Laser Ablation Decontamination for Complex Contaminated Workpieces
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for decontaminating radioactively or chemically contaminated workpieces, such as those from nuclear power plants, are time-consuming and require additional materials like chemicals or blasting media, especially for complex geometries, leading to increased storage needs and secondary waste generation.
Innovation Solution
A method using laser ablation to vaporize and remove surface material from contaminated workpieces, employing a laser emitter that emits high-energy pulses, with the vaporized material being discharged and analyzed for radioactivity and chemical composition, allowing for precise decontamination without additional chemicals or media, and accommodating complex geometries through adjustable optics and movement systems.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If mechanical or chemical methods are used to remove surface layers, then decontamination can be achieved, but the process becomes time-consuming and generates additional waste materials
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces mechanical and chemical decontamination methods with laser radiation. The laser emitter directs laser pulses onto the workpiece surface, vaporizing contaminated material through ablation without requiring mechanical contact or chemical reagents, thereby eliminating the time-consuming nature of traditional methods and avoiding secondary waste generation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes controlled laser radiation parameters (intensity, pulse duration, wavelength) to achieve precise material vaporization. By adjusting these parameters, the process efficiently removes contaminated surface layers while minimizing processing time and avoiding the generation of additional waste materials associated with mechanical or chemical methods.
2Reliability
If mechanical or chemical methods are used for decontamination, then surface layers can be removed, but additional materials such as blasting media or acid must be used
Solution Approach 1:
The patent substitutes mechanical blasting media and chemical acids with laser radiation for material removal. The laser emitter vaporizes contaminated surface layers through controlled ablation, eliminating the need for additional blasting media or chemical substances that would require disposal and contribute to material loss.
Solution Approach 2:
The laser ablation process is self-contained, using only laser energy to vaporize the contaminated material. The vaporized material is extracted through the fume hood without requiring any additional consumable materials, making the process self-sufficient and eliminating material loss associated with traditional decontamination methods.
3Reliability
If traditional decontamination methods are used on complex geometries, then material removal is possible, but the process becomes difficult or insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces mechanical blasting and chemical application methods with laser radiation, which can be precisely directed and focused on complex geometries. The laser emitter can access difficult-to-reach areas and irregular surfaces through controlled beam positioning, making decontamination of complex geometries both effective and operationally simple.
Solution Approach 2:
The laser ablation process allows for localized and precise material removal tailored to the specific geometry of the workpiece. The laser emitter can be positioned and focused to treat specific areas with complex shapes, applying energy exactly where needed without affecting surrounding areas, thereby simplifying the decontamination process for geometrically complex components.
4Loss of substance
If laser ablation is used to remove surface material, then decontamination is achieved without additional materials, but vaporized material must be managed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates a fume hood that extracts and removes vaporized material from the laser processing area. The hood captures the vaporized contaminants and directs them away from the workpiece and operator, effectively managing the byproduct of laser ablation while maintaining a clean processing environment.
Solution Approach 2:
The fume hood acts as an intermediary system between the laser ablation process and the surrounding environment. It captures and transports vaporized material through a controlled pathway, separating the vaporization process from the workspace and eliminating the need for complex additional material management while maintaining operational simplicity.
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
This approach significantly reduces decontamination effort and time, eliminates the need for secondary waste, and enables efficient processing of complex geometries, while providing real-time analysis for controlled decontamination, thereby minimizing storage needs and costs.
Implementation Method 1
a laser emitter (3) is directed onto the workpiece (2) and the laser emitter (3) emits laser pulses (4) onto an impact area (5) of a surface (6) of the workpiece (2) in order to vaporize part of the material of the workpiece (2) in the impact area (5)
Data Source
Figure 1
AI summary
The invention relates to a method and to a device (1) for processing contaminated workpieces (2), which method and which device allow efficient, automatable removal of contaminated, in particular radioactively contaminated, material of the workpiece (2) that is near the surface by means of laser ablation. The evaporated material (8) can be analyzed in an extraction (7), for example with respect to the radioactivity of the evaporated material (for example by means of a radioactivity sensor 14) and/or with respect to the chemical composition of the evaporated material (for example by means of the mass spectrometer 15). By continuously monitoring the radioactivity and/or the chemical composition, the removal of the material can be controlled in such a way that only material having a certain contamination is removed. The evaporated material (8) is collected in a collection container (18).