Radioactive Conveyance System Using Magnetic Coupling
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
There is a need for a conveyance system that efficiently transports components of radionuclide generators within a radioactive environment, ensuring safety and minimizing contamination.
Innovation Solution
A conveyance system that includes a network of tracks and carriages within a hot cell, utilizing radiation-insensitive servomotors and pneumatics, with sealed electronic components to prevent contamination and allow for automated operation, enabling the transfer of radioactive materials between stations without operator intervention.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If automated conveyance system is implemented in radioactive environment, then operator safety is improved and contamination risk is reduced, but device complexity increases due to radiation-insensitive components and sealed enclosures
Solution Approach 1:
The conveyance system is divided into separate modules: radiation-insensitive servomotors positioned outside the hot cell, sealed electronic component enclosures within the hot cell, and magnetic coupling mechanisms. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized for its specific operational requirements while maintaining overall system functionality and safety.
Solution Approach 2:
Magnetic coupling mechanisms serve as intermediaries to transmit mechanical force and motion across the boundary between the controlled environment (hot cell) and the external environment. This allows automated operation without direct physical connection, maintaining containment integrity while enabling actuation.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If sealed electronic component enclosures are used, then contamination prevention is improved, but heat dissipation becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
Forced convection cooling systems using sealed pneumatic or hydraulic mechanisms provide controlled air or fluid flow through the electronic component enclosures. This maintains the sealed containment structure while actively managing heat dissipation through regulated thermal exchange with the controlled environment.
3Reliability
If radiation-insensitive servomotors are positioned outside hot cell, then component reliability is improved, but system integration complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Magnetic coupling mechanisms act as intermediaries to connect the radiation-insensitive servomotors positioned outside the hot cell with the internal conveyance components. The magnetic fields transmit rotational force and motion through the hot cell boundary without physical penetration, simplifying the integration of external reliable components with the internal radioactive environment system.
Solution Approach 2:
Traditional mechanical connections (shafts, gears, direct drives) are replaced with magnetic coupling mechanisms that transmit force through non-contact magnetic fields. This substitution eliminates the need for complex sealed mechanical interfaces while maintaining reliable force transmission across the hot cell boundary.
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3
Figure 4
AI summary
A system (100) for manufacturing radionuclide generators includes an enclosure defining a radioactive environment. The enclosure includes radiation shielding to prevent radiation within the radioactive environment from moving to an exterior of the enclosure. The system (100) also includes a conveyance system (200) having a forward track (206) and first carriages (220) positioned on and movable along the forward track (206) for conveying racks (202) in a first direction. The conveyance system (200) also includes a first walking beam mechanism (230) magnetically coupled to the first carriages (220) to move the first carriages. The conveyance system (200) further includes a return track (208) and second carriages (220) positioned on and movable along the return track (208) for conveying racks (202) in a second direction opposite the first direction. The forward track (206) and the return track (208) form a loop.