal the chamber.
Claims16
A filter assembly for directing radioactive fluids through a replaceable filter cartridge, comprising:
- a vessel including an outer lead-filled jacket at least partially enveloping a housing having inner walls forming a chamber for containing a removable filter cartridge, the vessel including a rigid flange defining an opening in the lower end of the chamber;
- an inlet conduit extending through the vessel and terminating within the chamber;
- an outlet conduit extending through the vessel and terminating within the chamber;
- rail means connected to the vessel and extending laterally to one side thereof the rail means including track means spaced on either side of the opening and below the flange;
- hatch means for engaging the flange to sealingly close the opening, the hatch means including a lower shield and being movable on the track means from a first position directly below the opening to a second position lateral of the opening whereby the filter cartridge may be passed through the track means for insertion and removal in the chamber;
- a spacer plug disposed in the lower portion of the chamber and supported therein by the hatch means in the first position, for supporting the filter cartridge within the chamber, the plug being adapted to freely pass through the rail means when the hatch is moved to the second position;
- and
- guide means supported in fixed relation to the terminus of one of the conduits for receiving the filter cartridge and properly orienting the cartridge with respect to said one conduit.
A filter assembly of directing radioactive liquid through a replaceable inside out filter cartridge, comprising:
- a vessel including an outer lead-filled jacket at least partially enveloping a housing having inner walls forming a chamber, the vessel including a rigid flange defining an opening in the lower end of the chamber, the flange having on its underside a dove-tail groove carrying a flexible O-ring and a plurality of threaded bores surrounding the groove;
- an inlet conduit extending through the vessel and terminating within the chamber on the vertical axis thereof;
- an outlet conduit extending from the chamber through the vessel;
- rail means connected to the vessel and extending laterally to one side thereof, the rail means including track means spaced on either side of the opening and below the flange, the end of the rail means closer to the opening having stop means thereon;
- hatch means for sealing the opening, the hatch means including a plurality of bolts captively disposed in double counter-bores in the hatch and adapted to engage the threaded bores on the flange whereby the hatch may be tightened against the O-rings to seal the opening, the hatch means being movable on the track means from a first position directly under the opening to a second position lateral of the opening;
- a filter member having a vertically oriented cylindrical cartridge including an inlet opening at the upper end and further including passive sealing means surrounding the inlet opening, the member further including a spacer plug fixedly attached to the bottom of the cartridge for supporting the member from below;
- a spacer bar having a length sufficient to span the track means below the opening and being selectively insertable thereunder to support the filter member in the chamber, the bar being adapted to slide on the track means when the hatch is moved from the second to the first position such that the hatch may be repeatedly placed in a unique first position on the track means directly under the opening when the spacer bar abuts the stop means and the hatch means;
- guide means supported in fixed relation to the terminus of the inlet conduit and having bracket walls against which the cartridge can be passively sealed during normal filter operation by the pressure differential between the inside and outside of the cartridge, the bracket walls extending vertically to receive the cartridge when the filter member is supported by the spacer bar or hatch.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.