Process for rapid colloidal suspension removal
AssigneeFramatome ANP GmbH
InventorsPhilip N. Baldwin, Raymond E. Beatty, James E. Day, Gary J. Guy
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Abstract
A method and apparatus is disclosed for very rapidly cleaning very small, colloidal particles from nuclear reactor water subjected to a high-energy waterjet cutting of metal using metal shot particles for cuffing such as garnet particles with the cutting causing fracturing of the metal shot as well as the cut metal fines into a negatively charged colloidal suspension having a large area. This colloidal suspension causes water turbidity and makes known filtration techniques impractical for rapid removal of such suspensions for recycling to the reactor.
Claims11
A method of rapid removal of colloidal suspensions formed in reactor water during high energy waterjet cutting with particulate material which produces colloidal particles in the reactor water from fractured cutting particulate material and cut metal fines from the reactor comprising the steps of:
- feeding the reactor water to a multi step process at a flow rate in the range of 1,000 gallons per minute;
- adding a chemical coagulant to the reactor water to coagulate said colloidal particles;
- adding a smectite clay material to the reactor water for providing alkalinity and added coagulation of said colloidal particles;
- adding a flocculant material to the reactor water to provide charge neutralization and flocculation of said colloidal particles;
- and
- filtering the reactor water through a stainless steel mesh filter of approximately 20-25 micron mesh size to remove the flocculated colloidal particles.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.