Air conveying system and air conveying method

Abstract

To provide an air conveying system and air conveying method that rationalize conveying.SOLUTION: A conveying system 42 conveying a waste package 11, which is an object to be conveyed, by an air conveying method, includes a connecting tunnel 9 and a moving body 47 that moves within the connecting tunnel 9 by an air flow generated within the connecting tunnel 9, The moving body 47 includes the waste package 11 and a pair of detachable guide attachments 53, 53 directly attached to both ends of the waste package 11 in a direction of movement. The guide attachments 53, 53 have guide wheels 53c that roll on the inner wall surface of the connecting tunnel 9.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an air conveying system and an air conveying method. [Background technology]

[0002] A conventional pneumatic conveying system described in Patent Document 1 below is known as a technology in this field. This pneumatic conveying system includes an air conveying pipeline and a capsule that moves within the air conveying pipeline. The capsule has a capsule body that stores the object to be conveyed, a sealing plate, and wheels. The capsule body stores the object to be conveyed inside, and the sealing plates are attached to the front and rear of the capsule body. By maintaining an appropriate gap between the sealing plate and the inner wall surface of the air conveying pipeline, a propulsive force is generated by the air flow generated within the air conveying pipeline, and the capsule moves within the air conveying pipeline. The wheels are attached to the sealing plate and roll on the inner wall surface of the air conveying pipeline to guide the movement of the capsule within the air conveying pipeline. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 5331993 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the above-mentioned pneumatic conveying system, it is necessary to prepare a capsule and an air conveying pipeline that are sufficiently larger than the object to be conveyed. In this type of pneumatic conveying system, a more rational conveying mechanism is desired, for example, by reducing the size of the conveying container and the air conveying pipeline relative to the object to be conveyed. An object of the present invention is to provide a pneumatic conveying system and a pneumatic conveying method that streamline conveying. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The gist of the present invention lies in the following [1] to [4].

[0006] [1] An air conveying system for conveying an object to be conveyed by an air conveying method, comprising an air conveying pipeline and a moving body that moves within the air conveying pipeline by an air flow generated within the air conveying pipeline, the moving body comprising the object to be conveyed and a pair of detachable guide attachments attached directly to both ends of the object in the direction of movement, the guide attachments having guide wheels that roll on the inner wall surface of the air conveying pipeline.

[0007] [2] The air conveying system according to [1], wherein the guide attachment further has a sealing plate that receives the air flow.

[0008] [3] A pneumatic conveying method for conveying an object to be conveyed by a pneumatic conveying method, comprising: a conveying step in which a moving body, having a pair of detachable guide attachments directly attached to both ends of the object in the moving direction, moves within the air conveying pipeline from a starting point to a destination point by an air flow generated within the air conveying pipeline; and a return step in which a returning moving body, having the pair of guide attachments detached from the object to be conveyed at the destination point and connected to each other in the moving direction via a predetermined connecting member, moves within the air conveying pipeline from the destination point to the starting point by an air flow generated within the air conveying pipeline, wherein the guide attachments have guide wheels that roll on the inner wall surface of the air conveying pipeline.

[0009] [4] The air conveying method according to [3], wherein the guide attachment further has a sealing plate that receives the air flow. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a pneumatic conveying system and a pneumatic conveying method that streamline conveying. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a geological disposal facility for radioactive waste. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional perspective view of a waste package. [Figure 3] FIG. 1(a) is a diagram showing an example of a disposal section with a dead-end layout, and FIG. 1(b) is a diagram showing an example of a disposal section with a panel layout. [Figure 4] 1(a) is a cross-sectional view showing a vertically placed stationary system, and FIG. 1(b) is a cross-sectional view showing a horizontally placed stationary system. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic diagram of the transport route of the waste package from the ground facility to the emplacement position. [Figure 6] 1(a) is a side view showing a moving body in a connecting tunnel, and FIG. 1(b) is a side view showing a returning moving body in the connecting tunnel. [Figure 7] 1A is a partial cross-sectional view of the movable body when disassembled and viewed from the side, and FIG. 1B is a partial cross-sectional view showing an enlarged view of the attachment portion of the movable body between the waste package and the guide attachment. [Figure 8] 10(a) and 10(b) are partial cross-sectional views showing modified examples of the attachment portion between the waste package and the guide attachment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A pneumatic conveying system and a pneumatic conveying method according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. The pneumatic conveying system and the pneumatic conveying method according to the present embodiment are applied to a geological disposal facility 1 shown in FIG.

[0013] As shown in FIG. 1 , the geological disposal facility 1 for radioactive waste in this embodiment comprises an underground disposal compartment 3 where radioactive waste is disposed of, and an aboveground facility 5. The disposal compartment 3 is located at a depth of 300 m or more underground. The geological disposal facility 1 further comprises access tunnels 7a and 7b and a connecting tunnel 9 as tunnels connecting the aboveground facility 5 and the disposal compartment 3. The access tunnel 7a is a vertical shaft extending vertically downward from the aboveground facility 5, and the access tunnel 7b is an inclined shaft extending spirally downward from the aboveground facility 5. Note that the access tunnel 7b may also be a linear inclined shaft. The lower ends of the access tunnels 7a and 7b are connected to the connecting tunnel 9, and the disposal compartment 3 extends to the side of the connecting tunnel 9. The disposal compartment 3 extends over an area of, for example, approximately 500 m x 1,000 m.

[0014] FIG. 2 shows an example of a waste package 11 to be disposed of in the disposal area 3. The waste package 11 is a module containing radioactive waste to be disposed of and is also called a PEM (Pre-Fabricated Engineered Barrier System Module). The waste package 11 is cylindrical, for example, with a diameter of approximately 2 to 3 m and an axial length of approximately 3 to 4 m, and weighs, for example, approximately 30 tons. The waste package 11 includes a waste package 12, a buffer material 13 made primarily of bentonite that surrounds the waste package 12, and a steel storage container 14 that further covers the buffer material 13. The waste package 12 includes a cylindrical stainless steel canister 12a and a cylindrical thick-walled steel overpack 12b in which the canister 12a is hermetically contained. The canister 12a contains vitrified high-level radioactive waste to be disposed of. The waste package 11 is fabricated in the above-ground facility 5.

[0015] The layout of the disposal compartment 3 can be of two types: a "dead-end" type and a "panel" type. Either layout may be adopted for the geological disposal facility 1. As shown in an example in Figure 3(a), a disposal compartment 3 with a dead-end layout has multiple disposal tunnels 21 branching off from an access tunnel 9. Waste packages 11 are placed in the disposal tunnels 21 for disposal. One end of the disposal tunnel 21 is connected to the access tunnel 9, and the other end of the disposal tunnel 21 is a dead end. As shown in an example in Figure 3(b), a disposal compartment 3 with a panel layout has multiple disposal tunnels 21 similar to those described above, and main tunnels 23 that are arranged around the multiple disposal tunnels 21 and connected to the access tunnel 9. One end of each disposal tunnel 21 is connected to the access tunnel 9, and the other end is connected to the main tunnel 23. In general, the "main tunnel" may be included in the "access tunnel" category.

[0016] There are two possible emplacement methods for waste packages 11 in the disposal tunnel 21: a "vertical placement method" and a "horizontal placement method." Either emplacement method may be adopted in the geological disposal facility 1. As shown in an example in Figure 4(a), in the vertical placement method, a number of disposal holes 31 are drilled at predetermined intervals in the bottom of the disposal tunnel 21, and one waste package 11 is placed in each disposal hole 31. The waste package 11 to be disposed of is moved within the disposal tunnel 21 by a predetermined transportation means to the position of a predetermined disposal hole 31 and placed in that disposal hole 31. The space above the waste package 11 is then backfilled with backfill material 33 or the like to close the disposal hole 31, thereby completing the disposal.

[0017] As shown in an example in Figure 4(b), in the horizontal placement method, a large number of waste packages 11 are placed in a row coaxially along the cylindrical axis with their cylindrical axes facing the longitudinal direction of the disposal tunnel 21. A spacer 10 of the same diameter as the waste package 11 is sandwiched between adjacent waste packages 11. The waste package 11 to be disposed of is inserted from the access tunnel 9 into the disposal tunnel 21 in the above-mentioned orientation, and moved within the disposal tunnel 21 by a predetermined moving means. The waste package 11 is then placed at the emplacement position where it hits a spacer 10 previously installed within the disposal tunnel 21, thereby completing the disposal. Note that the spacer 10 may be omitted, in which case the waste packages 11 are placed in the disposal tunnel 21 so that their end faces are directly butted against each other. In this emplacement method, the waste package 11 inserted into the disposal tunnel 21 from the access tunnel 9 is moved within the disposal tunnel 21 by a predetermined moving means, and is placed at the position where it hits another waste package 11 that has already been placed, thereby completing the disposal.

[0018] In this embodiment, the layout of the disposal section 3 is a panel layout, and the waste package 11 is placed vertically.

[0019] Next, we will explain the transportation system 40 that transports the waste package 11 produced in the ground facility 5 to the emplacement position. Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view that schematically shows the transportation route of the waste package 11 from the ground facility 5 to the emplacement position. In the following explanation, when we simply say "upstream / downstream", we mean upstream / downstream of the transportation of the waste package 11 by the transportation system 40.

[0020] As shown in FIG. 5, the transportation system 40 includes a transport system 41 that transports the waste package 11 within the access tunnel 7a, a transport system 42 that transports the waste package 11 within the connecting tunnel 9, and a transport system 43 that transports the waste package 11 within the disposal tunnel 21. The waste package 11 is transferred sequentially to each of the transport systems 41-43 and transported to a fixed position within the disposal tunnel 21. Each of the transport systems 41-43 is composed of a pneumatic transport system that transports the waste package 11. The transport system 41 includes the access tunnel 7a, which functions as a pneumatic transport pipeline, and a mobile unit 45 that moves up and down within the access tunnel 7a by pneumatic transport. Similarly, the transport system 42 includes the connecting tunnel 9, which functions as a pneumatic transport pipeline, and a mobile unit 47 that moves within the connecting tunnel 9 by pneumatic transport. Similarly, the transport system 43 includes the disposal tunnel 21, which functions as a pneumatic transport pipeline, and a mobile unit 49 that moves within the disposal tunnel 21 by pneumatic transport. The transport system 40 is provided with blowers at appropriate locations to generate airflow for air transport, but illustration and description of these blowers will be omitted as appropriate.

[0021] In the geological disposal facility 1, a pneumatic conveying system and a pneumatic conveying method according to an embodiment of the present invention are applied to each of the conveying systems 41 to 43. The conveying systems 41 to 43 have the same configuration, but the following description will be given taking the conveying system 42 as an example.

[0022] The transportation system 42 transports the waste package 11 delivered at the relay point 8 (starting point), which is the connection between the access tunnel 7a and the connecting tunnel 9, to the relay point 18 (destination point), which is the connection between the connecting tunnel 9 and the disposal tunnel 21.

[0023] The transport system 42 includes an access tunnel 9, a moving body 47, and a blower 51. The waste package 11, which is the object to be transported, is contained in the moving body 47. The access tunnel 9 has, for example, a circular cross section. The blower 51 controls the air flow in the access tunnel 9 by remote control from, for example, the ground facility 5, and controls the movement of the moving body 47 in the access tunnel 9 through this air flow control. For example, the blower 51 sends air from the most upstream part of the access tunnel 9, thereby imparting a propulsive force to the moving body 47 toward the downstream side, causing it to travel downstream. The blower 51 also draws air from the most upstream part of the access tunnel 9, thereby imparting a propulsive force to the moving body 47 toward the upstream side, causing it to travel upstream. Such air transport methods are well known, so further detailed description will be omitted.

[0024] As shown in Figure 6(a), the moving body 47 is equipped with a waste package 11, which is the object to be transported, and a pair of detachable guide attachments 53, 53 attached directly to both ends of the waste package 11 in the moving direction. The waste package 11 is placed in the connecting tunnel 9 with its cylindrical axis facing the longitudinal direction of the connecting tunnel 9. The guide attachments 53, 53 are attached to the upstream end face 11b and downstream end face 11c of the waste package 11, respectively. The waste package 11 and the guide attachments 53, 53 behave as a single moving body 47, and can be moved within the connecting tunnel 9 by pneumatic conveyance using air flow control by the blower 51 mentioned above.

[0025] The guide attachment 53 includes a main body 53a, a plurality of guide wheels 53c, and a sealing plate 53b. The guide wheels 53c are provided on the main body 53a and are arranged in a circumferential direction. The guide wheels 53c roll on the inner wall surface of the connecting tunnel 9, thereby guiding the smooth movement of the moving body 47. The sealing plate 53b is provided on the main body 53a and is a plate that receives the air flow generated by the blower 51. The sealing plate 53b extends further radially outward from the outer circumferential surface of the waste package 11 and is shaped and sized to almost completely block the cross section of the connecting tunnel 9.

[0026] 7(a) and 7(b) are partial cross-sectional views showing an example of the mounting structure of the guide attachment 53 to the waste package 11. A protrusion 57 that protrudes in the axial direction is provided at the center of both ends of the cylindrical axial direction of the waste package 11, and the protrusion 57 has a flange 55 provided at its tip. The guide attachment 53 is also provided with a protrusion receiving portion 59 for receiving the protrusion 57. The protrusion receiving portion 59 is provided in the center of the surface of the sealing plate 53b that faces the waste package 11.

[0027] The protrusion receiving portion 59 includes a recess 59a into which the protrusion 57 is inserted, and a movable claw 59b that can move in and out of the recess 59a in the radial direction. When the protrusion 57 is axially inserted into the recess 59a and the claw 59b protrudes radially inward as shown in Fig. 7(b), the claw 59b engages with the flange 55, thereby holding the protrusion 57 by the protrusion receiving portion 59 and attaching the guide attachment 53 to the waste package 11. When the claw 59b retracts radially outward from the state shown in Fig. 7(b), the protrusion 57 can be removed from the protrusion receiving portion 59, and the guide attachment 53 is removed from the waste package 11. By this attachment / detachment mechanism, the guide attachment 53 is attached to and detached from both end faces 11b, 11c of the waste package 11.

[0028] The above-described mounting structure is merely an example, and the mounting structure for detachably mounting the guide attachment 53 to the end face of the waste package 11 may be modified as appropriate. For example, as shown in the example of FIG. 8( a), the relationship between the recesses and protrusions provided on the guide attachment 53 and the waste package 11 may be reversed. That is, in the mounting structure of FIG. 8( a), a protrusion 59c is provided on the guide attachment 53 side, and a movable flange 59d is provided that protrudes and retracts radially from the tip of the protrusion 59c. Then, a recess 57c that receives the protrusion 59c is provided on the end faces 11a and 11b of the waste package 11, and the flange 59d engages with a step inside the recess 57c. Furthermore, if the cross-sectional area of ​​the waste package 11 is sufficiently large and the gap between the waste package 11 and the access tunnel 9 is sufficiently small, the sealing plate 53b of the guide attachment 53 may be omitted, as shown in FIG. 8( b). In this case, the end faces 11 b and 11 c of the waste package 11 receive the airflow generated by the blower 51 .

[0029] The pneumatic transport method for transporting the waste package 11 within the access tunnel 9 using the transport system 42 as described above will now be described. The waste package 11 is transferred from the transport system 41 to the transport system 42 at the relay site 8 (Fig. 5). At the relay site 8, as shown in Fig. 7, guide attachments 53 are attached to both end faces 11b, 11c of the transferred waste package 11 in the cylindrical axial direction, and a moving body 47 is assembled. As shown in Fig. 6(a), the moving body 47 is placed in the access tunnel 9 with the cylindrical axis of the waste package 11 oriented in the longitudinal direction of the access tunnel 9. The moving body 47 then moves downstream under the airflow control of the blower 51, and stops when it reaches the relay site 18 (Fig. 5), which is a branch point to the predetermined disposal tunnel 21 (transportation process).

[0030] At the relay site 18, the moving body 47 is disassembled, and the guide attachments 53, 53 are removed from the waste package 11. Then, the waste package 11 is handed over alone to the transport system 43 in the disposal tunnel 21, thereby completing the transport of the waste package 11 by the transport system 42. Meanwhile, as shown in Figure 6(b), a connecting member 61 is attached between the guide attachments 53, 53 in place of the removed waste package 11, connecting the guide attachments 53, 53 in the upstream and downstream directions.

[0031] The connecting member 61 is made of a lightweight material compared to the waste package 11. For example, as shown in the figure, the connecting member 61 may be made of a plurality of elongated rod-shaped members extending in the upstream and downstream directions. Both ends of the connecting member 61 may be joined to the guide attachments 53, 53 using protrusion receiving portions 59 (FIG. 7). That is, protrusions similar to the protrusions 57 (FIG. 7) may be present at both ends of the connecting member 61. The connected guide attachments 53, 53 and the connecting member 61 behave as a single mobile unit (hereinafter referred to as the "return mobile unit 63"), and can move within the connecting tunnel 9 by air conveyance using airflow control by the blower 51. To enable such air conveyance of the return mobile unit 63, the connecting member 61 must be sufficiently rigid. Therefore, the material and structure of the connecting member 61 are appropriately selected. Disassembly and assembly equipment may be present within the access tunnel 9 for automatically carrying out the disassembly of the mobile body 47, the delivery of the waste package 11, and the assembly of the return mobile body 63 as described above.

[0032] After the return mobile body 63 has been assembled as described above, as shown in FIG. 6(b), the return mobile body 63 moves upstream by airflow control of the blower 51 and returns to the relay location 8 (return process). The return mobile body 63 is then disassembled at the relay location 8, and the guide attachments 53, 53 from which the connecting members 61 have been removed are attached to the waste package 11, which is the next object to be transported. The transport of the waste package 11 in the connecting tunnel 9 is repeated according to the above procedure. Note that, apart from the transport of the waste package 11 as described above, multiple connecting members 61 may be transported from the relay location 8 to the relay location 18 at an appropriate timing.

[0033] The effects of the conveying system 42 and the pneumatic conveying method thereof described above will now be described. In conventional pneumatic conveying systems, objects are moved by moving capsules containing the objects. In this case, it is naturally necessary to use capsules larger than the objects, resulting in an even larger conveying pipeline. In contrast, the conveying system 42 and the pneumatic conveying method thereof of this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6(a), employs a simple structure in which guide attachments 53, 53 having guide wheels 53c or the like are attached to both ends of the waste package 11 (object) in the moving direction, enabling movement using a pneumatic conveying method similar to that of conventional capsules. Thus, the conveying system 42 and the pneumatic conveying method thereof enable rational pneumatic conveying. For such pneumatic conveying to be possible, the object must be sufficiently rigid, like the waste package 11.

[0034] In this case, since there is no container or the like covering the waste package 11 radially outside the waste package 11 on the mobile body 47, the radial size of the connecting tunnel 9 (pneumatic conveying pipeline) required for transportation can be reduced. Therefore, in constructing the connecting tunnel 9, the amount of excavated soil can be reduced, which in turn reduces the cost of disposing of the excavated soil, reduces the required specifications for support work, reduces the amount of backfill soil, etc., thereby reducing construction costs.

[0035] Furthermore, since a container or the like for covering the waste package 11 is not required, the weight of the mobile body 47 and the return mobile body 63 that move through the access tunnel 9 to transport the waste package 11 can be reduced. After transporting the waste package 11, the guide attachments 53, 53 are connected by a connecting member 61 to form a return mobile body 63 that can be moved by a pneumatic conveyance method, and is returned to the relay location 8. Furthermore, the connecting member 61 can be made of a material that is sufficiently lighter than the waste package 11, as long as it can stably connect the guide attachments 53, 53 to each other. In this way, the guide attachments 53, 53 used to transport the waste package 11 can be returned to the relay location 8 again by a rational method.

[0036] The present invention can be implemented in various forms, including the above-described embodiment, with various modifications and improvements based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art. It is also possible to configure modified examples by utilizing the technical matters described in the above-described embodiment. The configurations of the respective embodiments may be used in appropriate combination.

[0037] In the above-described embodiment, the connecting tunnel 9 has a circular cross section, but this cross-sectional shape can be changed as appropriate. In this case, the shape of the seal plate 53b of the guide attachment 53 can be adjusted to match the cross-sectional shape of the connecting tunnel 9. Furthermore, the pneumatic conveying system and pneumatic conveying method of the present invention are not limited to the geological disposal facility 1 for radioactive waste, but can also be applied to various other pneumatic conveying systems and pneumatic conveying methods. [Explanation of symbols]

[0038] 7a...access tunnel (air transport pipeline), 8...relay location (starting point), 9...connecting tunnel (air transport pipeline), 11...waste package (object to be transported), 18...relay location (destination point), 21...disposal tunnel (air transport pipeline), 41, 42, 43...transport system (air transport system), 45, 47, 49...mobile body, 53...guide attachment, 53c...guide wheel, 53b...sealing plate, 61...connecting member, 63...return mobile body.

Claims

1. An air conveying system for conveying an object by air conveyance, an air conveying pipeline; and a moving body that moves within the air conveying pipeline by an air flow generated within the air conveying pipeline; The moving body is The object to be conveyed; a pair of detachable guide attachments directly attached to both ends of the object in the moving direction, The guide attachment is An air conveying system having guide wheels that roll on the inner wall surface of the air conveying pipeline.

2. The guide attachment is The pneumatic conveying system of claim 1 further comprising a seal plate receiving the air flow.

3. A pneumatic conveying method for conveying an object to be conveyed by a pneumatic conveying method, a conveying step in which a moving body, which has a pair of detachable guide attachments directly attached to both ends of the conveyed object in the moving direction, moves from a starting point to a destination point in the air conveying pipeline by an air flow generated in the air conveying pipeline; a return process in which a return moving body, which is formed by connecting the pair of guide attachments detached from the transport object at the destination point via a predetermined connecting member in the moving direction, moves from the destination point to the departure point within the air transport pipeline by an air flow generated within the air transport pipeline, The air conveying method, wherein the guide attachment has a guide wheel that rolls on the inner wall surface of the air conveying pipeline.

4. The guide attachment is 4. The method of claim 3, further comprising a sealing plate receiving the air flow.

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