Rotating Sub-Supply Pipe for Uniform Radioactive Waste Feeding

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing radioactive waste supply systems fail to uniformly disperse waste into vitrification melters, leading to potential heterogeneous melting and waste accumulation in supply pipes.

Innovation Solution

A radioactive waste supply device featuring a sub-supply pipe with a dispersing portion and rotating mechanism, including gear systems and observation ports, ensures uniform dispersion and prevents waste from remaining in the supply pipes.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Manufacturing precision

If radioactive waste is supplied directly into the melter through a single supply pipe, then the supply structure is simple, but the waste cannot be uniformly dispersed leading to heterogeneous melting

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveuniformity of waste supplyVSAvoidsupply pipe structure
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The supply system is divided into a main supply pipe and multiple sub-supply pipes. The main supply pipe receives waste from the external system, while sub-supply pipes (at least two) are positioned at different locations within the main pipe to dispense waste into the melter. This segmentation enables uniform waste distribution across the melter chamber while maintaining a relatively simple overall structure.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

2Reliability

If waste is supplied through a stationary supply pipe, then the structure is simple, but waste accumulates in the pipe causing clogging

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveprevention of pipe cloggingVSAvoidsupply pipe mechanism
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The sub-supply pipe is designed to rotate within the main supply pipe around a vertical axis. This rotation can be continuous or intermittent, creating dynamic motion that prevents waste material from accumulating and adhering to the pipe walls. The rotating mechanism ensures that waste flows smoothly through the supply system without clogging, while the rotation drive system remains relatively simple.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

3Manufacturing precision

If multiple sub-supply pipes are added to improve dispersion, then waste uniformity improves, but the device complexity increases significantly

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedispersion of radioactive wasteVSAvoidnumber of pipes and components
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

Multiple sub-supply pipes are integrated within a single main supply pipe structure. The sub-supply pipes share the common main pipe for waste delivery and rotation mechanism, rather than having separate supply lines. This merging approach achieves good waste dispersion through multiple outlets while avoiding the complexity of completely independent supply systems for each pipe.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Data Source

PatentEP4654220A1Radioactive waste supplying device
Publication Date: 2025.11.26 KOREA HYDRO & NUCLEAR POWER CO LTD
  • EP4654220A1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4654220A1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP4654220A1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

Disclosed herein is a radioactive waste supply device used in a radioactive waste vitrification facility for vitirifying radioactive waste. The radioactive waste supply device may supply radioactive waste to a vitrification melter, and may include: a main supply pipe including one end and the other end and supplying the radioactive waste from the other end toward the one end, the one end facing the vitrification melter; a sub-supply pipe including one side and the other side and disposed in the main supply pipe so that the one side is adjacent to the one end; and a dispersing portion positioned on the one side of the sub-supply pipe and allowing the radioactive waste passing through the sub-supply pipe to be dispersed and injected into the vitrification melter.