Environment control system
Abstract
A system for controlling the environment of an enclosed area in nuclear reactor installations. The system permits the changing of the environment from nitrogen to air, or from air to nitrogen, without the release of any radioactivity or process gas to the outside atmosphere. In changing from a nitrogen to an air environment, oxygen is inserted into the enclosed area at the same rate which the nitrogen-oxygen gas mixture is removed from the enclosed area. The nitrogen-oxygen gas mixture removed from the enclosed area is mixed with hydrogen, the hydrogen recombining with the oxygen present in the gas to form water. The water is then removed from the system and, if it contains any radioactive products, can be utilized to form concrete, which can then be transferred to a licensed burial site. The process gas is purified further by stripping it of carbon dioxide and then distilling it to remove any xenon, krypton, and other fission or non-condensable gases. The pure nitrogen is stored as either a cryogenic liquid or a gas. In changing from an air to nitrogen environment, the gas is removed from the enclosed area, mixed with hydrogen to remove the oxygen present, dried, passed through adsorptionmore »
- Inventors:
-
- Edgewood Borough, PA
- Issue Date:
- OSTI Identifier:
- 863238
- Patent Number(s):
- 4129476
- Assignee:
- United States of America as representedby United States (Washington, DC)
- Patent Classifications (CPCs):
-
G - PHYSICS G21 - NUCLEAR PHYSICS G21C - NUCLEAR REACTORS
Y - NEW / CROSS SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES Y02 - TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE Y02E - REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION
- DOE Contract Number:
- AT(11-1)-3046
- Resource Type:
- Patent
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- environment; control; controlling; enclosed; nuclear; reactor; installations; permits; changing; nitrogen; air; release; radioactivity; process; gas; outside; atmosphere; oxygen; inserted; rate; nitrogen-oxygen; mixture; removed; mixed; hydrogen; recombining; form; water; contains; radioactive; products; utilized; concrete; transferred; licensed; burial; site; purified; stripping; carbon; dioxide; distilling; remove; xenon; krypton; fission; non-condensable; gases; pure; stored; cryogenic; liquid; dried; passed; adsorption; beds; reinserted; additionally; change; sources; removal; containment; designed; amount; substantially; equals; required; replace; oxygen gas; process gas; carbon dioxide; nuclear reactor; gas mixture; substantially equal; fission gas; non-condensable gas; nitrogen environment; fission gases; form water; reactor installations; reactor installation; /376/96/976/
Citation Formats
Sammarone, Dino G. Environment control system. United States: N. p., 1978.
Web.
Sammarone, Dino G. Environment control system. United States.
Sammarone, Dino G. Sun .
"Environment control system". United States. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/863238.
@article{osti_863238,
title = {Environment control system},
author = {Sammarone, Dino G},
abstractNote = {A system for controlling the environment of an enclosed area in nuclear reactor installations. The system permits the changing of the environment from nitrogen to air, or from air to nitrogen, without the release of any radioactivity or process gas to the outside atmosphere. In changing from a nitrogen to an air environment, oxygen is inserted into the enclosed area at the same rate which the nitrogen-oxygen gas mixture is removed from the enclosed area. The nitrogen-oxygen gas mixture removed from the enclosed area is mixed with hydrogen, the hydrogen recombining with the oxygen present in the gas to form water. The water is then removed from the system and, if it contains any radioactive products, can be utilized to form concrete, which can then be transferred to a licensed burial site. The process gas is purified further by stripping it of carbon dioxide and then distilling it to remove any xenon, krypton, and other fission or non-condensable gases. The pure nitrogen is stored as either a cryogenic liquid or a gas. In changing from an air to nitrogen environment, the gas is removed from the enclosed area, mixed with hydrogen to remove the oxygen present, dried, passed through adsorption beds to remove any fission gases, and reinserted into the enclosed area. Additionally, the nitrogen stored during the nitrogen to air change, is inserted into the enclosed area, the nitrogen from both sources being inserted into the enclosed area at the same rate as the removal of the gas from the containment area. As designed, the amount of nitrogen stored during the nitrogen to air change substantially equals that required to replace oxygen removed during an air to nitrogen change.},
doi = {},
journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {1978},
month = {1}
}