Radioactive Fluid Sealing Container with Burnished O-Ring Seal
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing containers for radioactive fluids lack a reliable gas-tight seal, leading to potential leakage during transport, especially under pressure differentials and physical trauma, and require complex tools for opening.
Innovation Solution
A container with a hollow inner chamber and a cap that forms a fluid-tight seal using an O-ring seated on a burnished surface, made of radiation shielding material, allowing for manual opening and maintaining containment under various conditions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If existing containers use simple vials with outer containers sealed by tape, then the device complexity is low, but the reliability of gas-tight seal deteriorates leading to potential leakage during transport
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs an O-ring seal (a flexible membrane) that engages with a burnished sealing surface to create a gas-tight barrier. The O-ring's elasticity allows it to conform to the sealing surface and maintain the seal under varying pressure conditions, resolving the contradiction between seal reliability and device complexity by using a simple yet effective flexible sealing element rather than a complex mechanical system
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes the elastic properties of the O-ring material and the smoothness parameter of the burnished surface to achieve reliable sealing. By controlling the surface finish parameter (burnishing) and selecting appropriate O-ring material properties, the system achieves gas-tight sealing without complex mechanisms, balancing reliability with simplicity
2Reliability
If existing containers rely on vials to seal radioactive gas, then the manufacturing process is simple, but the containment reliability deteriorates under pressure differentials and physical trauma
Solution Approach 1:
The burnished sealing surface is prepared in advance during manufacturing to ensure a smooth, consistent surface that will reliably engage with the O-ring seal. This preliminary surface preparation ensures that the sealing interface is optimized for gas-tight containment before the actual sealing operation, improving containment reliability under stress while maintaining manufacturing simplicity through a straightforward surface treatment process
Solution Approach 2:
The O-ring seal provides a flexible, resilient sealing element that can accommodate minor variations in manufacturing tolerances and maintain the seal under pressure differentials and physical trauma. This flexible sealing approach improves containment reliability without requiring overly precise or complex manufacturing processes
3Reliability
If existing containers use tape to seal the lid, then the ease of operation for opening is high, but the reliability of preventing radioactive gas escape deteriorates during prolonged shipment
Solution Approach 1:
The O-ring seal provides a reliable gas-tight barrier that maintains containment during prolonged shipment, while the cap design with engagement features allows for manual opening without complex tools. The flexible O-ring maintains the seal under varying conditions, and the cap's mechanical engagement provides secure closure that can be easily opened by hand, balancing reliability with ease of operation
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 container achieves a reliable gas-tight seal capable of withstanding pressure differentials and physical trauma, ensuring safe transport of radioactive materials without the need for complex tools, while maintaining containment across a range of temperatures and physical stresses.
Implementation Method 1
an O-ring is disposed within the groove of the plug. An outer edge of the O-ring seats against the smooth burnished surface when the plug is fully received within the opening of the chamber
Implementation Method 2
a cushioning member to cushion contents of the chamber
Implementation Method 3
The body and the cap are made of a radiation shielding material
Data Source
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AI summary
Containers for sealing and shielding radioactive fluid are disclosed. Methods of manufacturing such containers are also disclosed. The container is arranged to maintain a fluid tight seal to contain radioactive fluid when subjected to environmental forces, while also permitting a user to manually remove the cap from the container body when desired. In some embodiments, the container includes a container body with an inner chamber, along with an associated cap. The cap forms a fluid tight seal with the body by way of an interference fit between a sealing element and a burnished abutment surface.