Granular Shielding Material Transport via Fluid Hose
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional radiation shielding methods using water-filled balloons are ineffective in areas with high radiation levels, requiring heavy shielding materials that are difficult to transport and install, posing risks to workers due to prolonged exposure.
Innovation Solution
A radiation shielding method and device utilizing a hollow container with a fluid feeding system and granular shielding material, where the shielding material is fed into the container via a hose, allowing for remote placement and reducing worker exposure by settling at the bottom, and a recovery system to extract and reuse the material.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a heavy shielding material (100 kg or more) is used to reduce radiation, then the shielding effect is improved, but the ease of transport and installation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The shielding material is divided into granular particles that can be easily transported and installed through fluid flow, rather than handling a single heavy block. The granular material is supplied via a feeding hose and distributed into the container by fluid flow, enabling easy transport and installation while maintaining effective shielding when accumulated.
2Ease of operation
If the shielding material is divided into small pieces (about 10 kg) to improve transportability, then the ease of transport is improved, but the installation time increases leading to greater radiation exposure
Solution Approach 1:
Fluid (water or air) is used to transport and supply the granular shielding material into the container. The fluid flow carries the granular material through the feeding hose and distributes it within the container, enabling rapid filling without manual handling. This hydraulic/pneumatic transport system dramatically reduces installation time compared to manual placement of divided materials.
3Ease of operation
If water-filled balloons are used for radiation shielding, then the ease of installation is improved, but the shielding effectiveness deteriorates in high radiation areas
Solution Approach 1:
The system combines water (or air) as a fluid medium with granular shielding material to create a composite shielding system. The fluid provides ease of installation and transportability, while the granular shielding material (such as baryte, magnetite, or steel granules) provides the necessary radiation attenuation. When the granular material accumulates in the container, it forms an effective shielding barrier even in high radiation areas.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The method effectively reduces radiation exposure for workers by using granular shielding materials that settle in the container, providing a sufficient shielding effect while allowing for remote operation and easy material recovery, thus enhancing safety and efficiency during plant outages and repairs.
Implementation Method 1
because the shielding material settles down in the fluid filled in the container and gradually accumulates on a bottom of the container
Data Source
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AI summary
To include a step of installing a hollow container (1) at a predetermined portion of an object to be shielded (100), a step of feeding fluid into the container (1) via a hose (22) by a fluid feeding unit (2), and a step of transporting and filling a granular shielding material into the container (1) via the hose (22) by supplying the shielding material to the fluid by a shielding-material supply unit (3). With this arrangement, because a shielding material is fed into the container (1) together with the fluid and filled therein at a remote place from the object to be shielded (100), a worker does not need to approach the object to be shielded (100). Further, because a shielding effect is improved by the granular shielding material, an amount of radiation to the worker can be reduced easily and sufficiently.