Spent fuel rod laser disintegration device and method

Abstract

The invention relates to a spent fuel rod laser disintegration device and disintegration method.The spent fuel rod laser disintegration device comprises a rack, a first chuck, a second chuck and a laser, the first chuck and the second chuck are used for fixing the first end and the second end of a spent fuel rod respectively, and a first linear guide rail is arranged on the rack; the first chuck can move back and forth on the first linear guide rail, the laser is installed above, on the left and / or on the right of the second chuck and used for emitting laser beams to the spent fuel rod to disintegrate the spent fuel rod, and the first chuck and the second chuck are both connected with rotating motors. The rotating motor drives the first chuck and the second chuck to drive the spent fuel rod to rotate, and the position of the spent fuel rod irradiated by the laser beam is continuously changed in the rotating process, so that the spent fuel rod is quickly disintegrated under the action of the laser beam, the disintegration efficiency of the spent fuel rod is improved, the energy of the laser beam is extremely high, the end face of the disintegrated spent fuel rod is flat, and the service life of the spent fuel rod is prolonged. The spent fuel rod laser disintegration device has the advantages that the spent fuel rod laser disintegration device is simple in structure, good in cutting quality, free of flying dust and free of abrasion parts, pollution of spent fuel rod scraps to the environment is reduced to the maximum extent, the maintenance frequency of equipment is greatly reduced, long-term normal operation of the device can be maintained, and energy is saved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the technical field of spent fuel post-processing, and in particular to a spent fuel rod laser disintegration device and a disintegration method. Background Art

[0002] Spent fuel rods, also known as irradiated nuclear fuel, refer to nuclear fuel that has been unloaded from the reactor after a certain period of time after being bombarded by neutrons and launching a nuclear reaction. Although most of the energy of these fuel rods has been used up, they still contain a large amount of radioactive substances and reusable nuclear materials. Therefore, how to efficiently post-process spent fuel rods is a very important technical issue in this field.

[0003] The existing technology usually uses mechanical cutting to process spent fuel rods. The spent fuel rods are cut into short sections by the blades of a mechanical shearing machine. Due to the mechanical properties of the blades during the cutting process, shearing elbows may occur, and the end faces of the spent fuel rods after cutting may be uneven, which not only has a negative impact on the subsequent recycling of radioactive materials, but may also cause damage to the equipment. At the same time, the blades will continue to wear during the cutting process, and the blades need to be replaced regularly, which is cumbersome and inefficient.

[0004] Therefore, there is an urgent need to improve the existing technology to improve the quality of spent fuel rod cutting and reduce the frequency of equipment maintenance. Summary of the invention

[0005] Based on this, in order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a spent fuel rod laser disintegration device and disintegration method. The rear end surface of the spent fuel rod is smooth after disintegration, and no consumables are required, which greatly reduces the frequency of equipment maintenance and realizes efficient and low-loss laser disintegration of spent fuel rods.

[0006] To achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the present invention provides a spent fuel rod laser disintegration device, comprising a frame, a first chuck, a second chuck and a laser, wherein the first chuck and the second chuck are used to fix the first end and the second end of the spent fuel rod respectively, a first linear guide is arranged on the frame, the first chuck can move back and forth on the first linear guide, the laser is installed above, to the left and / or to the right of the second chuck, the laser is used to aim at the spent fuel rod and emit a laser beam to disintegrate the spent fuel rod, the first chuck and the second chuck are both connected to a rotating motor, and the rotating motor drives the first chuck and the second chuck to drive the spent fuel rod to rotate.

[0007] In one embodiment, the second chuck includes a fixed disk and a rotating disk, the center of the rotating disk is a through hole, the second end of the spent fuel rod passes through the through hole to form a free end of a preset length, and the laser is aimed at the free end of the spent fuel rod to emit laser.

[0008] In one of the embodiments, four claws are evenly arranged around the through hole of the rotating disk, and the claws can move toward the center of the through hole until the spent fuel rod is clamped.

[0009] In one of the embodiments, the laser is mounted on a gantry through an intermediate panel, a second linear guide rail is provided on the gantry, and the intermediate panel can drive the laser to move back and forth on the second linear guide rail.

[0010] In one of the embodiments, the middle panel further comprises a lifting bracket, a third linear guide rail is arranged on the lifting bracket, and the laser can move back and forth on the third linear guide rail.

[0011] In one of the embodiments, a visual component and a control unit are also included that are connected to the laser for communication, so as to achieve precise positioning of the laser beam on the spent fuel rod.

[0012] In one of the embodiments, a waste extraction assembly and a solvent extraction assembly are provided below the free end of the spent fuel rod, wherein the waste extraction assembly is used to directly extract the spent fuel debris after disintegration, and the solvent extraction assembly is used to remove radioactive waste from the spent fuel debris.

[0013] In one embodiment, the spent fuel rods may be a single bundle of spent fuel rods or a plurality of bundles of spent fuel rods.

[0014] In one embodiment, a spent fuel rod laser disintegration method is provided, comprising the following steps: After the spent fuel rod passes through the second chuck, the first end thereof is fixed on the first chuck, and the second end thereof is fixed on the second chuck to form a free end of a preset length; Starting a rotating motor, wherein the rotating motor drives the first chuck and the second chuck to drive the spent fuel rod to rotate; Start the laser and emit a laser beam towards the free end of the spent fuel rod to cause the spent fuel rod to disintegrate from the free end; The first chuck moves on the first linear guide rail in a direction close to the second chuck at a preset speed, so that the free end of the spent fuel rod maintains a preset length.

[0015] In one of the embodiments, the spent fuel rod laser disintegration method further includes the step of: the laser moving back and forth along the second linear guide rail and / or the third linear guide rail at a preset speed.

[0016] In one of the embodiments, the step is further included: the visual component locates the position information of the spent fuel rod and transmits the position information to the control unit, the control unit controls the moving path of the laser according to the received position information, and when the laser moves to a preset position, controls the laser to aim at the free end of the spent fuel rod to emit a laser beam.

[0017] In one of the embodiments, the steps are further included: the waste extraction component directly extracts the spent fuel debris after disintegration, and the solvent extraction component removes the radioactive waste in the spent fuel debris.

[0018] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects: The invention provides a spent fuel rod laser disintegration device and a disintegration method. The spent fuel rod continuously changes the position receiving laser beam irradiation during rotation, so that the spent fuel rod is quickly disintegrated under the action of the laser beam, thereby improving the efficiency of spent fuel rod disintegration. The laser beam energy is extremely high, and the end surface of the spent fuel rod after disintegration is flat, thereby improving the quality of spent fuel rod disintegration. The spent fuel rod laser disintegration device provided by the invention has a simple structure, good cutting quality, no dust, and no wear parts, thereby avoiding the pollution of the environment by spent fuel rod debris, greatly reducing the maintenance frequency of the equipment, and can maintain the long-term normal operation of the device, thereby saving energy. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of a spent fuel rod laser disintegration device of the present invention; Figure 2 for Figure 1 A partial enlarged view of part A.

[0020] Figure 3 The present invention is a schematic flow chart of a spent fuel rod laser disintegration method. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0021] In order to make the above-mentioned objects, features and advantages of the present invention more obvious and easy to understand, the specific embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. In the following description, many specific details are set forth to facilitate a full understanding of the present invention. However, the present invention can be implemented in many other ways different from those described herein, and those skilled in the art can make similar improvements without violating the connotation of the present invention, so the present invention is not limited by the specific embodiments disclosed below.

[0022] In the description of the present invention, it should be understood that the terms "center", "longitudinal", "lateral", "length", "width", "thickness", "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inside", "outside", "clockwise", "counterclockwise", "axial", "radial", "circumferential" and the like indicate orientations or positional relationships based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the referred device or element must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be understood as limiting the present invention.

[0023] In addition, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the indicated technical features. Therefore, the features defined as "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of the features. In the description of the present invention, the meaning of "plurality" is at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise clearly and specifically defined.

[0024] In the present invention, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "installed", "connected", "connected", "fixed" and the like should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium, it can be the internal connection of two elements or the interaction relationship between two elements, unless otherwise clearly defined. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0025] In the present invention, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, a first feature being "above" or "below" a second feature may mean that the first and second features are in direct contact, or the first and second features are in indirect contact through an intermediate medium. Moreover, a first feature being "above", "above" or "above" a second feature may mean that the first feature is directly above or obliquely above the second feature, or simply means that the first feature is higher in level than the second feature. A first feature being "below", "below" or "below" a second feature may mean that the first feature is directly below or obliquely below the second feature, or simply means that the first feature is lower in level than the second feature.

[0026] It should be noted that when an element is referred to as being "fixed to" or "disposed on" another element, it may be directly on the other element or there may be a central element. When an element is considered to be "connected to" another element, it may be directly connected to the other element or there may be a central element at the same time. The terms "vertical", "horizontal", "upper", "lower", "left", "right" and similar expressions used herein are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to be the only implementation method.

[0027] In order to make the above-mentioned objects, features and advantages of the present invention more obvious and easy to understand, the present invention is further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0028] like Figure 1-Figure 2As shown, this embodiment provides a spent fuel rod laser disintegration device, including a frame 10, a first chuck 20, a second chuck 30 and a laser 40, wherein the first chuck 20 and the second chuck 30 are respectively used to fix the first end 501 and the second end 502 of the spent fuel rod 50, the frame 10 is provided with a first linear guide rail 101, the first chuck 20 can move back and forth on the first linear guide rail 101, the laser 40 is installed above, to the left and / or to the right of the second chuck 30, the laser 40 is used to aim at the spent fuel rod 50 and emit a laser beam to disintegrate the spent fuel rod 50, the first chuck 20 and the second chuck 30 are both connected to a rotating motor (not shown in the figure), and the rotating motor drives the first chuck 20 and the second chuck 3 0 drives the spent fuel rod 50 to rotate, and the first chuck 20 gradually moves toward the second chuck 30 along the first linear guide rail 101 at a preset speed. In this embodiment, the spent fuel rod 50 continuously changes the position receiving the laser beam irradiation during the rotation process, so that the spent fuel rod is quickly disintegrated under the action of the laser beam, which improves the efficiency of the spent fuel rod disintegration. Compared with the defects of the traditional technology of using cutting tools to contact the spent fuel rods for cutting, large dust, uneven cutting end surface, and easy wear of cutting tools, the spent fuel rod laser disintegration device provided in this embodiment has a simple structure, good cutting quality, no dust, no wear parts, avoids the pollution of the environment by spent fuel rod debris, greatly reduces the maintenance frequency of the equipment, can maintain the long-term normal operation of the device, and saves energy. The spent fuel rods can be a single bundle of spent fuel rods or multiple bundles of spent fuel rods.

[0029] In one embodiment, the second chuck 30 includes a fixed disk 301 and a rotating disk 302 accommodated inside the fixed disk 301, the rotating disk 302 rotates inside the fixed disk 301, the center of the rotating disk 302 is a through hole, the second end 502 of the spent fuel rod 50 passes through the through hole to form a free end 503 of a preset length, and the laser 40 aligns the free end 503 of the spent fuel rod 50 to emit laser.

[0030] In one embodiment, four claws 3021 are evenly arranged around the through hole of the rotating disk 302, and the claws 3021 include abutment planes. The claws 3021 can move toward the center of the through hole until the abutment planes of the claws 3021 at four different positions clamp the spent fuel rod 50, so that the first chuck 20 and the second chuck 30 can drive the spent fuel rod 50 to rotate smoothly.

[0031] In one embodiment, the laser 40 is mounted on a gantry 401 through an intermediate panel 402. The gantry 401 is disposed on the outer side of the second chuck 30, and the second chuck 30 is enclosed in its internal space. A second linear guide 403 is disposed on the gantry 401. The intermediate panel 402 is driven by a motor to drive the laser 40 to move back and forth on the second linear guide 403. The laser beam irradiates the edge of the rotating spent fuel rod 50, so that the spent fuel rod 50 gradually disintegrates from the edge position. In this process, the diameter of the spent fuel rod 50 gradually decreases. The laser 40 changes its position along the second linear guide 403, and keeps irradiating the laser beam on the spent fuel rod, so that the spent fuel rod 50 continues to disintegrate.

[0032] In one embodiment, the middle panel 402 further includes a lifting bracket 404, on which a third linear guide rail 4041 is disposed. The laser 40 can move back and forth on the third linear guide rail 4041, and the distance between the laser 40 and the spent fuel rod 50 can be flexibly adjusted to improve the efficiency of the spent fuel rod disintegration.

[0033] In one embodiment, a visual component (not shown in the figure) and a control unit (not shown in the figure) connected to the laser 40 are also included to realize the accurate positioning of the laser beam on the spent fuel rod 50. The visual component recognizes the edge starting position information of the spent fuel rod and sends the position information to the control unit. The control unit moves the laser 40 to the corresponding preset position according to the position information and then starts the laser 40 to emit a laser beam to accurately irradiate the disintegration starting position of the spent fuel rod 50. The spent fuel rod 50 gradually disintegrates during the rotation process. The visual component continuously recognizes the disintegration position information of the spent fuel rod. During the gradual disintegration of the spent fuel rod 50, its diameter becomes smaller and smaller, and the disintegration starting position gradually approaches the center of the spent fuel rod 50. The visual component transmits the changed disintegration position information to the control unit. The control unit adjusts the position of the laser according to the position information received each time, so that the laser beam continues to accurately irradiate the part of the spent fuel rod that needs to be disintegrated, thereby ensuring the efficiency of the laser disintegration of the spent fuel rod. The visual component identifies the disintegration starting position information of the spent fuel rod 50 and sends the position information to the control unit. The control unit moves the laser 40 according to the position information. Specifically, the control unit controls the laser 40 to move along the second linear guide rail 403 and the third linear guide rail 4041 according to the position information, so that the distance between the laser 40 and the disintegration starting position of the spent fuel rod 50 is constant. Usually, the spent fuel rod is a special-shaped workpiece. During the rotation process, the distance between its preset disintegration position and the laser 40 changes continuously. The visual component monitors the position information in real time, and the controller adjusts the moving trajectory of the laser 40 in real time according to the position information to ensure that the energy of the laser beam emitted by the laser 40 is consistent when it is transmitted to the preset disintegration position of the spent fuel rod 50, so as to ensure the consistency of the disintegration quality of the spent fuel rod special-shaped workpiece. The rear end surface of the spent fuel rod after disintegration is flat and smooth, thereby improving the efficiency and quality of the spent fuel rod disintegration.

[0034] It can be understood that: the first linear guide, the second linear guide, and the third linear guide are respectively located in the x-axis direction, the y-axis direction, and the z-axis direction.

[0035] In one of the embodiments, a waste extraction assembly (not shown in the figure) and a solvent extraction assembly (not shown in the figure) are arranged below the free end 503 of the spent fuel rod 50. The waste extraction assembly is used to directly extract the spent fuel debris after disintegration, and the solvent extraction assembly is used to remove radioactive waste in the spent fuel debris. The solvent is a mixture of tributyl phosphate (TBP) and kerosene. The embodiment provides a spent fuel rod laser disintegration device, the laser beam energy is extremely high, and after the spent fuel rod is disintegrated, the spent fuel debris is formed in a small volume, which is convenient for subsequent treatment. The spent fuel rod laser disintegration device provided by the embodiment also performs post-processing on the spent fuel rod debris after disintegration, effectively avoiding the pollution caused by radioactive waste, and can recycle the radioactive substances after solvent extraction, saving energy.

[0036] like Figure 3 As shown, in one embodiment, a spent fuel rod laser disintegration method is also provided, comprising the following steps: After the spent fuel rod passes through the second chuck, the first end thereof is fixed on the first chuck, and the second end thereof is fixed on the second chuck to form a free end of a preset length; Starting a rotating motor, wherein the rotating motor drives the first chuck and the second chuck to drive the spent fuel rod to rotate; Start the laser and emit a laser beam towards the free end of the spent fuel rod to cause the spent fuel rod to disintegrate from the free end; The first chuck moves on the first linear guide rail in a direction close to the second chuck at a preset speed, so that the free end of the spent fuel rod maintains a preset length.

[0037] In one of the embodiments, a spent fuel rod laser disintegration method further includes the step of: the laser moves back and forth along the second linear guide rail and / or the third linear guide rail at a preset speed.

[0038] In one of the embodiments, a method for laser disintegration of a spent fuel rod further includes the steps of: a visual component locates position information of the spent fuel rod and transmits the position information to a control unit, the control unit controls a moving path of the laser according to the received position information, and when the laser moves to a preset position, controls the laser to aim at the free end of the spent fuel rod to emit a laser beam.

[0039] In one of the embodiments, the visual component identifies the disintegration starting position information of the spent fuel rod and sends the position information to the control unit. The control unit moves the laser 40 according to the position information. Specifically, the control unit controls the laser to move along the second linear guide rail and the third linear guide rail according to the position information, so that the distance between the laser and the disintegration starting position of the spent fuel rod is constant, ensuring that the energy of the laser beam emitted by the laser is consistent when it is transmitted to the preset disintegration position of the spent fuel rod, and the rear end surface of the spent fuel rod after disintegration is flat and smooth, thereby improving the efficiency and quality of the spent fuel rod disintegration.

[0040] In one embodiment, a spent fuel rod laser disintegration method further includes the steps of: a waste extraction assembly directly extracting spent fuel debris after disintegration, and a solvent extraction assembly removing radioactive waste from the spent fuel debris.

[0041] It should be noted that it is obvious to those skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited to the details of the above exemplary embodiments, and that the present invention can be implemented in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential features of the present invention. Therefore, no matter from which point of view, the embodiments should be regarded as exemplary and non-restrictive, and the scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims rather than the above description, and it is intended that all changes falling within the meaning and scope of the equivalent elements of the claims are included in the present invention, and any figure mark in the claims should not be regarded as limiting the claims involved.

[0042] The present invention uses specific examples to illustrate the principles and implementation methods of the present invention. The above examples are only used to help understand the method and core ideas of the present invention. At the same time, for those skilled in the art, according to the ideas of the present invention, there will be changes in the specific implementation methods and application scope. In summary, the content of this specification should not be understood as limiting the present invention.

Claims

1. A spent fuel rod laser disintegration device, characterized in that: The invention comprises a frame, a first chuck, a second chuck and a laser. The first chuck and the second chuck are used to fix the first end and the second end of the spent fuel rod respectively. The frame is provided with a first linear guide rail. The first chuck can move back and forth on the first linear guide rail. The laser is installed above, to the left and / or to the right of the second chuck. The laser is used to aim at the spent fuel rod and emit a laser beam to disintegrate the spent fuel rod. The first chuck and the second chuck are both connected to a rotating motor. The rotating motor drives the first chuck and the second chuck to drive the spent fuel rod to rotate.

2. A spent fuel rod laser disintegration device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The second chuck includes a fixed disk and a rotating disk, the center of the rotating disk is a through hole, the second end of the spent fuel rod passes through the through hole to form a free end of a preset length, and the laser aligns with the free end of the spent fuel rod to emit laser.

3. A spent fuel rod laser disintegration device according to claim 2, characterized in that: Four clamping claws are evenly arranged around the through hole of the rotating disk, and the clamping claws can move toward the center of the through hole until the spent fuel rod is clamped.

4. The spent fuel rod laser disintegration device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The laser is installed on the gantry through the middle panel, and the gantry is provided with a second linear guide rail. The middle panel can drive the laser to move back and forth on the second linear guide rail.

5. The spent fuel rod laser disintegration device according to claim 4, characterized in that: The middle panel also includes a lifting bracket, on which a third linear guide rail is arranged, and the laser can move back and forth on the third linear guide rail.

6. The spent fuel rod laser disintegration device according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a visual component and a control unit that are communicatively connected to the laser, and are used to achieve accurate positioning of the spent fuel rod by the laser beam, wherein the visual component identifies the disintegration starting position information of the spent fuel rod and sends the position information to the control unit, and the control unit controls the laser to move along the second linear guide rail and the third linear guide rail according to the position information, so that the distance between the laser and the disintegration starting position of the spent fuel rod is constant.

7. The spent fuel rod laser disintegration device according to claim 1, characterized in that: A waste extraction assembly and a solvent extraction assembly are arranged below the free end of the spent fuel rod. The waste extraction assembly is used to directly extract the spent fuel debris after disintegration, and the solvent extraction assembly is used to remove radioactive waste in the spent fuel debris.

8. The spent fuel rod laser disintegration device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The spent fuel rods may be a single bundle of spent fuel rods or multiple bundles of spent fuel rods.

9. A method for laser disintegration of spent fuel rods, characterized in that: The following steps are included: After the spent fuel rod passes through the second chuck, the first end thereof is fixed on the first chuck, and the second end thereof is fixed on the second chuck to form a free end of a preset length; Starting a rotating motor, wherein the rotating motor drives the first chuck and the second chuck to drive the spent fuel rod to rotate; Start the laser and emit a laser beam towards the free end of the spent fuel rod to cause the spent fuel rod to disintegrate from the free end; The first chuck moves on the first linear guide rail in a direction close to the second chuck at a preset speed, so that the free end of the spent fuel rod maintains a preset length.

10. A spent fuel rod laser disintegration method according to claim 9, characterized in that: The method further comprises the step of: the laser moving back and forth along the second linear guide rail and / or the third linear guide rail at a preset speed.

11. A spent fuel rod laser disintegration method according to claim 9, characterized in that: The method also includes the following steps: the visual component locates the position information of the spent fuel rod and transmits the position information to the control unit; the control unit controls the moving path of the laser according to the received position information; when the laser moves to a preset position, the laser is controlled to aim at the free end of the spent fuel rod to emit a laser beam.

12. A spent fuel rod laser disintegration method according to claim 11, characterized in that: The visual component identifies the disintegration starting position information of the spent fuel rod and sends the position information to the control unit. The control unit controls the laser to move along the second linear guide rail and the third linear guide rail according to the position information so that the distance between the laser and the disintegration starting position of the spent fuel rod is constant.

13. A spent fuel rod laser disintegration method according to claim 9, characterized in that: The steps are also included: the waste extraction component directly extracts the spent fuel debris after disintegration, and the solvent extraction component removes the radioactive waste in the spent fuel debris.

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