Transfer container damage detector
By designing a transport container damage detector, a non-destructive testing device for packaged fuel elements is achieved using gas cooling regulation, filtration, and detection components. This solves the radiation risks and complex process problems of traditional testing methods, and realizes efficient and safe damage identification.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202511931693.0
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2025-12-19
- Publication Date
- 2026-02-13
AI Technical Summary
Traditional methods for detecting spent fuel leaks require opening the container or coming into close contact with the fuel, which poses a risk of radiation exposure to operators and involves complex procedures.
Design a transport container damage detector, comprising a detector housing, a gas cooling and regulating component, an aerosol filter, an iodine filter, and a detection component. It enables direct detection without opening the container through pipeline connection, uses a gamma nuclide detector and an inert gas detector to identify fission products, and combines a gas measurement chamber and a sampling pump for accurate determination.
It enables non-destructive testing of packaged fuel elements, quickly identifies damage, avoids secondary damage and personnel radiation, improves testing efficiency and safety, reduces the false judgment rate, and ensures the reliability of measurement results.
Smart Images
Figure CN121521366A_ABST
Abstract
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of nuclide monitoring, and particularly relates to a transport container breakage detector. BACKGROUND
[0002] Under the dual driving of global energy structure transformation and low-carbon development goals, nuclear energy, with its efficient, stable and clean energy characteristics, plays an important role in the field of power production. As the most mature commercial application of nuclear power technology, the operation safety of pressurized water reactor nuclear power plants is closely related to the reliability of fuel elements, and the integrity of fuel element cladding as the first safety barrier for radioactive substances is directly related to the safe operation and economic benefits of the entire nuclear power plant.
[0003] Fuel element cladding may be damaged due to various complex factors during the manufacturing process, in-reactor operation and subsequent transportation. Such damage can cause the leakage of fission products in the fuel pellets to the primary coolant system, resulting in a sharp rise in the radioactivity of the coolant (up to two orders of magnitude), which not only affects the normal operation of the reactor, but also poses a major challenge to radiation protection for workers and the public.
[0004] With the continuous growth of global nuclear power installed capacity, the production of spent fuel is showing a rapid upward trend. Statistical data shows that the global annual production of spent fuel has grown from 1240 tons of heavy metal (tHM) in 1960 to about 160000 tons in 1995. According to professional forecasts, China's spent fuel production will reach about 1125 tons / year (cumulative 14953 tons) in 2025, and further grow to 2649 tons / year (cumulative 24855 tons) by 2030. At present, the disposal of spent fuel mainly includes three ways: reprocessing, in-site storage and off-site storage, among which, except for in-site storage, other disposal methods involve the transportation of spent fuel.
[0005] The transportation of spent fuel requires the use of specially designed shielding containers to transfer the fully cooled fuel mechanism to the processing facility. Although the transport container has passed strict mechanical and thermal tests, it may still face various risk conditions such as road bumps, mechanical vibrations, accidental collisions and other factors during actual transportation, which may induce secondary damage to the fuel elements.
[0006] In view of the problem that the spent fuel may be damaged and leaked during transportation, a detection instrument can be used to detect the transfer container. The traditional detection methods include the following two methods. The first method is to transfer the fuel mechanism or fuel rod in the transfer container to a container, and then detect whether the sealed container contains Kr-85 or Ru-105, so as to determine whether there is leakage. The second method is to use a high-sensitivity handheld or door-type radiation monitor (such as a gamma spectrometer or a surface contamination instrument) to comprehensively scan and measure the outer surface of the container, especially the key parts such as the sealing cover, valve and weld, and detect whether the radioactivity level exceeds the natural background or the predetermined clean limit.
[0007] However, the above two detection methods need to open the box or close contact, usually need to unload the container from the transport vehicle, and the operator needs to scan close to the container, which has a potential radiation exposure risk and a complex process. Since the damaged fuel element has strong radioactivity, it cannot be directly opened after being transported to the processing facility. In order to ensure the safety and controllability of the subsequent processing process, the integrity of the fuel element must be accurately detected before the transfer container is opened. Therefore, it is of great engineering application value and practical significance to develop a fuel element damage detection technology and special equipment with high sensitivity and high reliability for the safety management of the nuclear fuel cycle backend. SUMMARY
[0008] The purpose of the present application is to provide a transfer container damage detection instrument to solve the problem that the traditional spent fuel leakage detection method needs to open the box or close contact with the fuel, which causes the operator to be easily harmed by radiation.
[0009] The technical solution of the present application is: The utility model provides a kind of transport container breakage detector, including detector housing and the measuring mechanism being arranged in the inside of detector housing, first interface and second interface are equipped on the detector housing, the first interface is used to be communicated with the export end valve pipe of spent fuel transport container, the second interface is used to be communicated with the import end valve pipe of spent fuel transport container, the measuring mechanism includes gas temperature regulating assembly, aerosol filter, iodine filter and detection assembly;The input end of the gas temperature regulating assembly is communicated with the first interface by first connecting main pipeline, for the gas to be measured input from spent fuel transport container is adjusted cooling, first solenoid valve is connected on the first connecting main pipeline;The input end of the aerosol filter is communicated with the output end of the gas temperature regulating assembly by second connecting main pipeline, second solenoid valve is connected on the second connecting main pipeline;The input end of the iodine filter is communicated with the output end of the aerosol filter by third connecting main pipeline;The detection assembly includes gas measuring chamber and the inert gas detector and gamma nuclide detector being arranged in gas measuring chamber, the inlet of the gas measuring chamber is communicated with the output end of the iodine filter by fourth connecting main pipeline, the outlet of the gas measuring chamber is communicated with the second interface by fifth connecting main pipeline, third solenoid valve, first pressure gauge, first flowmeter, sampling pump and fourth solenoid valve are sequentially connected on the fifth connecting main pipeline.
[0010] Preferably, as a further improvement of the present application, the gas temperature regulating assembly comprises a cooling device, a first temperature transmitter and a second temperature transmitter, the input end of the cooling device is communicated with the first connecting main pipeline, the output end of the cooling device is communicated with the second connecting main pipeline, the first temperature transmitter is arranged on the first connecting main pipeline, and the second temperature transmitter is arranged on the second connecting main pipeline, the first temperature transmitter and the second temperature transmitter are used to measure the temperature of the gas and feed back the measured temperature to adjust the operating power of the cooling device.
[0011] Prefer ably, as a further improvement of the present application, the output end of the cooling device is connected with a liquid collecting tank through a first branch pipeline, and a first stop valve is arranged on the first branch pipeline.
[0012] Preferably, as a further improvement of the present application, the aerosol filter is provided with two groups, each group of aerosol filter is provided with a switching valve at the inlet and outlet, the switching valves at the inlet of the two groups of aerosol filter are communicated with the outlet end of the second connecting main pipeline, the switching valves at the outlet of the two groups of aerosol filter are communicated with the inlet end of the third connecting main pipeline, the iodine filter is provided with two groups, each group of iodine filter is provided with a switching valve at the inlet and outlet, the switching valves at the inlet of the two groups of iodine filter are communicated with the outlet end of the third connecting main pipeline, the switching valves at the outlet of the two groups of iodine filter are communicated with the inlet end of the fourth connecting main pipeline.
[0013] Preferably, as a further improvement of the present application, it further comprises a helium inflation mechanism, the helium inflation mechanism comprises a helium tank and a second branch pipeline, a fifth electromagnetic valve is connected on the fifth connecting main pipeline, the fifth electromagnetic valve is located between the fourth electromagnetic valve and the inlet end valve, the output end of the helium tank is communicated with the input end of the fifth electromagnetic valve through the second branch pipeline, a second stop valve, a second pressure gauge, a pressure reducing valve, a second flow meter and a sixth electromagnetic valve are sequentially arranged on the second branch pipeline, a third pressure gauge is connected on one side of the fifth connecting main pipeline close to the second interface.
[0014] Preferably, as a further improvement of the present application, it further comprises a detection loop backwash mechanism, the detection loop backwash mechanism comprises a third branch pipeline and a fourth branch pipeline, a third joint is connected on the outside of the detection instrument shell at the inlet end of the third branch pipeline, the third joint is used for connecting with an external compressed gas conveying device, the outlet end of the third branch pipeline is communicated with the fifth connecting main pipeline at the outlet of the gas measuring chamber, a third stop valve and a seventh electromagnetic valve are sequentially arranged on the third branch pipeline, an eighth electromagnetic valve is connected on the first connecting main pipeline, the eighth electromagnetic valve is located between the first electromagnetic valve and the first temperature transmitter, the inlet end of the fourth branch pipeline is communicated with the input end of the eighth electromagnetic valve, the outlet end of the fourth branch pipeline extends to the outside of the detection instrument shell, a ninth electromagnetic valve and a fourth stop valve are sequentially arranged on the fourth branch pipeline.
[0015] Preferably, as a further improvement of the present application, it further comprises a transfer container backwash mechanism, the transfer container backwash mechanism comprises a fifth branch pipeline, a fourth joint is connected on the outside of the detection instrument shell at the inlet end of the fifth branch pipeline, the fourth joint is used for connecting with an external compressed gas conveying device, the outlet end of the fifth branch pipeline is communicated with the output end of the fifth electromagnetic valve on the fifth connecting main pipeline, a fifth stop valve is arranged on the fifth branch pipeline.
[0016] Preferably, as a further improvement of the present application, a sixth stop valve is connected to the first connecting main pipe, located between the outlet end valve and the first electromagnetic valve; a seventh stop valve is arranged on the second connecting main pipe, located between the cooling device and the second temperature transmitter; an eighth stop valve is arranged on the third connecting main pipe, located between the aerosol filter and the iodine filter; a ninth stop valve is arranged on the fourth connecting main pipe, located between the iodine filter and the gas measuring chamber; a tenth stop valve and an eleventh stop valve are connected to the fifth connecting main pipe, the tenth stop valve is located between the gas measuring chamber and the third electromagnetic valve, and the eleventh stop valve is located between the fifth electromagnetic valve and the third pressure gauge.
[0017] Compared with the prior art, the present application has the following advantages: 1. The measuring mechanism can directly detect the fuel elements in the packaging state after transportation without opening the box. The device can accurately determine the integrity of the fuel elements in the packaging without disassembling the transportation packaging structure of the fuel elements, quickly identify whether there are problems such as fuel element shell damage and structure cracking caused by transportation bumps, vibration or external impact, greatly improve the detection efficiency, avoid secondary damage to the fuel elements during the opening process, and avoid direct contact between personnel and fuel elements to ensure operation safety.
[0018] 2. The gamma nuclide recognition in the measuring mechanism can calculate the total amount of fission products released by the damaged elements, and further evaluate the damage degree (such as crack size and damage number). At the same time, the addition of gamma nuclide recognition can reduce interference and reduce the misjudgment rate. There may be other sources of inert gas (such as background gas leaked from the device) in the primary circuit, and only measuring inert gas may lead to misjudgment. The characteristic gamma ray is a special signal of fission products, which can exclude background interference and ensure the reliability of the measurement result. Gamma nuclide recognition can identify the energy spectrum of radioactive substances and judge the proportion of radioactive substances to infer the leakage situation.
[0019] 3. The aerosol filter in the measuring mechanism can efficiently intercept various aerosols in the air, especially with high filtration efficiency for submicron aerosol particles.
[0020] 4. The iodine filter in the measuring mechanism can efficiently capture elemental iodine and organic iodine compounds in the air in gaseous form, and can accurately remove gaseous radioactive iodine in the air.
[0021] 5. The gas cooling and adjusting assembly in the measuring mechanism can specifically reduce the temperature of the gas blown out of the spent fuel transport container, effectively solve the influence of high-temperature gas on subsequent loop components, and adapt to the gas temperature control requirements in the spent fuel transportation scene. Attached Figure Description
[0022] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a transfer container damage detector for the invention.
[0023] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the air circuit connection during operation of the measuring mechanism in the transfer container damage detector of the present invention.
[0024] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the gas path connection during operation of the helium filling mechanism in the transfer container damage detector of the present invention.
[0025] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the air path connection during the operation of the backflush mechanism in the detection circuit of the transfer container damage detector of the present invention.
[0026] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the air path connection during operation of the backflush mechanism of the transfer container in the transfer container damage detector of the present invention. Detailed Implementation
[0027] The following is combined with Figures 1-5 The specific embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below. In the description of the invention, it should be understood that the terms "center", "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", etc., indicating the orientation or positional relationship are based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, and are not intended to indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation of the present invention.
[0028] The terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of that feature; in the description of the invention, unless otherwise stated, "a plurality of" means two or more.
[0029] Example 1 like Figures 1-5As shown, this embodiment of the invention provides a transfer container damage detector, including a detector housing 1 and a measuring mechanism disposed inside the detector housing 1. The detector housing 1 is provided with a first interface 11 and a second interface 12. The first interface 11 is used to communicate with the outlet valve pipeline of the spent fuel transfer container, and the second interface 12 is used to communicate with the inlet valve pipeline of the spent fuel transfer container. The measuring mechanism includes a gas cooling regulating component, an aerosol filter 3, an iodine filter 4, and a detection component. The input end of the gas cooling regulating component is connected to the first interface 11 through a first connecting main pipeline, and a first solenoid valve 51 is connected to the first connecting main pipeline. The input end of the aerosol filter 3 is connected to the second interface 12 through a second connecting main pipeline. The main pipeline is connected to the output end of the gas cooling and regulating component, and the second connecting main pipeline is connected to the second solenoid valve 52; the input end of the iodine filter 4 is connected to the output end of the aerosol filter 3 through the third connecting main pipeline; the detection component includes a gas measuring chamber 6 and an inert gas detector 61 and a gamma nuclide detector 62 installed in the gas measuring chamber 6. The inlet of the gas measuring chamber 6 is connected to the output end of the iodine filter 4 through the fourth connecting main pipeline, and the outlet of the gas measuring chamber is connected to the second interface 12 through the fifth connecting main pipeline to form a loop. The fifth connecting main pipeline is sequentially connected to the third solenoid valve 53, the first pressure gauge 63, the first flow meter 64, the sampling pump 65, and the fourth solenoid valve 54.
[0030] In this embodiment, the measuring mechanism enables direct testing of fuel elements in their sealed state after transportation without opening the container. When measuring the transfer container, the first interface 11 is connected to the outlet valve of the spent fuel transfer container, and the second interface 12 is connected to the inlet valve. Then, the inlet and outlet valves, the first solenoid valve 51, the second solenoid valve 52, the third solenoid valve 53, and the fourth solenoid valve 54 of the spent fuel transfer container are controlled to be open, thus connecting the detection circuit. The detection circuit is as follows: Figure 2As shown in the diagram, thick solid lines represent open circuits, and dashed solid lines represent closed circuits. Subsequent diagrams follow the same principle. Measurement begins with the activation of the gas cooling and regulating assembly, aerosol filter 3, iodine filter 4, inert gas detector 61, gamma nuclide detector 62, and sampling pump 65. Under the pumping action of sampling pump 65, the gas in the spent fuel transfer container enters the gas cooling and regulating assembly through the first connecting main pipeline. This assembly cools the gas to meet the temperature requirements of subsequent measuring instruments. The gas after passing through the gas cooling and regulating assembly enters the aerosol filter 3 through the second connecting main pipeline. The aerosol filter 3 filters aerosol particles from the gas, preventing them from affecting the accuracy of the detection. The gas after passing through the aerosol filter 3 enters the iodine filter 4 through the third connecting main pipeline. The iodine filter 4 captures gaseous particles in the air. Elemental iodine and organic iodine compounds can accurately remove gaseous radioactive iodine from the air. After being filtered by iodine filter 4, the gas enters the detection component through the fourth connecting main pipeline. The detection component detects the activity concentration of Kr-85 in the gas being tested. Kr-85 is an important fission product in spent fuel, and it is very easy to leak into the gas phase once it is damaged. The significant change in the activity concentration of the detector is used as the basis for determining the leak. The detection component in this invention consists of an inert gas detector 61 and a gamma nuclide detector 62. The inert gas detector 61 has a lower detection limit and can detect smaller radioactive materials, but its detection efficiency is low and it cannot distinguish specific radioactive materials. The gamma nuclide detector 62 can output a gamma-ray energy spectrum to determine the proportion of different nuclides and infer the leakage situation, but its detection limit is higher than that of the inert gas detector 61. The combination of the two detectors can improve the detection efficiency at a lower detection limit. Specifically, during the detection process, an inert gas detector 61 is used to detect krypton (Kr) and xenon (Xe) in the gas, while a gamma-ray detector 62 is used to detect gamma-ray radioactivity in the gas and distinguish the proportion of different nuclides. The combined detection of these two methods can further improve the accuracy of the detection, thereby avoiding the misjudgment that may occur when only inert gases are detected, due to the possibility of inert gases from other sources in the circuit. After the air has been detected, it is transported to the spent fuel transfer container through the fifth connecting main pipeline to form a circulating measurement loop. The gas is circulated for measurement. After the measurement is completed, each solenoid valve returns to its original state, and the detector provides the measurement results. The first pressure gauge 63 and the first flow meter 64 are used to monitor the gas flow and pressure in the circulating mode, which serves as the basis for the operation of the sampling pump 65.
[0031] Among them, the inert gas detector 61 adopts a large-area plastic scintillator to achieve inert gas detection of 3.6 × 10⁻⁶. 4 Bq / m 3 ~3.6×10 12 Bq / m 3Measurement range: The gamma-ray nuclide detector 62 uses a CZT detector and can measure β activities greater than 1 × 10⁻⁶. 6 Bq / m 3 To confirm the presence of the 115keV characteristic peak of Kr-85, the CZT detector is a compound semiconductor detector with high energy resolution, can be used at room temperature, small size, and simple detection device.
[0032] The aerosol filter 3 uses a 10L high-efficiency HEPA filter and innovatively employs two sets of HEPA filters connected in parallel to form a redundant filtration structure. Each set of aerosol filters 3 has a switching valve at both its inlet and outlet (not shown in the diagram). The switching valves at the inlets of both sets of aerosol filters 3 are connected to the outlet of the second connecting main pipeline, and the switching valves at the outlets of both sets of aerosol filters 3 are connected to the inlet of the third connecting main pipeline. This configuration effectively avoids equipment downtime caused by the failure of a single filter, significantly improving the reliability of system operation. During normal operation, if the filtration efficiency of any HEPA filter drops below a preset threshold, the switching valves at the inlet and outlet of that HEPA filter will be closed, cutting off the path. Simultaneously, the system will automatically switch to another redundant filter, opening its inlet and outlet switching valves. The equipment will also issue a prompt stating "The filter with insufficient efficiency needs to be disassembled and replaced." The replacement of the filter does not require interruption of the overall equipment operation, ensuring the continuity of the measurement process and ease of maintenance.
[0033] The iodine filter 4 is designed with an effective filtration volume of 500mL. Testing has verified that when the gas flow rate is 50L / min, its adsorption efficiency for gaseous iodine is no less than 95%. Performance indicators are quantifiable and traceable, facilitating quality control and scenario adaptation. Simultaneously, it innovatively employs two sets of iodine filters 4 arranged in parallel to form a redundant filtration structure. Each set of iodine filters 4 has a switching valve (not shown in the diagram) at both its inlet and outlet. The switching valves at the inlets of both sets of iodine filters 4 are connected to the outlet of the third connecting main pipeline, and the switching valves at the outlets of both sets of iodine filters 4 are connected to the inlet of the fourth connecting main pipeline. The above settings can effectively avoid the risk of radioactive iodine leakage caused by the failure of a single filter, and greatly improve the system's safety redundancy. During equipment operation, if the adsorption efficiency of any iodine filter is lower than the set standard, the path switching mechanism will be automatically activated to direct the airflow to another redundant filter, and the equipment will issue a prompt to "replace the failed iodine filter". The iodine filter can be directly disassembled and replaced while the equipment is running, and maintenance operations can be completed without stopping the machine. This not only further ensures the continuous and stable radioactive iodine removal efficiency of the nuclear air purification system, but also significantly reduces the impact of maintenance on equipment operation, and improves the overall operation and maintenance efficiency and convenience.
[0034] Specifically, the gas cooling and regulating component includes a cooling device 21, a first temperature transmitter 22, and a second temperature transmitter 23. The input end of the cooling device 21 is connected to the first connecting main pipeline, and the output end of the cooling device 21 is connected to the second connecting main pipeline. The first temperature transmitter 22 is located on the first connecting main pipeline, and the second temperature transmitter 23 is located on the second connecting main pipeline. The first temperature transmitter 22 and the second temperature transmitter 23 are used to measure the gas temperature and feed back the measured temperature to regulate the operating power of the cooling device 21.
[0035] The liquid collection tank 24 can collect the liquid condensed after the gas is cooled in real time, avoiding the condensate from lingering in the gas circuit. This keeps the gas circuit dry, preventing the condensate from corroding or interfering with the circuit equipment, ensuring the gas flow efficiency in the circuit and the filtration efficiency of the subsequent filtration unit, and further improving the reliability and adaptability of the entire system in spent fuel-related scenarios.
[0036] The cooling device 21 specifically includes a plate heat exchanger, a chiller, and a circulating pump. The chiller in the refrigeration circulation device produces low-temperature refrigerant, which is then transported to the plate heat exchanger by a motor-driven circulating pump. Inside the plate heat exchanger, the low-temperature refrigerant exchanges heat with the gas to be cooled through the plates. After absorbing heat from the gas, the refrigerant returns to the chiller for further cooling, while the gas is cooled. Simultaneously, the first temperature transmitter 22 and the second temperature transmitter 23 monitor the gas temperature before and after cooling in real time through inlet and outlet temperature measuring points, thereby controlling the cooling effect.
[0037] In another embodiment of the present invention, the output end of the cooling device 21 is connected to the liquid collection tank 24 through a first branch pipe. A first shut-off valve 71 is provided on the first branch pipe. When the liquid collection tank 24 needs to be replaced, the first solenoid valve 51, the second solenoid valve 52 and the first shut-off valve 71 are closed to cut off the connection between the liquid collection tank 24 and the circuit, and the liquid collection tank 24 is replaced.
[0038] In another embodiment of the invention, in order to fill the spent fuel transfer container with helium, the gas to be detected in the transfer container is flushed out into the detector for detection, such as... Figure 3 As shown, it also includes a helium filling mechanism, which includes a helium tank 81 and a second branch pipeline. A fifth solenoid valve 55 is connected to the fifth connecting main pipeline. The fifth solenoid valve 55 is located between the fourth solenoid valve 54 and the inlet valve 12. The output end of the helium tank 81 is connected to the input end of the fifth solenoid valve 55 through the second branch pipeline. A second shut-off valve 72, a second pressure gauge 82, a pressure reducing valve 83, a second flow meter 84 and a sixth solenoid valve 56 are sequentially provided on the second branch pipeline. A third pressure gauge 85 is connected to the side of the fifth connecting main pipeline near the second interface 12.
[0039] When switching to helium filling mode, the second shut-off valve 72, pressure reducing valve 83, sixth solenoid valve 56, fifth solenoid valve 55, and the inlet valve of the spent fuel transfer container are opened, while all other valves are closed. Helium stored in helium tank 81 is then transferred to the spent fuel transfer container for filling. The pressure in the spent fuel transfer container is detected by the third pressure gauge 85 to determine when the filling mode should stop. The second flow meter 84 detects the gas flow rate during helium filling mode. The pressure reducing valve 83 reduces the outlet pressure of the helium tank by combining with the second flow meter... The flow rate detected by the flow meter 84 is used to adjust the pressure reducing valve 83 to ensure that the gas flow rate is within the normal operating range. If the helium is insufficient, the second shut-off valve 72 is closed and the helium tank is replaced. The fifth solenoid valve 55 acts as the branch switching main valve, which can switch the fourth solenoid valve 54 for the measurement process and the sixth solenoid valve 56 for the helium filling process. When the internal pressure of the spent fuel transfer container is slightly negative (approximately 90% of the site gas pressure, ensuring that the pressure inside the sampling container is lower than the external gas pressure to prevent leakage), the filling process stops, and the helium filling mode is complete. After filling is complete, the fifth solenoid valve 55 automatically closes.
[0040] In another embodiment of the invention, in order to achieve backflushing of the detection circuit, such as... Figure 4 As shown, it also includes a backflush mechanism for the detection circuit. The backflush mechanism for the detection circuit includes a third branch pipe and a fourth branch pipe. The inlet end of the third branch pipe extends to the outside of the detector housing 1 and is connected to a third connector. The third connector is used to connect to an external compressed gas conveying device. The outlet end of the third branch pipe is connected to the fifth connecting main pipe at the outlet of the gas measuring chamber 6. A third shut-off valve 73 and a seventh solenoid valve 57 are sequentially provided on the third branch pipe. An eighth solenoid valve 58 is connected to the first connecting main pipe. The eighth solenoid valve 58 is located between the first solenoid valve 51 and the first temperature transmitter 22. The inlet end of the fourth branch pipe is connected to the input end of the eighth solenoid valve 58. The outlet end of the fourth branch pipe extends to the outside of the detector housing 1. A ninth solenoid valve 59 and a fourth shut-off valve 74 are sequentially provided on the fourth branch pipe.
[0041] When the test is completed and the test circuit needs to be backflushed, connect the third connector to the inlet of the compressed air conveying equipment in the plant. Under the control of the PLC module, switch to the test circuit backflushing mode, open the third shut-off valve 73, the fourth shut-off valve 74, the second solenoid valve 52, the seventh solenoid valve 57, the eighth solenoid valve 58, and the ninth solenoid valve 59, and close the remaining valves. In this mode, the first temperature transmitter 22 and the second temperature transmitter 23 only display readings and have no judgment significance. The purge compressed air enters through the third branch pipeline, flows sequentially through part of the fifth connecting main pipeline, the gas measuring chamber 6, the fourth branch pipeline connecting main pipeline, the fourth connecting main pipeline, the second connecting main pipeline, part of the first connecting main pipeline, and the fourth branch pipeline before being discharged. The test circuit backflushing component has three core technical effects: First, it can achieve targeted backflushing of the test circuit. The purging process effectively eliminates residual detection media, impurities, or interference signals from the previous test, technically severing the correlation between adjacent tests and ensuring the independence of each test operation. This ensures that subsequent test results are not affected by previous results, significantly improving the accuracy and reliability of the test data. Secondly, while achieving test independence, the internal workings of the detection circuit can be dried simultaneously. Through preset gas humidity control and optimized flow paths, moisture, condensation, and other damp components that may be present in the circuit can be quickly removed, preventing adverse effects of a humid environment on the performance of the detection elements or circuit. Thirdly, combined with the cleaning effect of gas purging, residual impurities, contaminants, and other interfering substances in the circuit can be thoroughly removed, maintaining the detection circuit in a dry and clean operating state at all times, providing a stable and clean circuit environment for each test.
[0042] In another embodiment of the invention, in order to achieve backflushing of the transfer container, such as... Figure 5 As shown, it also includes a transfer container backflush mechanism, which includes a fifth branch pipeline. The inlet end of the fifth branch pipeline extends to the outside of the detector housing 1 and is connected to a fourth connector. The fourth connector is used to connect to an external compressed gas conveying device. The outlet end of the fifth branch pipeline is connected to the output end of the fifth solenoid valve 55 on the fifth connecting main pipeline. A fifth shut-off valve 75 is provided on the fifth branch pipeline.
[0043] When backflushing the transfer container is required, it is connected to the inlet of the plant's compressed air supply equipment via the fourth connector. Under the control of the PLC module, the system switches to the transfer container backflushing mode, opening the fifth shut-off valve 75, the inlet and outlet valves of the spent fuel transfer container, the first solenoid valve 51, and the ninth solenoid valve 59, while closing the remaining valves. This allows the compressed air input from the plant to connect with the spent fuel transfer container. In this mode, the third pressure gauge 85 only displays a reading and has no analytical significance. The transfer container backflushing component serves as a key technology module for ensuring the cleanliness and operational stability of the transfer container components, and can be used to specifically address... The internal cavity of the transfer container element is purged with gas: by controlling preset parameters such as gas pressure, flow rate and purging time, residual impurities, contaminants or other substances that may affect the normal operation of the transfer container element can be efficiently removed, ensuring that the transfer container element is always in a clean and stable working state, effectively improving the operational reliability and service life of the element; at the same time, this mode can work in coordination with the overall control logic of the equipment, without the need for additional independent cleaning devices, simplifying the equipment operation process and solving the technical problems of traditional transfer container element cleaning relying on external equipment, cumbersome operation and low cleaning efficiency.
[0044] In another embodiment of the present invention, in order to realize the leak detection operation of the detection circuit, a sixth shut-off valve 76 is connected to the first connecting main line. The sixth shut-off valve 76 is located between the outlet valve 11 and the first solenoid valve 51. A seventh shut-off valve 77 is provided on the second connecting main line. The seventh shut-off valve 77 is located between the cooling device 21 and the second temperature transmitter 23. An eighth shut-off valve 78 is provided on the third connecting main line. The eighth shut-off valve 78 is located between the aerosol filter 3 and the iodine filter 4. A ninth shut-off valve 79 is provided on the fourth connecting main line. The ninth shut-off valve 79 is located between the iodine filter 4 and the gas measuring chamber 6. A tenth shut-off valve 710 and an eleventh shut-off valve 711 are connected on the fifth connecting main line. The tenth shut-off valve 710 is located between the gas measuring chamber 6 and the third solenoid valve 53. The eleventh shut-off valve 711 is located between the fifth solenoid valve 55 and the third pressure gauge 85.
[0045] In this embodiment, after being filled with helium by the helium filling assembly, leak detection of the internal components of the detector can also be performed. Specifically, after the internal pipeline of the detector is filled with helium, by controlling two adjacent shut-off valves to be in the closed state, segmental leak detection is performed on the pipeline and equipment between the two adjacent shut-off valves. Helium is used as a tracer gas; if a leak exists, helium will escape from the leak hole. A high-sensitivity gas inhalation probe is used to scan externally, actively drawing in air samples and sending them to a helium mass spectrometer for analysis. If the instrument detects an abnormally elevated helium signal, it can determine that a leak exists and assess the size of the leak based on the signal strength.
[0046] The second main pipeline is also equipped with a fourth pressure gauge 9, which is used to detect whether the pipeline under test is filled with helium during leak detection, thus meeting the conditions for leak detection.
[0047] The above-disclosed embodiments are merely preferred embodiments of the present invention. However, the embodiments of the present invention are not limited thereto, and any variations that can be conceived by those skilled in the art should fall within the protection scope of the present invention.
Claims
1. A transfer container damage detector, comprising a detector housing and a measuring mechanism disposed inside the detector housing, wherein the detector housing is provided with a first interface and a second interface, the first interface being used to communicate with an outlet valve pipe of a spent fuel transfer container, and the second interface being used to communicate with an inlet valve pipe of the spent fuel transfer container, characterized in that, The measuring mechanism includes: The gas cooling and regulating component has its input end connected to the first interface via a first connecting main pipeline, and is used to regulate and cool the gas to be tested input from the spent fuel transfer container. A first solenoid valve is connected to the first connecting main pipeline. The aerosol filter has its input end connected to the output end of the gas cooling and regulating component via a second connecting main pipeline, and a second solenoid valve is connected to the second connecting main pipeline. The iodine filter has its input end connected to the output end of the aerosol filter via a third connecting main pipeline. The detection assembly includes a gas measurement chamber and an inert gas detector and a gamma nuclide detector disposed within the gas measurement chamber. The inlet of the gas measurement chamber is connected to the output end of the iodine filter via a fourth connecting main pipeline, and the outlet of the gas measurement chamber is connected to the second interface via a fifth connecting main pipeline. A third solenoid valve, a first pressure gauge, a first flow meter, a sampling pump, and a fourth solenoid valve are sequentially connected to the fifth connecting main pipeline.
2. The transfer container damage detector according to claim 1, characterized in that, The gas cooling and regulating assembly includes a cooling device, a first temperature transmitter, and a second temperature transmitter. The input end of the cooling device is connected to the first connecting main pipeline, and the output end of the cooling device is connected to the second connecting main pipeline. The first temperature transmitter is installed on the first connecting main pipeline, and the second temperature transmitter is installed on the second connecting main pipeline. The first and second temperature transmitters are used to measure the gas temperature and feed back the measured temperature to regulate the operating power of the cooling device.
3. The transshipment container damage detector according to claim 2, characterized in that, The output end of the cooling device is connected to a liquid collection tank through a first branch pipe, and a first shut-off valve is provided on the first branch pipe.
4. The transfer container damage detector according to claim 1, characterized in that, The aerosol filters are provided in two sets, each with a switching valve at both the inlet and outlet. The switching valves at the inlet of both sets of aerosol filters are connected to the outlet of the second connecting main pipeline, and the switching valves at the outlet of both sets of aerosol filters are connected to the inlet of the third connecting main pipeline. Similarly, the iodine filters are provided in two sets, each with a switching valve at both the inlet and outlet. The switching valves at the inlet of both sets of iodine filters are connected to the outlet of the third connecting main pipeline, and the switching valves at the outlet of both sets of iodine filters are connected to the inlet of the fourth connecting main pipeline.
5. The transfer container damage detector according to any one of claims 2 to 4, characterized in that, It also includes a helium filling mechanism, which includes a helium tank and a second branch pipeline. A fifth solenoid valve is connected to the fifth connecting main pipeline. The fifth solenoid valve is located between the fourth solenoid valve and the inlet valve. The output end of the helium tank is connected to the input end of the fifth solenoid valve through the second branch pipeline. A second shut-off valve, a second pressure gauge, a pressure reducing valve, a second flow meter, and a sixth solenoid valve are sequentially provided on the second branch pipeline. A third pressure gauge is connected to the side of the fifth connecting main pipeline near the second interface.
6. The transshipment container damage detector according to claim 5, characterized in that, It also includes a backflush mechanism for the detection circuit, which includes a third branch pipe and a fourth branch pipe. The inlet end of the third branch pipe extends to the outside of the detector housing and is connected to a third connector. The third connector is used to connect to an external compressed gas delivery device. The outlet end of the third branch pipe is connected to a fifth connecting main pipe at the outlet of the gas measuring chamber. A third shut-off valve and a seventh solenoid valve are sequentially installed on the third branch pipe. An eighth solenoid valve is connected to the first connecting main pipe. The eighth solenoid valve is located between the first solenoid valve and the first temperature transmitter. The inlet end of the fourth branch pipe is connected to the input end of the eighth solenoid valve. The outlet end of the fourth branch pipe extends to the outside of the detector housing. A ninth solenoid valve and a fourth shut-off valve are sequentially installed on the fourth branch pipe.
7. The transshipment container damage detector according to claim 6, characterized in that, It also includes a transfer container backflush mechanism, which includes a fifth branch pipeline. The inlet end of the fifth branch pipeline extends to the outside of the detector housing and is connected to a fourth connector. The fourth connector is used to connect to an external compressed gas conveying device. The outlet end of the fifth branch pipeline is connected to the output end of the fifth solenoid valve on the fifth connecting main pipeline. A fifth shut-off valve is provided on the fifth branch pipeline.
8. The transshipment container damage detector according to claim 7, characterized in that, A sixth shut-off valve is connected to the first connecting main pipeline, located between the outlet valve and the first solenoid valve. A seventh shut-off valve is provided on the second connecting main pipeline, located between the cooling device and the second temperature transmitter. An eighth shut-off valve is provided on the third connecting main pipeline, located between the aerosol filter and the iodine filter. A ninth shut-off valve is provided on the fourth connecting main pipeline, located between the iodine filter and the gas measuring chamber. A tenth and eleventh shut-off valves are connected to the fifth connecting main pipeline. The tenth shut-off valve is located between the gas measuring chamber and the third solenoid valve, and the eleventh shut-off valve is located between the fifth solenoid valve and the third pressure gauge.