Tritium Removal via Organic Substitution and Flotation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods are ineffective for efficiently removing tritium from tritium-containing water, particularly in accidents at atomic power stations, due to tritium's properties and the challenges of low-temperature distillation and storage, which require large-scale facilities and pose safety and cost issues.
Innovation Solution
A method involving the substitution of hydrogen in organic acids and amino acids with tritium, followed by dissolved air flotation treatment, using flocculants like calcium chloride and polymer flocculants, and adsorbents like activated carbon and zeolite to separate and concentrate tritium, allowing for continuous mechanical treatment and safe handling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If low-temperature distillation is used to remove tritium, then separation effectiveness is improved, but facility scale and cost increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces organic substances as intermediary carriers that selectively bind to tritium through chemical reactions. These organic-tritium complexes then serve as intermediaries that can be easily separated from water using conventional liquid-liquid extraction or adsorption techniques, avoiding the need for large-scale distillation facilities
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical/physical distillation system with a chemical reaction-based system. Instead of using energy-intensive thermal separation, the invention uses chemical affinity between organic substances and tritium to achieve separation, significantly reducing facility requirements
2Reliability
If storage method is used for tritium-containing water, then immediate handling risk is reduced, but long-term safety and cost increase due to deterioration of storage materials
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts tritium from water by converting it into organic-tritium complexes that can be separated and concentrated. This removes the problematic tritium-containing water from storage, replacing it with concentrated organic phases that require smaller, more manageable storage solutions with fewer material compatibility issues
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the chemical form and concentration parameters of tritium. By converting dilute tritiated water into concentrated organic-tritium complexes, the invention transforms a difficult-to-store liquid into a more manageable form that reduces storage volume and material compatibility requirements
3Productivity
If Wilzbach method is used for tritium labeling, then tritium reactivity is utilized, but impurity production increases due to beta decay
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary separation of tritium from water before the labeling reaction. By pre-concentrating and purifying tritium in an organic phase, the invention eliminates water-related impurities and beta decay products from the subsequent labeling reaction, ensuring higher product purity while maintaining efficiency
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 method enables continuous, safe, and efficient treatment of tritium-contaminated water, reducing the need for large-scale facilities and facilitating safe storage and handling, while minimizing external radiation exposure and operational risks.
Implementation Method 1
substituting hydrogen in the α position of a carboxylic acid in an organic acid and an organic acid alkali salt that have hydrogen in the α position, as an organic substance, by tritium
Implementation Method 2
separating the substituted substance from contaminated water by a dissolved air flotation treatment
Implementation Method 3
using flocculants like calcium chloride and polymer flocculants
Implementation Method 4
using flocculants like calcium chloride and polymer flocculants, and adsorbents like activated carbon and zeolite to separate and concentrate tritium
Data Source
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AI summary
Provided is a tritium substitution method having a process (101) of adding an organic substance including at least one of an organic acid, an organic acid alkali salt, a water-soluble amino acid, an organic acid to which a water-soluble amino acid alkali salt is added, an organic acid alkali salt, a water-soluble amino acid, and a water-soluble amino acid alkali salt, to radioactive substance-contaminated water containing tritium, a tritium substitution process (103) of circulating (102) fine bubbles in the contaminated water in which the organic substance has been added to cause a reaction of substituting hydrogen in the α position of a carboxylic acid group by tritium through an interface of the fine bubbles to produce a tritium-substituted product.