Hot air drum evaporator
AssigneeThe United States of America as represented by the United States Department of Energy
InventorRoger L. Black
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An evaporation system for aqueous radioactive waste uses standard 30 and 55 gallon drums. Waste solutions form cascading water sprays as they pass over a number of trays arranged in a vertical stack within a drum. Hot dry air is circulated radially of the drum through the water sprays thereby removing water vapor. The system is encased in concrete to prevent exposure to radioactivity. The use of standard 30 and 55 gallon drums permits an inexpensive compact modular design that is readily disposable, thus eliminating maintenance and radiation build-up problems encountered with conventional evaporation systems.
Claims20
A disposable evaporator for aqueous waste comprising:
- a primary cylindrical drum having a top and bottom;
- a plurality of toroidal storage trays in a vertically stacked relation within said primary drum, each tray including an upright wall providing a dam over which the fluid contents thereof will flow when said tray becomes full, each tray located beneath an upper tray being constructed and arranged to catch at least some of the liquid flowing over the dam of a higher tray;
- a source of heated air;
- an air distribution manifold means within said primary drum defining discharge openings between adjacent trays, and manifold means receiving air from said source of heated air and passing it over the contents of said trays and through the cascading sprays;
- and
- an air outlet means connected to said container for removing the humidified air therefrom.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.