Method to seal reactive materials under vacuum
Abstract
A method of sealing a low enriched uranium (LEU) foil in a vacuum is provided. The LEU foil is inserted into a stainless steel foil pouch. Sealing components are assembled with the stainless steel foil pouch with a vacuum pump connection extending through an opening in the pouch. Then an open end of the pouch is folded over and welded to form a vacuum tight bond. A vacuum pump is attached to the connection outside the pouch and the stainless steel foil pouch is evacuated. Then the stainless steel foil pouch is folded and welded to seal the LEU foil within a welded pouch portion. The remaining pouch portion including the vacuum sealing components is cut and separated from the welded pouch portion containing the LEU foil. The method uses on inexpensive readily available equipment, eliminating the need for electron beam welding equipment.
- Inventors:
- Issue Date:
- Research Org.:
- Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)
- Sponsoring Org.:
- USDOE
- OSTI Identifier:
- 1531550
- Patent Number(s):
- 7,350,280
- Application Number:
- 11/585,595
- Assignee:
- UChicago Argonne, LLC (Chicago, IL)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC02-06CH11357; W-31-109-ENG-38
- Resource Type:
- Patent
- Resource Relation:
- Patent File Date: 2006-10-24
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- 07 ISOTOPE AND RADIATION SOURCES; 42 ENGINEERING
Citation Formats
Wiencek, Thomas C. Method to seal reactive materials under vacuum. United States: N. p., 2008.
Web.
Wiencek, Thomas C. Method to seal reactive materials under vacuum. United States.
Wiencek, Thomas C. Tue .
"Method to seal reactive materials under vacuum". United States. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1531550.
@article{osti_1531550,
title = {Method to seal reactive materials under vacuum},
author = {Wiencek, Thomas C.},
abstractNote = {A method of sealing a low enriched uranium (LEU) foil in a vacuum is provided. The LEU foil is inserted into a stainless steel foil pouch. Sealing components are assembled with the stainless steel foil pouch with a vacuum pump connection extending through an opening in the pouch. Then an open end of the pouch is folded over and welded to form a vacuum tight bond. A vacuum pump is attached to the connection outside the pouch and the stainless steel foil pouch is evacuated. Then the stainless steel foil pouch is folded and welded to seal the LEU foil within a welded pouch portion. The remaining pouch portion including the vacuum sealing components is cut and separated from the welded pouch portion containing the LEU foil. The method uses on inexpensive readily available equipment, eliminating the need for electron beam welding equipment.},
doi = {},
journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {2008},
month = {4}
}
Works referenced in this record:
Method for fabricating .sup.99 Mo production targets using low enriched uranium, .sup.99 Mo production targets comprising low enriched uranium
patent, December 2000
- Wiencek, Thomas C.; Matos, James E.; Hofman, Gerard L.
- US Patent Document 6,160,862
Method of making a container for storing fine particles
patent, April 2002
- Archibald, William E.; Gwiazdon, Rodney K.; Tuszkiewicz, George A.
- US Patent Document 6,378,272