Mobile sodium purification device and method for purifying sodium in sodium-related device

Abstract

The embodiment of the invention relates to the technical field of alkali metal extraction, in particular to a movable sodium purification device and a method for purifying sodium in a sodium-related device. On the first aspect, the embodiment of the invention provides a movable sodium purification device which comprises a sodium purification assembly, a pipeline connecting assembly and a glove box. The pipeline connecting assembly is arranged to be in fluid connection with the sodium-related device needing to be purified, so that sodium needing to be purified in the sodium-related device enters the sodium purification assembly through the pipeline connecting assembly. In a second aspect, embodiments of the present application provide a method of purifying sodium in a sodium-related device that utilizes the mobile sodium purification device in the first aspect. According to the device and the method provided by the embodiment of the invention, the treatment flow of purifying the sodium in the sodium related device can be simplified, the sodium needing to be purified is prevented from being moved and transported, the risk of radiation overflow is reduced, meanwhile, the sodium purification time consumption is shortened, and the purified sodium can return to the sodium related device in time to maintain normal and stable operation of the sodium related device.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The embodiments of the present application relate to the technical field of alkali metal extraction, and specifically to a mobile sodium purification device and a method for purifying sodium in a sodium-related device. Background Art

[0002] The statements herein merely provide background information related to the present application and do not necessarily constitute prior art.

[0003] The sodium-cooled fast reactor is a reactor that uses liquid sodium as coolant, with fast neutrons causing nuclear fission and maintaining a chain reaction. Research on sodium-cooled fast reactors involves the establishment of a large number of sodium-related devices to provide conditions for experimental research on sodium-cooled fast reactors in a sodium environment.

[0004] During the operation of the sodium-related device, various impurities will be generated in the sodium coolant, and the sodium coolant needs to be purified to meet the use requirements of the sodium-related device. However, some traditional sodium-related devices are small in size and occupy little space, and they usually do not have the sodium purification function themselves. Therefore, when handling the sodium containing impurities produced by such sodium-related devices, there are problems such as cumbersome and inconvenient operation, great difficulty, and high safety risks. Summary of the invention

[0005] A brief overview of the present application is provided below in order to provide a basic understanding of certain aspects of the present application. It should be understood that this overview is not an exhaustive overview of the present application. It is not intended to identify the key or important parts of the present application, nor is it intended to limit the scope of the present application. Its purpose is merely to present certain concepts in a simplified form as a prelude to a more detailed description discussed later.

[0006] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a mobile sodium purification device, which includes: a sodium purification component, a pipeline connection component, and a glove box. The glove box is configured to be fixedly connected to the sodium purification component to provide an inert gas atmosphere for the sodium purification component; the sodium purification component is configured to be fluidically connected to the pipeline connection component so that the sodium flowing into the sodium purification component through the pipeline connection component is purified; the pipeline connection component is configured to be fluidically connected to a sodium-related device that needs to be purified so that the sodium that needs to be purified in the sodium-related device enters the sodium purification component through the pipeline connection component.

[0007] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a method for purifying sodium in a sodium-related device, which utilizes the mobile sodium purification device in any embodiment of the first aspect of the present application.

[0008] Through the mobile sodium purification device and the method for purifying sodium in a sodium-related device provided by the embodiments of the present application, when the sodium in the sodium-related device needs to be purified, the pipeline connection component can be connected to the sodium-related device, so that the sodium to be purified flows from the sodium-related device into the sodium purification component via the pipeline connection component to be purified, thereby simplifying the processing flow, avoiding the movement and transportation of the sodium to be purified, reducing the risk of radiation spillover, and at the same time, shortening the time for sodium purification, so that the purified sodium can be returned to the sodium-related device in time to maintain the normal and stable operation of the sodium-related device. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0009] Other objects and advantages of the present application will become apparent from the following description of the embodiments of the present application with reference to the accompanying drawings, and will help to provide a comprehensive understanding of the present application.

[0010] Figure 1 It is a schematic structural diagram of a mobile sodium purification device according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0011] Description of reference numerals:

[0012] 10. Sodium purification component; 11. Container; 111. Fluid inlet; 112. Fluid outlet; 12. Cover; 13. Sodium purification component; 14. Heating component; 20. Pipeline connection component; 21. Pipeline control valve; 22. Pipeline; 221. First pipeline; 222. Second pipeline; 223. Middle pipeline; 30. Glove box; 40. Sodium monitoring component; 50. Sodium monitoring pipeline; 60. Driving component; 70. Sampling component; 71. Sampling valve; 80. Sampling heating component.

[0013] It should be noted that the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, but are merely shown in a schematic manner that does not affect the reader's understanding. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0014] Exemplary embodiments of the present application will be described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. For the sake of clarity and conciseness, not all features of the actual implementation are described in the specification. However, it should be understood that many implementation-specific decisions must be made in the process of developing any such actual implementation in order to achieve the developer's specific goals, such as meeting those constraints related to the system and business, and these constraints may vary from implementation to implementation. In addition, it should be understood that although the development work may be very complex and time-consuming, it is only a routine task for those skilled in the art who benefit from the content of this application.

[0015] It is also necessary to explain here that, in order to avoid obscuring the present application due to unnecessary details, only the device structure and / or processing steps closely related to the scheme according to the present application are shown in the accompanying drawings, while other details that are not very relevant to the present application are omitted.

[0016] The inventors of the present application discovered that, since conventional sodium purification devices are usually fixed in structure, when processing sodium containing impurities produced by a small sodium-related device that does not have its own purification function, the sodium to be purified needs to be moved and transported to the sodium purification device. The transportation process must meet strict radiation protection requirements, and the processing process is cumbersome and complex, time-consuming, and easily affects the normal and stable operation of the sodium-related device.

[0017] Based on this, the embodiment of the present application provides a mobile sodium purification device, such as Figure 1 As shown, Figure 1 The structural schematic diagram of a mobile sodium purification device according to an embodiment of the present application is shown, and the device comprises: a sodium purification component 10, a pipeline connection component 20, and a glove box 30. The glove box 30 is configured to be fixedly connected to the sodium purification component 10 to provide an inert gas atmosphere for the sodium purification component 10; the sodium purification component 10 is configured to be fluidly connected to the pipeline connection component 20 so that the sodium flowing into the sodium purification component 10 through the pipeline connection component 20 is purified; the pipeline connection component 20 is configured to be fluidly connected to a sodium-related device that needs to be purified so that the sodium that needs to be purified in the sodium-related device enters the sodium purification component 10 through the pipeline connection component 20.

[0018] The mobile sodium purification device provided in the embodiment of the present application is provided with a pipeline connection component 20 that can be fluidically connected to the sodium-related device, so that when the sodium in the sodium-related device needs to be purified, the pipeline connection component 20 is connected to the sodium-related device, so that the sodium to be purified flows from the sodium-related device into the sodium purification component 10 via the pipeline connection component 20 to be purified, thereby simplifying the processing flow, avoiding the movement and transportation of the sodium to be purified, reducing the risk of radiation spillover, and at the same time, shortening the time for sodium purification, so that the purified sodium can be returned to the sodium-related device in time to maintain the normal and stable operation of the sodium-related device.

[0019] In some embodiments, the pipeline connection assembly 20 may include a pipeline control valve 21 and a pipeline 22, wherein the pipeline control valve 21 is configured to control the flow or non-flow of the pipeline 22; the pipeline 22 is fluidly connected to the sodium purification assembly 10 and to the sodium-related device, and the pipeline 22 is configured so that its connection position with the sodium-related device can be adjusted in the height direction, so that the mobile sodium purification device can be suitable for sodium-related devices of different heights.

[0020] In some embodiments, the pipeline 22 may include a first pipeline 221, a second pipeline 222, and an intermediate pipeline 223. The intermediate pipeline 223 is disposed between the first pipeline 221 and the second pipeline 222 and communicates with both of them. The first pipeline 221 and the second pipeline 222 extend in parallel and are perpendicular to the extending direction of the intermediate pipeline 223. In this embodiment, the intermediate pipeline 223 is disposed so that a predetermined distance is left between the first pipeline 221 and the second pipeline 222. Thus, by adjusting the predetermined distance, the height of the connection position of the pipeline 22 and the sodium-related device is adjusted.

[0021] Furthermore, the first pipeline 221 is configured to be connected to the sodium purification component 10, and the second pipeline 222 is configured to be connected to the sodium-related device; the pipeline control valve 21 is arranged in the first pipeline 221 and the second pipeline 222, and is used to control the flow or non-flow between the first pipeline 221 and the sodium purification component 10, and between the second pipeline 222 and the sodium-related device.

[0022] The middle pipeline 223 is arranged between the first pipeline 221 and the second pipeline 222, and is connected to both of them; and the middle pipeline 223 is arranged so that its length can be adjusted, so that by adjusting the length of the middle pipeline 223, the distance between the first pipeline 221 and the second pipeline 222 can be adjusted, thereby, the connection position between the second pipeline 222 and the sodium-related device can be adjusted in the height direction.

[0023] In some embodiments, the sodium purification assembly 10 may include a container 11, a cover 12, a sodium purification member 13 and a heating member 14, wherein the cover 12 is disposed on the container 11 and forms a closed cavity with the container 11; the glove box 30 is fixedly connected to the cover 12; the pipeline connection assembly 20 is fluidly connected to the container 11; the sodium purification member 13 is disposed in the container 11 to purify the sodium flowing into the container 11; the heating member 14 is disposed in the container 11 to heat the container 11; an inert gas atmosphere is provided between the container 11 and the cover 12, so that the purification of sodium is carried out in the inert gas atmosphere, thereby improving the purity and yield of the sodium purification. For example, the inert gas may be argon.

[0024] The container 11 may be a heat sink; the heating element 14 may be arranged to be sleeved outside the container 11 to uniformly heat the container 11. For example, the heating element 14 may be a heating furnace or the like.

[0025] In some embodiments, the container 11 can be provided in plurality to be suitable for a sodium-related device with a larger volume, so as to facilitate efficient purification of a large amount of sodium.

[0026] In some embodiments, the sodium purification element 13 is made of zirconium material, which is configured in a filament or sheet shape, and is suspended in the container 11 through the cover 12. It is configured to be submerged in sodium when the sodium to be purified flows into the container 11, so that the zirconium material can fully react with the sodium to be purified and adsorb impurities in the sodium, thereby achieving purification of the sodium.

[0027] The sodium purification element 13 is configured to be replaced after a predetermined period of use to ensure the sodium purification capability of the device.

[0028] In some embodiments, the mobile sodium purification device may further include a sodium monitoring component 40, a sodium monitoring pipeline 50 and a driving component 60. The sodium monitoring component 40 is fluidically connected to the sodium monitoring pipeline 50. The sodium monitoring component 40, the sodium monitoring pipeline 50 and the driving component 60 are arranged outside the container 11. The driving component 60 is fluidically connected to the sodium monitoring pipeline 50 to drive the sodium in the container 11 to flow in the sodium monitoring pipeline 50. The sodium monitoring component 40 is configured to monitor the impurity content of sodium in the sodium monitoring pipeline 50, thereby realizing real-time monitoring of the impurity content of sodium in the container 11.

[0029] Furthermore, the container 11 is formed with a fluid inlet 111 and a fluid outlet 112, and the sodium monitoring pipeline 50 is connected to the fluid of the container 11 through the fluid inlet 111 and the fluid outlet 112. Under the action of the driving member 60, the sodium in the container 11 flows into the sodium monitoring pipeline 50 from the fluid inlet 111, and flows out of the sodium monitoring pipeline 50 from the fluid outlet 112, and flows back into the container 11, so that the sodium circulates in the container 11 and the sodium monitoring pipeline 50, thereby realizing real-time monitoring of the impurity content of sodium in the container 11 during the sodium purification process.

[0030] The sodium monitoring element 40 may use a laser induced breakdown spectrometer to analyze the sodium composition in the sodium monitoring pipeline 50 quickly and in real time.

[0031] In some embodiments, the mobile sodium purification device may further include a sampling piece 70, one end of which is fluidically connected to the pipe connection assembly 20, and the other end of the sampling piece 70 is disposed in the glove box 30, and is configured to take samples from the container 11 to monitor the impurity content of the sodium in the container 11, thereby determining the degree of purification of the sodium in the container 11.

[0032] The sampling piece 70 is provided with a sampling valve 71, and the sampling valve 71 is configured to control the flow or non-flow of the sampling piece 70; one end of the sampling piece 70 is connected to the fluid of the first pipeline 221. When sampling from the container 11, the pipeline control valve 21 and the sampling valve 71 arranged in the first pipeline 221 are opened to allow flow between the sampling piece 70 and the first pipeline 221. At this time, the sodium in the container 11 flows into the first pipeline 221, and the sodium can be sampled through the sampling piece 70.

[0033] In some embodiments, the mobile sodium purification device further includes a sampling heater 80 , which is disposed on the sampling member 70 to heat the sampling member 70 , thereby preventing the sodium from solidifying when the sodium is taken out of the container 11 .

[0034] An embodiment of the present application also provides a method for purifying sodium in a sodium-related device, which utilizes the mobile sodium purification device in any embodiment of the first aspect of the present application.

[0035] The method provided in the embodiments of the present application simplifies the process of purifying the sodium in the sodium-related device by utilizing the mobile sodium purification device in any embodiment of the first aspect of the present application, avoids moving and transporting the sodium that needs to be purified, reduces the risk of radiation spillover, and at the same time, shortens the time for sodium purification, so that the purified sodium can be returned to the sodium-related device in time to maintain the normal and stable operation of the sodium-related device.

[0036] In some embodiments, the method for purifying sodium in a sodium-related device further comprises the following steps:

[0037] S1: Move the mobile sodium purification device to the sodium-related device that needs to be purified.

[0038] S2: Connect the pipeline connection assembly 20 to the sodium-related device fluid.

[0039] S3: An inert gas atmosphere is generated using the glove box 30 .

[0040] S4: Connect the pipeline connection assembly 20 to allow the sodium in the sodium-related device to flow into the sodium purification assembly 10 for purification.

[0041] S5: Monitor the sodium impurity content during the purification process.

[0042] S6: After the purification is completed, the connection between the sodium-related device and the pipeline connection assembly 20 is closed.

[0043] In this embodiment, the mobile sodium purification device in any embodiment of the first aspect of the present application is connected to a sodium-related device that needs to be purified, so as to quickly and safely purify the sodium in the sodium-related device.

[0044] In step S4, after the sodium in the sodium-related device flows into the sodium purification assembly 10, the sodium is sampled using the sampling member 70 to determine the impurity content of the sodium before purification, so as to compare it with the impurity content of the sodium during the purification process.

[0045] In step S4, after the sodium in the sodium-related device flows into the sodium purification assembly 10, the process may further include: heating the container 11 to a predetermined temperature by using the heating element 14, and maintaining the container 11 at the predetermined temperature to ensure the reaction temperature of the sodium purification.

[0046] Before step S6, the method further includes: after monitoring that the impurity content of the sodium meets the predetermined requirement, turning off the heating element 14 to cool the container 11 to a predetermined temperature so as to facilitate the extraction of the sodium from the mobile sodium purification device.

[0047] The following is a specific example to further illustrate the process of purifying sodium in a sodium-related device using the mobile sodium purification device in any embodiment of the first aspect of the present application.

[0048] Move the mobile sodium purification device to the sodium-related device that needs to be purified; connect the second pipeline 222 of the pipeline connection assembly 20 to the sodium-related device to make it fluidically connected to the sodium-related device; use the glove box 30 to generate an inert gas atmosphere. After the concentration of the inert gas atmosphere meets the predetermined requirements, open the pipeline control valve 21 to allow the sodium in the sodium-related device to flow into the container 11 of the sodium purification assembly 10, use the sampling member 70 to sample the sodium in the container 11 to determine the impurity content of the sodium before purification, use the heating member 14 to heat the container 11 to a predetermined temperature, and make the container 11 The sodium is maintained at a predetermined temperature and purified by the sodium purification component 13. During the purification process, the sodium impurity content of the sodium in the sodium monitoring pipeline 50 is monitored in real time by the sodium monitoring component 40, and a sample is taken from the container 11 by the sampling component 70 to determine the degree of purification of the sodium. When it is monitored that the impurity content of the sodium meets the predetermined requirements, the heating component 14 is turned off to cool the container 11 to 300° C., the sodium in the container 11 is led out through the pipeline connection component 20 to flow back to the sodium-related device, and the pipeline control valve 21 is closed to cut off the connection between the sodium-related device and the pipeline connection component 20.

[0049] Regarding the embodiments of the present application, it should also be noted that, in the absence of conflict, the embodiments of the present application and the features therein can be combined with each other to obtain new embodiments.

[0050] The above are only specific implementation methods of the present application, but the protection scope of the present application is not limited thereto. The protection scope of the present application shall be based on the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A mobile sodium purification device, characterized in that: It includes: Sodium purification components, pipe connection components and glove boxes, The glove box is configured to be fixedly connected to the sodium purification component to provide an inert gas atmosphere for the sodium purification component; The sodium purification component is configured to be fluidically connected to the pipeline connection component so that the sodium flowing into the sodium purification component through the pipeline connection component is purified; The pipeline connection assembly is configured to be fluidically connected to a sodium-related device that needs to be purified, so that the sodium that needs to be purified in the sodium-related device enters the sodium purification assembly through the pipeline connection assembly.

2. The mobile sodium purification device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The pipeline connection assembly includes a pipeline control valve and a pipeline, and the pipeline control valve is configured to control the flow or non-flow of the pipeline; and the pipeline is fluidly connected to the sodium purification component and fluidly connected to the sodium-related device, Furthermore, the pipeline is arranged so that the connection position between the pipeline and the sodium-related device can be adjusted in the height direction.

3. The mobile sodium purification device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The pipeline includes a first pipeline, a second pipeline, and a middle pipeline. The middle pipeline is arranged between the first pipeline and the second pipeline and is connected to both of them. The first pipeline is parallel to the extension direction of the second pipeline and is perpendicular to the extension direction of the middle pipeline.

4. The mobile sodium purification device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The sodium purification component comprises a container, a cover, a sodium purification component and a heating component. The cover is arranged on the container and forms a closed cavity with the container. The glove box is fixedly connected to the cover; The pipeline connection assembly is connected to the container fluid; The sodium purification element is arranged in the container to purify the sodium flowing into the container; The heating element is disposed on the container to heat the container; An inert gas atmosphere is provided between the container and the cover.

5. The mobile sodium purification device according to claim 4, characterized in that: The sodium purifying member is made of zirconium material, is arranged in a wire or sheet shape, is suspended in the container through the cover member, and is arranged to be submerged by the sodium when the sodium to be purified flows into the container.

6. The mobile sodium purification device according to claim 4, characterized in that: The container further comprises a sodium monitoring component, a sodium monitoring pipeline and a driving component, wherein the sodium monitoring component is in fluid communication with the sodium monitoring pipeline, the sodium monitoring component, the sodium monitoring pipeline and the driving component are arranged outside the container, and the driving component is in fluid communication with the sodium monitoring pipeline to drive the sodium in the container to flow in the sodium monitoring pipeline. The sodium monitoring component is configured to monitor the impurity content of sodium in the sodium monitoring pipeline.

7. The mobile sodium purification device according to claim 4, characterized in that: It also includes a sampling piece, one end of which is in fluid communication with the pipeline connection assembly, and the other end of which is disposed in the glove box and is configured to take samples from the container to monitor the impurity content of sodium in the container.

8. The mobile sodium purification device according to claim 7, characterized in that: It also includes a sampling heating element, which is arranged on the sampling element to heat the sampling element.

9. A method for purifying sodium in a sodium-related device, characterized in that: It utilizes the mobile sodium purification device described in any one of claims 1-8.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that It also includes the following steps: Moving the mobile sodium purification device to the sodium-related device that needs to be purified; Connecting the pipeline connection assembly to the sodium-related device fluid; generating an inert gas atmosphere using the glove box; Connecting the pipeline connection assembly to allow the sodium in the sodium-related device to flow into the sodium purification assembly for purification; Monitoring of sodium impurity levels during purification; After the purification is completed, the connection between the sodium-related device and the pipeline connection assembly is closed.

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