Hazardous Waste Container With Evacuation Port And Filter
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing systems for storing hazardous waste, particularly nuclear waste, fail to effectively confine and control contamination, leading to unnecessary spread of hazardous materials beyond the storage area.
Innovation Solution
A container system with a filling port and evacuation port, both extending axially from the top surface, featuring a filter and a plug that allows air and gas passage during filling and seals in a closed configuration, along with a gasket and threadable components for a hermetic seal, and a method involving hot isostatic pressing to immobilize waste material.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a hermetic seal is maintained during storage, then contamination spread is minimized, but the container requires complex sealing mechanisms and cannot be easily opened for access
Solution Approach 1:
The container is divided into separate functional components: a removable plug assembly with integrated filter, a sealing gasket, and the container body. This segmentation allows the hermetic seal to be maintained during storage while enabling controlled access when needed, resolving the contradiction between containment reliability and device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
A filter is introduced as an intermediary component between the interior and exterior environments. The filter allows gas exchange while preventing particle escape, maintaining hermetic containment for hazardous particles while permitting controlled gas flow. This intermediary element resolves the contradiction by providing both seal integrity and controlled access functionality.
2Stability of the object's composition
If hot isostatic pressing is applied to immobilize waste, then waste stability is improved, but the process requires high temperature and pressure equipment increasing system complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The waste material undergoes parameter changes through hot isostatic pressing - high temperature and high pressure are applied to transform the waste into a stable, immobilized form. This process fundamentally changes the physical and chemical parameters of the waste, achieving long-term stability. The parameter changes resolve the contradiction by transforming unstable waste into stable form, justifying the equipment complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The container system uses composite materials - the container body, sealing gasket, filter media, and waste material all have specific material properties selected for their performance under hot isostatic pressing conditions. These composite materials enable the waste to withstand and benefit from the high temperature and pressure treatment, achieving immobilization and stability while managing the equipment complexity through material selection.
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 system minimizes contamination by maintaining a hermetic seal and effectively immobilizes hazardous waste through hot isostatic pressing, reducing the risk of secondary waste generation and equipment wear.
Implementation Method 1
an evacuation port having a filter, the evacuation port configured to couple with an evacuation nozzle and an evacuation plug
Implementation Method 2
The container body is configured to be hot isostatic pressed
Implementation Method 3
a gasket disposed between the evacuation plug and the evacuation port
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention provides systems, methods and devices for storing and/or disposing of hazardous waste material. In some embodiments, the waste material includes nuclear waste such as calcined material. In certain embodiments, the device includes a container having a container body, a filling port configured to couple with a filling nozzle and a filling plug, and an evacuation port having a filter. The evacuation port is configured to couple with an evacuation nozzle and an evacuation plug. In certain embodiments, the method includes (a) adding hazardous waste material via a filling nozzle coupled to a filling port of a container, the container including an evacuation port, (b) evacuating the container during adding of the hazardous waste material via an evacuation nozzle coupled to an evacuation port of the container, (c) sealing the filling port, (d) heating the container, and (e) sealing the evacuation port.