DEVICE FOR SEDIMENT WASHOUT AND DECONTAMINATION Russian patent published in 2003 - IPC

FIELD: nuclear engineering; recovery of radioactive wastes. SUBSTANCE: proposed device is designed to wash out sediments accumulated in storage tanks for liquid radioactive wastes of high degree of activity by sequentially dipping it down as sediment is washed out and to transfer sediment to suspended state for its further extraction, recovery, and decontamination. In addition device can be used for other industries to mix up and concentrate chemical agents in tanks. Device has operating mechanism, housing, washing heads with nozzles joined through pressure pipes with inlet valve of working-liquid feed chamber disposed inside housing; this chamber communicates with air distribution unit via pulsed pipeline and flexible pipeline. Bearing support of device accommodates air distributor, drive shaft, rod, and compressed air and water pipelines; bottom section of drive shaft loosely mounted through packing in top pressure pipe carries pin-mounted washing head with nozzle; control rod is hinged to nozzle body and its bottom end is secured in bearing installed on top pressure pipe; drive shaft is secured on top in movable bearing assembly attached to reciprocating-rod operating mechanism; bearing assembly is installed through split joint inside gear wheel engaging operating mechanism gear wheel. EFFECT: provision for layer-by- layer sediment washout without depressurizing the tank. 5 cl, 4 dwg