Spent fuel rod laser disassembly apparatus and method

Abstract

The present application relates to a kind of spent fuel rod laser disassembly device and disassembly method, wherein spent fuel rod laser disassembly device includes rack, first chuck, second chuck and laser, the first chuck and second chuck are used to fix the first end and second end of spent fuel rod respectively, first linear guide is provided on the rack, first chuck can move back and forth on first linear guide, the laser is installed above, left and / or right of second chuck, laser is used to aim spent fuel rod and emit laser beam to make spent fuel rod disassembly, the first chuck and second chuck are all connected with rotating motor, rotating motor drives first chuck and second chuck to drive spent fuel rod to rotate, spent fuel rod changes the position of receiving laser beam irradiation constantly in the process of rotation, make spent fuel rod rapidly disassembly under the action of laser beam, improve the efficiency of spent fuel rod disassembly, laser beam energy is extremely high, the end surface of spent fuel rod after disassembly is flat, improve the quality of spent fuel rod disassembly, the spent fuel rod laser disassembly device provided by the present application is simple in structure, cutting quality is good, no dust, no wearing parts, maximum limit reduces the pollution of spent fuel rod debris to environment, greatly reduce the maintenance frequency of equipment, can maintain device long-term normal operation, save energy.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of spent fuel reprocessing, in particular to a spent fuel rod laser disintegration device and method. BACKGROUND

[0002] The spent fuel rod, also known as irradiated nuclear fuel, refers to the nuclear fuel discharged from the reactor after a certain period of time after neutron bombardment. Although most of the energy of the spent fuel rod has been used, it still contains a large amount of radioactive substances and reusable nuclear materials. Therefore, how to efficiently reprocess the spent fuel rod is a very important technical problem in the field.

[0003] The prior art usually uses mechanical cutting to process the spent fuel rod. The blades of the mechanical shearing machine cut the spent fuel rod into short sections. Due to the mechanical properties of the blades during cutting, the phenomenon of shearing elbow may occur, and the end surface of the cut spent fuel rod is not flat. This not only has a negative impact on the subsequent recovery and treatment of radioactive materials, but also may damage the equipment. At the same time, the blades will be worn out during cutting and need to be replaced regularly, which is tedious and inefficient.

[0004] Therefore, it is necessary to improve the existing technology to improve the quality of spent fuel rod cutting and reduce the frequency of equipment maintenance. SUMMARY

[0005] Therefore, in view of the above problems, the present application provides a spent fuel rod laser disintegration device and method. The end surface of the disintegrated spent fuel rod is flat, there is no consumable, and the frequency of equipment maintenance is greatly reduced, realizing efficient and low-loss laser disintegration of the spent fuel rod.

[0006] To achieve the above purpose, the present application provides a spent fuel rod laser disintegration device, which comprises a rack, 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 rack is provided with a first linear guide rail, and the first chuck can move back and forth on the first linear guide rail. The laser is installed above, left and / or right of the second chuck. The laser is used to emit a laser beam to align the spent fuel rod to disintegrate the spent fuel rod. The first chuck and the second chuck are both connected with a rotary motor, which drives the first chuck and the second chuck to rotate the spent fuel rod.

[0007] In one embodiment, the second chuck comprises a fixed disc and a rotating disc. The center of the rotating disc is a through hole, and the second end of the spent fuel rod forms a free end of a predetermined length after passing through the through hole. The laser emits a laser beam to align the free end of the spent fuel rod.

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

[0009] In one of the embodiments, the laser is installed on the gantry through an intermediate panel, and the gantry is provided with a second linear guide rail, 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 intermediate panel further comprises a lifting support provided with a third linear guide rail, and the laser can move back and forth on the third linear guide rail.

[0011] In one of the embodiments, a visual assembly and a control unit in communication with the laser are further included to realize accurate 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 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.

[0013] In one of the embodiments, the spent fuel rod can be a single spent fuel rod or a multiple spent fuel rod.

[0014] In one of the embodiments, a spent fuel rod laser disintegration method is provided, comprising the following steps,

[0015] After the spent fuel rod passes through the second chuck, the first end is fixed on the first chuck, and the second end is fixed on the second chuck to form a free end with a preset length;

[0016] The rotating motor is started, and the rotating motor drives the first chuck and the second chuck to rotate the spent fuel rod;

[0017] The laser is started, and the laser beam is emitted to align the free end of the spent fuel rod to disintegrate the spent fuel rod from the free end;

[0018] The first chuck moves on the first linear guide rail at a preset speed towards the second chuck to keep the spent fuel rod with a free end of a preset length.

[0019] In one of the embodiments, the spent fuel rod laser disintegration method further comprises the step that the laser moves back and forth along the second linear guide rail and / or the third linear guide rail at a preset speed.

[0020] In one of the embodiments, the method further comprises the steps of: the visual component positioning the location information of the spent fuel rod and transmitting the location information to the control unit, the control unit controlling the moving path of the laser according to the received location information, and the laser emitting a laser beam to the free end of the spent fuel rod when the laser moves to the preset position.

[0021] In one of the embodiments, the method further comprises the steps of: the waste extraction component directly extracting the disintegrated spent fuel debris, and the solvent extraction component removing radioactive waste in the spent fuel debris.

[0022] Compared with the prior art, the present application has the following beneficial effects:

[0023] The present application provides a spent fuel rod laser disintegration device and a disintegration method, which can continuously change the position of the spent fuel rod receiving laser beam irradiation during rotation, rapidly disintegrate the spent fuel rod under the action of the laser beam, improve the disintegration efficiency of the spent fuel rod, and improve the disintegration quality of the spent fuel rod due to the high energy of the laser beam and the flat end surface of the disintegrated spent fuel rod. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0024] Figure 1 Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the spent fuel rod laser disintegration device of the present application.

[0025] Figure 2 Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the laser beam irradiation of the spent fuel rod laser disintegration device of the present application. Figure 1 Figure 3 is a partial enlarged view of part A of Figure 2.

[0026] Figure 3 Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the flow of the spent fuel rod laser disintegration method of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0027] In order to make the above-mentioned objects, features and advantages of the present application more obvious and easy to understand, the specific embodiments of the present application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following description, a large number of specific details are set forth in order to facilitate a full understanding of the present application. However, the present application can be implemented in many other ways different from those described herein, and those skilled in the art can make similar improvements without departing from the scope of the present application, so the present application is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed below.

[0028] In the description of the application, it should be understood that the orientation or positional relationship indicated by terms such as "center", "longitudinal", "transverse", "length", "width", "thickness", "upper", "lower", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", "clockwise", "counterclockwise", "axial", "radial", "circumferential" and the like is based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings, and is only for the purpose of facilitating the description of the application and simplifying the description, and does not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a particular orientation, be constructed and operated in a particular orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation of the application.

[0029] In addition, the terms "first", "second" are only for descriptive purposes and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the technical features indicated. Therefore, the features defined with "first", "second" can explicitly or implicitly include at least one of the features. In the description of the application, the meaning of "a plurality of" is at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited.

[0030] In the present application, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "mounting", "connection", "connection", "fixing" and the like should be understood broadly, for example, it can be fixedly connected, or it can be detachably connected, or it can be integrated; it can be mechanically connected, or it can be electrically connected; it can be directly connected, or it can be indirectly connected through an intermediate medium; it can be the internal communication of two elements or the interaction relationship between two elements, unless otherwise explicitly limited. For those skilled in the art, the specific meaning of the above terms in the present application can be understood according to the specific circumstances.

[0031] In the present application, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the first feature is "on" or "under" the second feature, which can be direct contact between the first and second features, or indirect contact between the first and second features through an intermediate medium. Moreover, the first feature "above", "above" and "above" the second feature can be directly above or obliquely above the first feature, or only indicate that the horizontal height of the first feature is higher than that of the second feature. The first feature "below", "below" and "below" the second feature can be directly below or obliquely below the first feature, or only indicate that the horizontal height of the first feature is less than that of the second feature.

[0032] It is to be understood that when an element such as a layer, region or substrate is referred to as being "on" or "connected to" another element, it can be directly on or connected to the other element or intervening elements can be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being "directly on" or "directly connected to" another element, there are no intervening elements present. It will be understood that, although the terms "first", "second", etc. can be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms since such elements are commonly known with other elements irrespective of their

[0033] In order to make the above objectives, features and advantages of the present application more obvious and comprehensible, the present application will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0034] As shown in the Figures 1-2 The embodiment provides a spent fuel rod laser disintegration device, which comprises a rack 10, a first chuck 20, a second chuck 30 and a laser 40, the first chuck 20 and the second chuck 30 are respectively used for fixing a first end 501 and a second end 502 of a spent fuel rod 50, the rack 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, left and / or right of the second chuck 30, and the laser 40 is used for emitting a laser beam to align the spent fuel rod 50 to disintegrate the spent fuel rod 50, the first chuck 20 and the second chuck 30 are both connected with a rotating motor (not shown in the figure), the rotating motor drives the first chuck 20 and the second chuck 30 to rotate the spent fuel rod 50, and the first chuck 20 gradually moves to the direction of the second chuck 30 along the first linear guide rail 101 at a preset speed, in the embodiment, the spent fuel rod 50 continuously changes the position of receiving the laser beam irradiation in the process of rotation, so that the spent fuel rod is rapidly disintegrated under the action of the laser beam, the efficiency of disintegrating the spent fuel rod is improved, compared with the defects of the traditional technology that uses a cutting tool to contact and cut the spent fuel rod, dust is large, the cutting end face is uneven, and the cutting tool is easy to wear, the spent fuel rod laser disintegration device provided by the embodiment has the advantages of simple structure, good cutting quality, no dust and no wearing parts, the pollution of the spent fuel rod debris to the environment is avoided, the maintenance frequency of the equipment is greatly reduced, the device can be maintained for long-term normal operation, and energy is saved. The spent fuel rod can be a single spent fuel rod or a plurality of spent fuel rods.

[0035] In one embodiment, the second chuck 30 comprises a fixed disc 301 and a rotating disc 302 accommodated in the fixed disc 301, the rotating disc 302 rotates in the inside of the fixed disc 301, the center of the rotating disc 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 emits a laser beam to align the free end 503 of the spent fuel rod 50.

[0036] In one of the embodiments, four claws 3021 are evenly arranged around the through hole of the rotating disc 302, the claws 3021 include abutting planes, and the claws 3021 can move to the center of the through hole until the abutting planes of the four claws 3021 in different positions clamp the spent fuel rod 50, so as to facilitate the spent fuel rod 50 to be stably rotated by the first chuck 20 and the second chuck 30.

[0037] In one of the embodiments, the laser 40 is installed on the gantry 401 through an intermediate panel 402, the gantry 401 is arranged outside the second chuck 30 and wraps the second chuck 30 in the internal space, the gantry 401 is provided with a second linear guide rail 403, the intermediate panel 402 is driven by a motor to move the laser 40 back and forth on the second linear guide rail 403, the laser beam is irradiated to the edge of the rotating spent fuel rod 50, so that the spent fuel rod 50 is gradually disintegrated from the edge position, in this process, the diameter of the spent fuel rod 50 gradually decreases, the laser 40 changes the position along the second linear guide rail 403, keeps the laser beam irradiated to the spent fuel rod 50, and the spent fuel rod 50 is continuously disintegrated.

[0038] In one of the embodiments, the intermediate panel 402 further includes a lifting support 404, the lifting support 404 is provided with a third linear guide rail 4041, and the laser 40 can move back and forth on the third linear guide rail 4041, so that the distance between the laser 40 and the spent fuel rod 50 can be flexibly adjusted, and the disintegration efficiency of the spent fuel rod is improved.

[0039] In one embodiment, a visual component (not shown in the figure) and a control unit (not shown in the figure) are further included in communication with the laser 40, for precise positioning of the laser beam to the spent fuel rod 50. The visual component identifies 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 precisely irradiate the disintegration starting position of the spent fuel rod 50. The spent fuel rod 50 gradually disintegrates during rotation. The visual component continuously identifies the disintegration position information of the spent fuel rod. During the process of 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 changing disintegration position information to the control unit. The control unit adjusts the position of the laser according to each received position information, so that the laser beam continuously and accurately irradiates the part of the spent fuel rod that needs to be disintegrated, ensuring the efficiency of laser disintegration of the spent fuel rod. 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, and the distance between the preset disintegration position and the laser 40 changes constantly during rotation. The visual component monitors the position information in real time, and the controller adjusts the movement trajectory of the laser 40 in real time according to the position information, so that the laser beam emitted by the laser 40 has consistent energy when it reaches the preset disintegration position of the spent fuel rod 50, ensuring the consistency of the disintegration quality of the spent fuel rod special-shaped workpiece. The end surface of the disintegrated spent fuel rod is smooth and flat, improving the efficiency and quality of the disintegration of the spent fuel rod.

[0040] It can be understood that the first linear guide rail, the second linear guide rail, and the third linear guide rail are located in the x-axis direction, the y-axis direction, and the z-axis direction, respectively.

[0041] In one embodiment, a waste extraction component (not shown in the figure) and a solvent extraction component (not shown in the figure) are arranged below the free end 503 of the spent fuel rod 50. The waste extraction component is used to directly extract the disintegrated spent fuel debris, and the solvent extraction component is used to remove radioactive waste from the spent fuel debris. The solvent is a mixture of tri-n-butyl phosphate (TBP) and kerosene. The laser disintegration device for spent fuel rods provided in the present embodiment has extremely high laser beam energy, and after disintegrating the spent fuel rod, small-sized spent fuel debris is formed, which is convenient for subsequent processing. The laser disintegration device for spent fuel rods provided in the present embodiment also performs post-processing on the disintegrated spent fuel debris, effectively avoiding pollution caused by radioactive waste, and can recycle the radioactive substances extracted by the solvent, saving energy.

[0042] As Figure 3 shown in one embodiment, a spent fuel rod laser disassembly method is also provided, comprising the steps of,

[0043] After the spent fuel rod passes through the second chuck, the first end of the spent fuel rod is fixed on the first chuck, and the second end is fixed on the second chuck to form a free end of a preset length;

[0044] Start the rotating motor, which drives the first chuck and the second chuck to rotate the spent fuel rod;

[0045] Start the laser, and emit a laser beam at the free end of the spent fuel rod to disassemble the spent fuel rod from the free end;

[0046] The first chuck moves towards the second chuck at a preset speed on the first linear guide rail, so that the spent fuel rod maintains a free end of a preset length.

[0047] In one embodiment, a spent fuel rod laser disassembly method further comprises 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.

[0048] In one embodiment, a spent fuel rod laser disassembly method further comprises the step of: the visual assembly locates the position information of the spent fuel rod and transmits the position information to the control unit, the control unit controls the movement path of the laser according to the received position information, and when the laser moves to the preset position, the control unit controls the laser to emit a laser beam at the free end of the spent fuel rod.

[0049] In one embodiment, the visual assembly identifies the disassembly starting position information of the spent fuel rod and sends the position information to the control unit, and 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 laser is kept at a constant distance from the disassembly starting position of the spent fuel rod, ensuring that the energy of the laser beam emitted by the laser is consistent when it is transmitted to the preset disassembly position of the spent fuel rod, and the end surface of the spent fuel rod after disassembly is smooth and flat, improving the efficiency and quality of the spent fuel rod disassembly.

[0050] In one embodiment, a spent fuel rod laser disassembly method further comprises the step of: the waste extraction assembly directly extracts the spent fuel debris after disassembly, and the solvent extraction assembly removes radioactive waste from the spent fuel debris.

[0051] It is apparent that a person skilled in the art can, without departing from the scope of the application, make many modifications to the details of the above-described exemplary embodiments, and that such modifications fall within the scope of the application. Therefore, the examples should be considered as exemplary and in no way limit the scope of the application, which is defined by the claims that follow, and not by the above description. Any reference signs in the claims should not be construed as limiting the claims concerned.

[0052] The above examples are illustrative of specific embodiments of the present application, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present application. Rather, reference should be made to the appended claims, which fully indicate the scope of the present application, wherein numerous variations to the details described can be made. It is expressly intended that all such variations that are within the scope of the present application be embraced by the claims.

Claims

1. A spent fuel rod laser disassembly apparatus, characterized by: The device comprises a gantry, 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 gantry is provided with a first linear guide rail, the first chuck can move towards the second chuck at a preset speed on the first linear guide rail, so that the spent fuel rod keeps a free end of a preset length after being fixed on the second chuck, the laser is installed above, left and / or right of the second chuck, the first chuck and the second chuck are both connected with a rotary motor, the rotary motor drives the first chuck and the second chuck to rotate the spent fuel rod, the second chuck comprises a fixed disc and a rotating disc accommodated in the fixed disc, the rotating disc can rotate in the fixed disc, the center of the rotating disc 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, the laser emits laser light to the edge of the rotating free end of the spent fuel rod to gradually disintegrate the spent fuel rod from the edge position of the free end, four clamps are uniformly arranged around the through hole of the rotating disc, the clamps can move to the center of the through hole until the spent fuel rod is clamped, the laser is installed on the gantry through an intermediate panel, the gantry is provided with a second linear guide rail, the intermediate panel can drive the laser to move back and forth on the second linear guide rail, the intermediate panel further comprises a lifting support, the lifting support is provided with a third linear guide rail, the laser can move back and forth on the third linear guide rail, further comprising a vision component and a control unit in communication connection with the laser, for realizing accurate positioning of the laser beam on the spent fuel rod, wherein the vision 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 / or 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.

2. The laser decombustion apparatus of claim 1, wherein: 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 disintegrated spent fuel debris, and the solvent extraction assembly is used to remove radioactive waste in the spent fuel debris.

3. The laser decombustion apparatus of claim 1, wherein: The spent fuel rod is a single spent fuel rod or a multiple spent fuel rod.

4. A method for laser disassembly of spent fuel rods, characterized by: The device comprises the following steps, After the spent fuel rod passes through the second chuck, the first end of the spent fuel rod is fixed on the first chuck, and the second end is fixed on the second chuck to form a free end of a preset length; The rotary motor is started, and the rotary motor drives the first chuck and the second chuck to rotate the spent fuel rod; The laser is started, and laser light is emitted to the edge of the free end of the rotating spent fuel rod to gradually disintegrate the spent fuel rod from the edge position of the free end; The first chuck moves towards the second chuck at a preset speed on the first linear guide rail, so that the spent fuel rod keeps a free end of a preset length; The visual component identifies the disassembly start 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 laser is kept at a constant distance from the disassembly start position of the spent fuel rod and emits a laser beam aiming at the free end of the spent fuel rod.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein: The method further comprises the steps of: the waste extraction component directly extracts the disassembled spent fuel debris; and the solvent extraction component removes radioactive waste from the spent fuel debris.

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