Ion Exchange Resin Comminution for Supercritical Water Oxidation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for treating radioactively contaminated ion exchange resin waste fail to effectively reduce the volume of radioactive solids for interim or final storage, as they often involve processes that do not significantly decrease the volume of ion exchange resin and bound radioactive substances.
Innovation Solution
A system utilizing a supercritical water oxidation reactor connected to an ion exchange resin comminution system, where the resin is comminuted to a predetermined size, followed by a separator to separate gas and liquid phases, with a control device regulating the process to ensure complete breakdown of organic components into inorganic substances, reducing the solid waste volume.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If ion exchange resin is comminuted to reduce particle size, then disposal process quality is improved, but the volume of radioactive solids for storage remains high
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by transforming the physical-chemical state of ion exchange resin from solid organic material to dissolved inorganic substances through supercritical water oxidation. This fundamental parameter change converts the resin into a form that occupies significantly less volume, directly resolving the contradiction between improving disposal quality and reducing storage volume.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention utilizes phase transitions by subjecting the ion exchange resin to supercritical water conditions, where water exists in a supercritical phase. This phase transition enables complete oxidation of the organic resin material, converting it from solid particles to dissolved inorganic ions in aqueous solution, thereby dramatically reducing the volume of radioactive solids requiring storage.
2Device complexity
If ion exchange resin is directly oxidized without comminution, then process simplicity is maintained, but oxidation results are suboptimal with residues remaining
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by comminuting the ion exchange resin before oxidation to achieve a predetermined particle size. This pre-treatment step increases the surface area and accessibility of the resin to oxidizing agents, ensuring complete oxidation without residues while maintaining overall process simplicity through integration with the subsequent supercritical water oxidation step.
3Ease of manufacture
If conventional disposal methods are used, then existing infrastructure is utilized, but the volume of waste requiring storage remains essentially unchanged
Solution Approach 1:
The invention fundamentally changes the parameters of waste treatment by applying supercritical water oxidation, which transforms the chemical composition and physical state of the waste. This converts organic solid resin into inorganic dissolved substances, achieving dramatic volume reduction of radioactive solids while the treated water can be processed through existing water treatment infrastructure.
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 process achieves a significant reduction in the volume of radioactive waste by converting organic components into gases and dissolved salts, allowing for efficient interim or final storage with reduced volume and minimal residual solid waste.
Implementation Method 1
a supercritical water oxidation reactor is connected on the inlet side to an air supply device, a waste supply device, a fuel supply device and a water supply device
Implementation Method 2
supercritical water oxidation reactor...splits all organic components in the suspension into a mixture of gas comprising carbon dioxide and water vapor and liquid comprising water and dissolved or free inorganic ions
Implementation Method 3
the supercritical water oxidation reactor is connected on the outlet side to a separator device, wherein the mixture of gas and liquid obtained from the supercritical water oxidation reactor is separated into the respective phase by the separator device
Implementation Method 4
an ion exchange resin comminution system is connected upstream of the waste supply device, which comminutes an ion exchange resin to be treated until a predetermined ion exchange resin particle size of the ion exchange resin to be comminuted is exceeded
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
AI summary
The invention relates to an ion exchange resin treatment system (10) for treating radioactively polluted ion exchange resin waste, where a supercritical water oxidation reactor (12) is connected on the inlet side to an air supply means, to a waste supply means, to a fuel supply means and to a water supply means (28), and an ion exchange resin comminution system (24) is connected upstream of the waste supply means, said system comminuting an ion exchange resin substrate until the ion exchange resin for comminution has a particle size below a specified ion exchange resin particle size, and the comminuted ion exchange resin is supplied to the waste supply means, and the supercritical water oxidation reactor (12) is connected on the outlet side to a separator device (38), where the separator device (38) separates the gas-liquid mixture obtained from the supercritical water oxidation reactor (12) into the respective phase, and a segregated gas is provided at a gas exit element and a segregated liquid at a liquid exit element, and where a control means regulates at least the supercritical water oxidation reactor (12), the air supply means, the waste supply means, the fuel supply means and the water supply means. The invention also relates to a method for treating radioactively polluted ion exchange resin waste.