CA1237378A - Tool decontamination unit for the removal of radioactive, chemical and biological contaminants - Google Patents
Tool decontamination unit for the removal of radioactive, chemical and biological contaminantsInfo
- Publication number
- CA1237378A CA1237378A CA000490307A CA490307A CA1237378A CA 1237378 A CA1237378 A CA 1237378A CA 000490307 A CA000490307 A CA 000490307A CA 490307 A CA490307 A CA 490307A CA 1237378 A CA1237378 A CA 1237378A
- Authority
- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- solvent
- chemical
- contaminants
- recited
- neutralizing agent
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Expired
Links
Classifications
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G21—NUCLEAR PHYSICS; NUCLEAR ENGINEERING
- G21F—PROTECTION AGAINST X-RADIATION, GAMMA RADIATION, CORPUSCULAR RADIATION OR PARTICLE BOMBARDMENT; TREATING RADIOACTIVELY CONTAMINATED MATERIAL; DECONTAMINATION ARRANGEMENTS THEREFOR
- G21F9/00—Treating radioactively contaminated material; Decontamination arrangements therefor
- G21F9/001—Decontamination of contaminated objects, apparatus, clothes, food; Preventing contamination thereof
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- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
- Food Science & Technology (AREA)
- Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- High Energy & Nuclear Physics (AREA)
- Cleaning By Liquid Or Steam (AREA)
Abstract
ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE:
Tools, equipment and weapons contaminated with radio-active, toxin, biological and/or chemical contaminants are deposited in a cleaning chamber and are sprayed with a sol-vent under high pressure. The solvent dislodges particulate contaminants and dissolves chemical agent contaminants and the solvent so sprayed containing both suspended and dis-solved contaminants is drained to a distillation means.
Within the distillation means there is a neutralizing agent which deactivated the biological and toxin contaminants and chemically oxidized the chemical contaminants removed from the item being decontaminated in the cleaning chamber. Pure solvent vapor generated in the distillation means is con-densed to a solvent tank for reuse in the spraying operation for further decontamination. Drying of the tool, equipment or weapon being decontaminated is accomplished by circulating hot, unsaturated solvent vapor through the cleaning chamber and about the item being decontaminated. The present inven-tion is practiced at a pressure below atmospheric to prevent the escape of contaminants to the atmosphere should leaks develop.
Tools, equipment and weapons contaminated with radio-active, toxin, biological and/or chemical contaminants are deposited in a cleaning chamber and are sprayed with a sol-vent under high pressure. The solvent dislodges particulate contaminants and dissolves chemical agent contaminants and the solvent so sprayed containing both suspended and dis-solved contaminants is drained to a distillation means.
Within the distillation means there is a neutralizing agent which deactivated the biological and toxin contaminants and chemically oxidized the chemical contaminants removed from the item being decontaminated in the cleaning chamber. Pure solvent vapor generated in the distillation means is con-densed to a solvent tank for reuse in the spraying operation for further decontamination. Drying of the tool, equipment or weapon being decontaminated is accomplished by circulating hot, unsaturated solvent vapor through the cleaning chamber and about the item being decontaminated. The present inven-tion is practiced at a pressure below atmospheric to prevent the escape of contaminants to the atmosphere should leaks develop.
Description
~Xp~ , Mall NO. 4U)I /1034 ~37~
TOOL DECONTAMINATION UNIT ~OR TH~ REMOVAL 0~
RADIOACTIV~, CH~MICAL AND BIOLOGICAL CONTAMINANTS
BAC~GRO~ND OP T~E INYENTION
PI~LD 0~ THE INV~NTION
The preaent lnventioD relates generally ~o a method of and apparat~s for decontamlnating tools, equipment and ~eapons~
and ~ore specifically, to the removal of rfldioactlYe particu-la~e m~tter, chemlcal agents and to~lns and biologlcal agenes from tools, equipment and ~eapon~.
~RI~ DESCRIPTION OF T~E PRIOR ART
-One method currently used by the mllltary eo decon~aminate leems contaminated wlth radioactive, chemical and biological contaminanes ls to flu~h the ltem with an ~queous solution of ~uper tropical bleach, usually calclu~ hypochlorite or sodium hypochlorite. So~etl~es the military adds cau~tic to ehis aqueous ~olutlon to for~ what the ~llitary refer~ to a6 DS2 ~decontaminstion ~olvent number 2). Such a combinatlon ~8 81~ply a ml~ture of bleach ~nd csustic. That ~ethod i~
effective for u~ing deconta~inating nonelect~onic items ~uch a~ metallic ~urfaces, ~alls and floors. Similarly, the ml~ture can be used to flush conts~inatiun from ~he skln of hu~an~ ~o lo~g ~8 it 16 not around the face or eye~ The problem with thls is that once decontamin~tion of the hu~an 3~
ski~ i5 compl2~ed, the skln ~ust be flushed agaln wlth clean ~ater 80 a6 to remove the bleach and cauatic from the ~kin ~hich would otherwi~e stare to burn the skin becau~e of the p~ of the ~ix~ure. This ml~ture of an aqueous solntlon of super tropical bleach and caustic also at~acks ~etallic surfaces and 1~ extremely destructive to electronlcs and electromechanicsl equipment. Therefore, the mixture i~ not useful in decontaminating electronlc~, electromech~nical and optlcal equip~en~ if it iB desired to reuse such equlpment after deconta~inatlon.
Anoeher ~e~hod currently used by the military to decon-taminate use~ hot air. A hot air gun re~embllng a hand held h&ir d~yer 16 de~lgned to oper~ee off the exhaut of a car or truck or oper~te of of it6 own port~ble po~er 60u}ce which runs on die~el fuel. ~ot air is generated at ~bout 100 cubic feet per ~inute ~t a temperature of approxi~tely 450 . The gun i6 directed At contamlnated surface6 to bla~t off any 1008e debri~ and to volatllize any che~ical agent~ or to~ins pre~e~t on the 6urface~ The high temperature 1~
required by the fact that ~ose of the chemical agent~ and toxins ~ncountered by the milltary ha~e a low ~apor pressure~
While ~he hot alr i6 be1ng directed eo~ard the contamlnated surface, there 1~ someti~es uBed i~ co~unction ~ith the air 'gun ~ vacuum hose ~hich dr~ws the air fro~ about the ~urface of the ob~ect bel~g decontamlnsted thereby propelling the oont~minatloD ~emoved from the surf~ce away from ~he one operating ~he air gun. A maJor ~isadvantsge to this hot alr blastlng method is that none of the contamlnants re~oved fro~ the ~urface are neutr~lized. The contamlnants are merely remoYed from one ~pot and placed so~ewhere else~
Obvlou~ly, thls could lead to reconta~lnaeion of the item belng decontaminated or contnminatlng aome other item whlch ln turn ~ould have to be decontamlnated. There i6 al80 a problem ~ith hea~ deformation. The 450F temperature~ of the hot air e~lting the gun can deform th~ plas~icA and mate~ials of a construction thae electronlc components are made of, or at least cause such ma~erlals to suffer seYere stre6s.
Therefore, ehe ~ethod 18 Yery often destructlve of the item being decont~in~ted.
When practloed in an enclo~ed envlron~ent, the ope~ator ~u~t be dressed completely in protective garment~ includlng a re~plrator. He ehen runs the rl~k of suffering heat ~trokP
becau~e the a~bient temperature within the enclosed en~iron-ment will ~l~ost i~mediately rise due to ~he ho~ alr belng generated by the gun~ It ~8 es~imated that a ~an can only operate ln ~uch an environment Eor no ~ore ~han fif~een ~15~
~inute6. Durlng this ti~e, he must dlrect ~he flow of ~lr fro~ the ~un over, llterall~, every ~quare inch of the l~em being deconta~lnated~ In additlon, none of these e~lsting methods addre3ses r~dioactive conta~ination or radioactive contamlnants ln combination ~ith chemic~l and/or blologlcal contamlnantsO
~3~
SUHMARY OP THE INV~NTION
Accordingly~ lt is an ob~ect of the preaent invention to provide a ~e~hod of an apparatuR for deconta~lnating tool~, equlpment aod ~eapons coneaminated ~lth r~dioactive particu-late6, chemlcal agents and to~in~ and blological agent60 A further ob~ect of the preQent inveneion i8 to provide a ~eehod of and apparatus for decontamination which iB non-destructlve to ~he item6 belng decontamlnated.
~ nother obJect of the pre6ent inventlon i8 to provide a ~ethod of and apparatus for decontamlnation of items contamina-ted wlth radio~ctlve9 chemical and biological conta~inants ~hich capture~ and enclo~es ehe contaminaoes onc~ removed fro~ the l~em.
~ ureher, it is an ob~ect of the pre~ent ir~v~ntlon to provlde a ~ethod of and apparatu~ for decontaminatl~g tools~
equipment and weapons contamlnsted wlth biologlcal ~nd to~ln conta~in~nt~ includlng anthrax, ~almonella, botulinum, ~ ~y-~oto~in com~onlg referred to a8 yellow rain n~d other vlrufies and bacteria ~hich can be potentially used ln ~arfare or ter-rori~t ac~iv~ty.
Another ob~ect of the pre~ent lnvention i8 to provide a ~ethod of and apparaeus for decontaminaeion which i8 ~elf contained and relatlvely ea6y to tran6port so ~hat lt may be ~aken fro~ ~ite to ~lte and 16 thereby u~able ln battlefield cond~tion~.
~;~3~3~
~ nother obJect of the present lnven~lon i8 to provlde a method of nnd ~ppara~u6 for decontamin~tion of l~em6 contamlna-ted wieh chemical and biological contamlnants and to~lns ~hi~h captur2s and enclo~e6 ehe contaminant6~ once removed from the lte~, and destroys the same contaminant~ ~o ~8 to gleld a safe, non-~o~ic waste re~idue for dlsposal.
Aoother ob~ect of ~he present lnvention i~ to provide method of and flpparatus for decontamination ~hich operate~
under negative pressure ~o that, should leaks develop, no contamlnatlon ~ill be di6charged to the at~osphere.
A further ob~ect of the present inventlon 1~ to provlde a ~ethod of and apparatu~ for decontsminatlon ~hlch uaes a solvent that i~ a dielectric allo~ing electronic equipment ~o be operated and tested during the decontaminfltion procesæ.
Ano~her obJec~ of the present in~ention i6 to provide ~
~e~hod of aod sppar~tus for decontamination which utilize~ a 1ushing agen~ which i8 a better ~olvent thsn the chemical agents being ~emoved 80 that the che~ical agents ~re di~olved 1D ehe flu~hl~g agen~ and removed from the itemO
A further ob~ect of the pre~ent invention is to proYlde a ~etho~ of and appara~u6 for decontamin~tion wherein ~he solven~ vapor penetrates ~he ln~ernal~ of ~he item being decon~aminated and condense on ~he int&rnal ~urace~ of that item ~hereby di3~01vlng and flu~hing away coDt~mlnan~$
~hat may be pre~en~ in the intern~ls of the item being de-contamin6ted.
3~
It is a still further object of the inven-tion to provide a method for cleansing a solvent having contaminants therein of a radioactive, chemi-cal, toxin and/or biological nature.
- 5a -~3~737~
Brlefly stated, the foregoing ~nd numerou6 other feaeure~, ob~ecta and advant~ge~ of the present inventlon ~ill beco~e readily apparent upon reading the detailed descrlpeion~ cla1m8 ~nd dr~wings ~et forth hereinafter. These feature6, obJects ~nd adv~ntages are acco~pllshed through the use of ~ hlgh pressure spray nozzle directing a 301vent ~t the item being decontamlnated thereby dissolvlng chemlcal agent6 ~nd to~ln6 ~hile slmultaneou~ly loosening and dl~lodglng r~dloactive and biologlcal partlcula~e contaminants.
Spraylng of the item belng deconta~lnated with high pressure ~ol~ent spray takes place in an enclosed chamber.
Liquid solvent then contalning particulate cont~mlnant~ ~nd ~is~olved chemical contaminants drains from the cha~ber through a partlculate tr~p. The cnntsminated ~olvent 18 then collected and d1ætllled~ Located wlthin the dlaeilla-tion vessel 18 ~ layer of neutr~lizinK agent comprlsed of a ml~ture of ~n ~queous 801ution of calcium hypochlorlte or ~odiu~ hypocblorlte and ~odium hydro~ide or poeasslum hy-dro~lde. The concents~tion of the ~queou~ ~olutlon of cal-cium or sodium hypochlorlte ~ust be greater than 10% and the concentrat~on of sodium hydro~ide or potas61u~ hydro~lde must be greater ~hsn loO Normal~
Biologlcal contamlnantæ coming ln cont~ct ~ith thi6 heutr~lizing agen~ are de~troyed. The chemic~l conta~in~n~s coming in con~sct ~l~h this neuer~ ing ~gen~ ~re chemically ~ ~73~7~
broken do~n to elther nonto~ic or less to~lc ~ub~tances. The density of the neutralizing agent i8 less than the density of the solvent aod further, the neutrallzlng agent 1~ nonml~lble ln the zolve~t, because the neutralizlng agent ha2 a polar chemical configuratlon. Therefore, the neutrali~ing agent will float as a layer on eop of ~he contamina~ed solvent dumped to the dl~tillation ve~ael. Any chemical agent at-te~pting to mlgrate fro~ the distillatlon meanfi with the aolvent vapor generated therein must fir~t pa~ through thls l~yer of neutralizlng agent. ~pon contactlng the neutrali~ing agent layer~ the chemical contaminants are broken do~n to heavier co~ponent~ which setele out in the distillation means a~url~g that no co~tsminants migrate from a distallaelon Yes6el ~ith the ~olvent vspor. The solvent vapor Chus generated 18 then conden~ed and collected in a pure solvent tank fro~ which i~ c~n be pu~ped back eo the hlgh pressure spray gun for further decontamlnation. The rate of distllla tlon ~ay be ~ppro~imately equal to or somewhat lesa than the rate at ~hich the solvent i8 sprayed to decontamlnate and therefore, decon~amination can take pl~ce on an ~lmost con-tinuous ba~ i8 .
UPOD co~pletion of the removal of contaminant~ fro~ the ite~ being decontaminated, the item is dried by circula~ing hot ~olvent Yapor in a closed loop through the cleaning eha~ber, a condenser, and a heater. The hot vapor serves to dry the ~;~3~37~ ~
item while the condenser serves to desaturate the vapor before it is reheated and recirculated back to the cleaning chamber for further drying.
Given the relatively small size required for the apparatus, it is particularly adaptable for use as a portable decontamination unit. Further, because decontamination may be performed on a con-tinuous basis, the invention is especially useful by the military for decontaminating the tools, equip-ment, weapons and -the like at or near the place of battle.
In the case of sophisticated electronic and optical equipment prevalent in today's military, there is an even greater need for the decontamination method of the present invention. Current conven-tional decontamination methods are quite destructive of this type of equipment. The solvent used in the present invention, trichlorotrifluoroethane, is quite compatible with this sophisticated electronic and optical equipment. Indeed, because trichlorotri-fluoroethane is an excellent dielec-tric, the electronic equipment can be operated while decon-tamination is being performed.
Further, in accordance with the invention, there is provided a method for cleansing a solvent having contaminants therein of a radioactive, chemical, toxin and/or biological nature. The method includes the steps of contacting the contaminated solvent with a neutralizing agent to deactivate the toxin contaminants such as yellow rain, the biological contaminants such as anthrax, salmonella and botulinum suspended in the solvent and to oxidize the chemical contaminants such as tabun, sarinr soman and mustard dissolved in the solvent thereby placing the toxin, chemical and biological contaminants in - B -~3~'3~7~
non-toxic form. The contaminated solvent is dis-ti.lled in a distillation vessel to thereafter produce the solvent free of contaminants by vaporizing the solvent while leaving the neutralizing agent, the radioactive contaminants and the residue of chemical, toxin and biological contaminants within the distillation vessel.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Fig. 1 is a flow diagram and schematic view of the apparatus constructed according to the present invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Turning first to Fig. 1, there is shown a schematic illustration of a decontamination system constructed according - 8a -~, ~23 ~
to the present inventi3n. The decontaminatlon apparatns vf ~hl~ lnvention include~ a cleaning ~hamber 10 wherein tool~
equipment, ~e~pons and the ll~e can be placed for decontamina-tion. The ite~ placed therein may haYe been contaminated with radloacti~e particulae~ matter, ~o~in contsmlnant~, chemical cont~mlnant~, and/or biological contamlnant~. The chemical con~amlnants may be heavy ~etals, toxic organlcs, cyanotic compounds, pestic~des or tho~e types of nerve agen~s and bl~ster agents used by the military ln chemical ~arfare.
They include: tsbun, sarin, soman~ and mu~tard. The type6 of biologic~l or toxin contaminant~ encountered ~ay include ~al~onella, botulinum, anthrax and a ~ycoto~in commonly re-ferred to a~ yellow rain.
~ ocated wlthin the cleaning chamber 10 1~ a support grld 12 upon whi~h the ltem to be decoutaminated 18 placed. Th~
support grid 12 i6 of open configura~ion ~o tha~ liquid snd vapor as ~ell as particulate contaminants may paBB the~e-through. Also located wlthin ~he cleaning chamber 10 i8 a high pressure ~olvent ~pray guo 14. The hlgh pressure ~ol~
vent ~pray gun 14 may be manipulated from ou~ide ~he clean-ing chamber 10 by meRns of flexible gl~e 16. ~lexible glove 16 al80 ~llo~ the ~anipula~ion of the ltem being decon~a~i~
nated. Positloned at the top o clea~ing chamber 10 are a ~erie~ of fi~ed ~pray nozzles 18 to be used elther in tbe ~lterna~iYe to high pres6ure 6pray gun 14 Dr ~upplementally 3~
wl~h high pre~urQ spray gun 14~
AB pure 601vent i8 sprayed over ~he ite~ belng deconea-minated, the ~ol~ent loosens and dl~lodges particulate con-tamlnants ~hile simultanPou~ly dissolvlng chemical and to~in agent~. The solvent, thus contalnlng both dissolved and ~u~pended contamlnants dt~ins through the support grid 12, mflcroparticle tr~p 20 and conduit 22 lnto still tank 24~
Still tan~ ~4 ls heated by heater 26 to the boiling point of ~he ~olvent. ~eater 26 may be a conventional coil type heater or it may oper~te on a ~aste heat recovery ~yste~ recovering exhau~e heat f ~om evaporator coil 42. Operatlng heater 26 on a ~as~e heat reeovery ~yatem ~ould be more energy efficient and, therefore, ~ore attrac~ive for u~e by the ~llltary bec&u~e the present invention i~ lntended to be u~ed under ~any condition~ including on the baetlfleld ~here po~er sources may be ln ~hort 8UPP1YD
There i8 a ~e~perBeure controller 124 whlch sen6es ~he temper~ture in the vapor phase of still t~n~ 24. ~hen a vapor phase temperature riBe i6 sensed above the boiling polnt o the solvent, temperature contoller 124 ~hut~ do~n heater 26 ~o as not to overhest the ~tlll ~ank 24 or boil off the neutrali~ing agen~.
There i~ a neutr~l~zing agent t~nk 28 co~tainlng a ~ml~ture of concentrated bleach aad cau6~1c having ~ p~ o~
sppro~lma~ely 120 The neutrallzing agent can b~ ~ade by dis601vlng ~olld ~odlum hydro~ide or pota~sium hydro~lde in ~23~73~
sn aqueou~ solutlon of ~t least 102 calciu~ hypochlorite or sodium hypochlorite BO that the solution ha6 at least a 1.0 ~or~al hydro~ide presen~D The neutr~llzing agent i~ lntro-duced to the ~till ~ank 24 from the neutralizing agent tank 28 by mean~ of conduit 30 ln which there i8 located control valve 32.
Whenever an attempt 1~ made to operate the apparatus of the inventlon herein, a level switch 34 located w$thin ~tlll tank 24 determines whether there is a le~el of neutrallzing agent pre~ent withln the still tank 24. If a sufficient level of neutralizing agent i6 not presene within still t~nk 24, control valve 32 automatically opens dumping a quantity Qf neutrali~ing agent from neutrallzlng agent tank 28 through eonduit 30 and into ~tlll tank 24~ There i6 a 6econd level ~itch 36 located ~lthin neutralizing agent tank 28. Should there not be ~ufflcient n~utraliziDg agent already present in ~eill tank 34 and ~hould there not be any neutr~lizlng agent left in neutral~zing agent tank 28, the apparatu~ will not oper~te. ~urther, 6hould there be ~ome qu~ntity of neutrallzing agent left in neutr~llzing agent ~ank 28 whlch iB du~ped to stlll ~ank 24 ~hich ls noe sufficient to raise the level o the neutrallzlng agent to thae desired ~lthin the ~till tank 24, level swi~ch 34 will prevent the apparatu6 fro~ operating. ~hen a ~ufflcient level of neu~rallzing i ~23'73~
ageDt i8 pre~ent in still tank 24, level s~ltch 34 ~111 al~ow opera~ion of the apparatus to coneinue. It i8 preferable to use a conductlvity eype probe for level ~itch 34 becau~e the neutrallzing agent læ conductive and a level ~ill be sensed. However, because trlchlorotrlfluoroethane iB dielec-tric, the apparatu~ will not be trlcked into operstion by placlng a quantlty of solvent in stlll tank 240 ~ ehe solYent containing disfiolved and ~u~pended contaminants col-lect~ in still tank 24, the neutralizing agent, being polar ln configuration and therefore nonmisslble ~lth the 801vent, aod le88 den~e than ~he solvent, floa~s as a contiguou6 l&yer above ~he conta~inated ~olvene. A~ the solvent boils withln the ~till t~nk 24, the resulting vapor muBt fir6e pa~s through and thereby co~tact ~he layer of neutralizlng agent rlding on top of the llquid solvent. Any chemlc~l ~genes ~tte~ptlng to ~igrate wlth the solvent YapOr~ ~111 be chemlcslly oxidlzed by the nPutralizing agen~ and wlll ulti-~ately end up as a re~idue on ~he bottom of the ~till eank 24 in a much less to~lc form aftcr dist~llation i6 eomple~e.
The neutrall~ing agent al80 BerVe8 to de6troy ~he blo-loglcal and to~ln contaminants. It i6 ~mpor~ant ~hat no con~amlnant~ be per~i~ted to ~lgrate wleh the freoD vapor from the stlll tank 24 a~ this ~ould cnuse 8 recon~amination ~ ~q~J3~
~P~ LD
of the tools, equip~ent or weaponn duriog A l~ter ph~e of the operatio~ or could create a vapor haz~rd to the operator ~hen he opens the cleaning chamber at the end of the completed cycle. One mu6t be aware of the f~ct that the agents used in chemical ~arfare can klll or in~ure even ~ith conceo~ratioos in the parts per million ran~e.
Solvent vapor generated ln ~tlll tank 24 p~6ses through conduit 38 and lnto evaporator housing 40 by convection~
~vaporator housing 40 i6 loca~ed ~n the lower half of cleaning chamber 10. Dlsposed ~l~hln evapora~or housing 40 18 evapora ted roll 42. ~vaporator hou~ing 40 collects solvent conden-sed by evaporator coll 42 for transmlsslon through conduit 44 to water ~epsrator 46. Di~posed over evaporator coil 42 i6 deflector plate 48~ Deflector plate 48 prevents solvent containing dissolved and ~uspended contamlnants rom falllng lnto ev~pora~or housing 40 thereby preventlng the contamln~nts fro~ reachlng w~ter sep~rator 46 v18 conduit 44.
At the beginnlng of operation of the present i~ventio~, ~ome v~porization of the solvent will take place ju~t fro~
spraying through the high pres~ure spray gUD 14 or the serles of spray aozzle6 18~ Thi~ vaporlzation would cau~e a po61tlve pres~ure in the cleanlng chamber ~hich 18 undeslrable for two rea~ons. ~lrst, the flexlble glove~ 16 could concelvably be pu~hed out61de ~he cle~nlng chs~ber or even e~ploded. 8eco~d, 73~
~hould the apparatus develop ang lea~s, contamlna~ts ~ould escape to the atmosphere thereby creatlng hazard to the operator and other~ in the near vicini~y~ Therefore, 1~ is highly de~ir~ble to opera~e the apparatus under a sllght negative pre6sure. A sllght negative preBsure i6 scco~pllsbed in the present ioveneion through the u~e of conduit 52, carbon colu~n 54 and hepa filter 56. A~ oper,~tion of the apparatu~ begins lsolation val~e 50 i8 open. A~ spraylng of the solvent begln6, vapori2atlon of the fiolven~t causes an lnitial po6itive pressure ~ithin the cleanlng chamber cau~ing vapor to exit cleaning chamber 10 through isola~ion valve 50 and conduit 52 into arbon column 54 and hepa fllter 56~ Carbon eolumn 54 adsorbs the solvent vapor and ~ny trace quanti~ie6 of ehe~ical agen~ ffh~le hepa f~lter 56 prevents the esc~pe of particulate conta~inane~ to the at~o-6phere. Hepa llter 56 i6 a high efflciency partlculate air filter de~lgned to remove 99.97~ of ~11 p~r~lculate6 greater than 003 micron~ in ~ize. Therefore, what ~ctually escape6 to the atmo~phere 18 ~he air that ~a8 origlnally contained ~lthin the ~pparatus~
Furtherp it should be recognized that although deflection plate 48 preven~s contam~na~ed liquid solvent from falliLng into evaporator housing 40, it does oot prevent the flo~ of ~olvent vapor9 which i~ necessarily pure~ from flowing into ev~porator housing 40 and over evaporaeor coil 42, wher~ lt is ~L~3'73~
conden~ed thereby causing a slight negative pressure ln the cleaning chamber 10. The differential pre~sure bet~een the cleanlng chamber 10 ~nd the at~osphere iB not great enough to cau8e a back flo~r of air through hepa filter 56 and c~rbo~
column 54 to equallze the pressure ~lthln and wlthou~ the cleaning chamber 10 and therefore, operatlo~ of the apparatu~
i6 performed under a sligh~ negatlve pressureO Valve 50 re~ains open durlng the entlre operation~ If valve 50 ~a~
clo6ed aftes the expul~lon of air through carbon column 54 snd hepa fllter 56, ehe subsequent condensatlon by evaporator coil 42 of the ~olvent vapor ~ould cause such a ~ignlflcant negatlve pre aure ~ithin the cleaning chamber 10 that fle~ible gloves 16 might implode.
Water ~epara~or 46 1~ nece~sary becau6e ~ater and trichlo-roerifluoroethane will form an a~eotrope at appro~lmately 112F. Since the neutrallzing agent i~ an aqueous solution, there i~ always water present in the still ~an~ 24~ ~ur~her, lt 18 qulte li~ely that ~here ~111 be some ~oi0ture in the air, lntroduced to the cleaning chamber, ~hen loadlng the contamlnated item. A~ the conde~sed water and condensed solvent collec~ in water ~eparator 46, A phase separ~tion ta~es place. Water i8 drawn of back to the ~till tank 24 ~1~ conduit 58. Inverted J tube 60 ~llows pure, conden6ed ~olvent to flo~ fro~ the ~ater separator 46 into ~olvent tank 62~ Tran~fer pump 64 ts~e~ ~uction fro~ ~olvent tank ~.~3~3~
62 ~ia coodu~t 66~ Transfer pump 64 dlschsrges through conduit 68, valve 70, ad60rptlon cannl6ter 72, conduit 74, s~rainer 76 and conduit 78. High pressure pump 80 take~
suctlon fro~ condult 78 via condui~ 82. The pu~ping rate of transfer pu~p 64 is greater than the pumping raee of ~igh pre~sure pu~p ~0 80 that hlgh pressure pump 80 always has a ~ufficient supply of ~olvent and will not be pumped dry~
Whatever 601vent is oot eaken by high pres~ure pump 80 1 B
returned to the solvent eank 62 through valve 84 vl& conduit 86. High pressure pump 80 di~charges through condult 88 into unloader valve 90. From unloader va7ve 90, pure solvent i8 dellvered to the fi~Pd ~pray no~zles 18 or the ~pray gun 14 or both via conduit 92. There i8 a surge suppressor 94 located ln condult 92 to even out the flo~ co~ing from hlgh pre~sure pu~p 80 because high pressure pump 80 i8 a pi~eOn type pump 6upplying pressure at approxl~ately 2000 p6i.
There i8 a ball v~lve 96 disposed in condult 92 ~hich conerols flo~ of pure solqent to fixed 6pray nozzles 18.
~ dsorpelQn canni~ter 72 preferably u~e~ ~ullers earth ~8 ~he adsorbent, but ~ay also use actlvated csrbon, ~ctivaed alu~ina or 8~ llc~ gel~ Ad~orption cannl~er 72 Berves to remove any trace guaneities of chemical ~gent~ whlch m~y have, in any ~ay9 reached ~he ~olvent tank 62, Sbereby a~suring the solvene ~prayed in the cleAning chsmber 10 i8 totally wlthout con~a~iuation.
~3~73~7~
Spraying of pure ~olvent ~ithin the cleaning chamber 10 18 performed at a ~a~imum rate of appro~imately 2 gallon8 pe~
~inute. Should de~nd by the operator for solvent be les6 ~han 2 gallons per minu~e, then the surplus volume being supplied by high pressure pump 80 ~ill flow through unloader v~lve 90 into conduit 98 and back to ~olvene tank 62~ Should the operator stop spraying completely, the entire volume of solvent belng supplied by hlgh pressure pump 80 will flow through unloaded valve 90 into conduit 98 and back to ~olvent tank 62.
Alternatively, high pressure pump 80 can take sucCion dlrectl~ from solvent tank 62 via condult 100. Dlsposed in condule lO0 i~ draln valYe 102, 1601ation valve 104 and trainer 106. In such a mode of operation9 tran~fer pump 64 and adsorption c~nnl~ter 72 would not be used.
Stralner 76 and/or adsorption cannister 72 can be dralned vla valve 108 loto condu~t 98 ~nd back to solvent tank 62.
Thi~ ~110~8 the cleanlng of strainer 76.
There i~ a level swltch llO located in ~olven~ tank 62.
Should level awitch 110 sense a low level in solvent t~nk ~2, indlcatlng thae, for ~ome reason, distillation iB not taklng plsce rapidly enough, level swi~ch llO ~111 shut do~n ~he oper.~tion of the entlre ~pparatus.
~2~737~
Heater 26 ~y be a con~entlonal coll type heater or it may oper~te on a wsste heat rerovery sy~tem recovering e~haust h2a~ from evaporator coil 42, When decontamina~ion of the item i6 eomplete, it 1B
desirable to dry the ltem of solveDt before removing it from the cleaning chamber 10~ Drying i8 performed by fan 114 taking suction from evaporator hou6ing 40 via condult 116.
Discharge of air and vapor from fan 114 iB through condult 118, heater 120, conduit 122 and into cleaning chamber 10.
In this ~anner, clean solvent vapor flo~ about the deconeam-lnated ite~ thereby drying it. Vapor circulates around the decontam~nated item and about evaporator coil 42 where a eondenRstion ls performed thereby desaturating the vapor being recirc~lated through conduit 116 and bsck to fan 114 thereby co~pleting a contlnuous drylng loop. When the decon-taminated ltem and ~he interlor of the eleanlng chamber 10 appear rO be dry by vi8ual ln~pection of the operatsr, the i~em 1~ re~oved from the eleaning chamber.
A~ ~eated prevlousl7 di~tillation of the contaminated ~olvent takes place at a rate which i~ ~omewhat le~ than the rate at ~hl~h clean solvent is sprayed on the ite~ being de-contaminated. The combination o~ a surplus quantlty of ~olvent p~e~en~ in solvent eank ~2 and the f MCt ~hat ~praying will not ~ake plsce for the entire operat~on of the sppara~u~
~373~7~
allow~ the distlllation rate to be le88 than the spraying rate while al~o allowlng the spp~ratus to perform repeated con-fiecutlve decontamln~tion. Thls distllla~ion rate 16 pre-ferably, ~t le~st eq~al to the total gallons 6prayed divided by the to~al of the time lt t&kes ~o load ~he item being deconta~ln~eed lnto the cleaning chamber 10 plu8 the time ~o ~pray and decontaminate the ltem plus the time to dry the item~ plu8 the ti~e eo unload ~he item from the cleanlng chamber 10~ Therefore, in ~he preferred embodiment, ~hile spraylng may take place at appro~iL~tely two g8110n6 per mlnute, distlllation ~ay be perfor~ed at appro~lmately one g~llon per ~inute and there ~111 stlll be assured ~ complete 8upply of pure ~olvent in ~olvent tank 62 for decon~aminaclon of the nex~ item to be decontamlnated.
It 1~ envlaioned that still tank 24 ~ill be dr~ined of 6pent neutralizi~g ~gent a~ ~ell a6 the radloacti~e, chemicul, to~ln and biological contaninant6 captured thereln periodlcal-ly .
It should be noted that main~nance of the appara~us of the pre~ent inve~tion can be perfor~ed during nonoperatlve perlods with relat~ve ~afety from the contamlnaneB cont~ined in the s~lll tank 24. Thl~ ecsuse there should be no contamlnatlon present ~7ithln the ~pparatus but for that ~hich has been cap~ured in ~tlll tank 24~
~z~
The system msy be de6igned so that high pre~sure pump 80 discharges ~olvent at a pressur~ of se~er~l thou6and p61- In ehe preferred embodiment~ high pre~sure pump 80 ~ischarges 601~ent at ~ rate of appro~lmately t~o gallon6 per ~iDute a~
pressure of appro~imately 2,000 p61.
From the foregoing, it will be seen that thl6 inveneion i~ one well adapted to attain all of the ends and ob~ects hereinabove set forth, together with other advantages whlch are obviou6 and ~hich are inherent to the apparatu6.
It wlll be under6tood that certain features and ~ubcom-blnation6 are of utility and may be employed with reference to other feature~ and 6ubcomblnatlons. Thi6 i8 coatemplated by a~d 18 ~ithin the ~cope of the claims.
A~ many possible embodi~ents ~ay be made of the inYentlon ~lthout departlng from the ~cope thereof, it i8 to be under~tood that all ~ateer hereln ~et forth and sho~n in the accompanying drawings i8 to be l~terpreted a illustrative and not in a llm~lng ~ense.
TOOL DECONTAMINATION UNIT ~OR TH~ REMOVAL 0~
RADIOACTIV~, CH~MICAL AND BIOLOGICAL CONTAMINANTS
BAC~GRO~ND OP T~E INYENTION
PI~LD 0~ THE INV~NTION
The preaent lnventioD relates generally ~o a method of and apparat~s for decontamlnating tools, equipment and ~eapons~
and ~ore specifically, to the removal of rfldioactlYe particu-la~e m~tter, chemlcal agents and to~lns and biologlcal agenes from tools, equipment and ~eapon~.
~RI~ DESCRIPTION OF T~E PRIOR ART
-One method currently used by the mllltary eo decon~aminate leems contaminated wlth radioactive, chemical and biological contaminanes ls to flu~h the ltem with an ~queous solution of ~uper tropical bleach, usually calclu~ hypochlorite or sodium hypochlorite. So~etl~es the military adds cau~tic to ehis aqueous ~olutlon to for~ what the ~llitary refer~ to a6 DS2 ~decontaminstion ~olvent number 2). Such a combinatlon ~8 81~ply a ml~ture of bleach ~nd csustic. That ~ethod i~
effective for u~ing deconta~inating nonelect~onic items ~uch a~ metallic ~urfaces, ~alls and floors. Similarly, the ml~ture can be used to flush conts~inatiun from ~he skln of hu~an~ ~o lo~g ~8 it 16 not around the face or eye~ The problem with thls is that once decontamin~tion of the hu~an 3~
ski~ i5 compl2~ed, the skln ~ust be flushed agaln wlth clean ~ater 80 a6 to remove the bleach and cauatic from the ~kin ~hich would otherwi~e stare to burn the skin becau~e of the p~ of the ~ix~ure. This ml~ture of an aqueous solntlon of super tropical bleach and caustic also at~acks ~etallic surfaces and 1~ extremely destructive to electronlcs and electromechanicsl equipment. Therefore, the mixture i~ not useful in decontaminating electronlc~, electromech~nical and optlcal equip~en~ if it iB desired to reuse such equlpment after deconta~inatlon.
Anoeher ~e~hod currently used by the military to decon-taminate use~ hot air. A hot air gun re~embllng a hand held h&ir d~yer 16 de~lgned to oper~ee off the exhaut of a car or truck or oper~te of of it6 own port~ble po~er 60u}ce which runs on die~el fuel. ~ot air is generated at ~bout 100 cubic feet per ~inute ~t a temperature of approxi~tely 450 . The gun i6 directed At contamlnated surface6 to bla~t off any 1008e debri~ and to volatllize any che~ical agent~ or to~ins pre~e~t on the 6urface~ The high temperature 1~
required by the fact that ~ose of the chemical agent~ and toxins ~ncountered by the milltary ha~e a low ~apor pressure~
While ~he hot alr i6 be1ng directed eo~ard the contamlnated surface, there 1~ someti~es uBed i~ co~unction ~ith the air 'gun ~ vacuum hose ~hich dr~ws the air fro~ about the ~urface of the ob~ect bel~g decontamlnsted thereby propelling the oont~minatloD ~emoved from the surf~ce away from ~he one operating ~he air gun. A maJor ~isadvantsge to this hot alr blastlng method is that none of the contamlnants re~oved fro~ the ~urface are neutr~lized. The contamlnants are merely remoYed from one ~pot and placed so~ewhere else~
Obvlou~ly, thls could lead to reconta~lnaeion of the item belng decontaminated or contnminatlng aome other item whlch ln turn ~ould have to be decontamlnated. There i6 al80 a problem ~ith hea~ deformation. The 450F temperature~ of the hot air e~lting the gun can deform th~ plas~icA and mate~ials of a construction thae electronlc components are made of, or at least cause such ma~erlals to suffer seYere stre6s.
Therefore, ehe ~ethod 18 Yery often destructlve of the item being decont~in~ted.
When practloed in an enclo~ed envlron~ent, the ope~ator ~u~t be dressed completely in protective garment~ includlng a re~plrator. He ehen runs the rl~k of suffering heat ~trokP
becau~e the a~bient temperature within the enclosed en~iron-ment will ~l~ost i~mediately rise due to ~he ho~ alr belng generated by the gun~ It ~8 es~imated that a ~an can only operate ln ~uch an environment Eor no ~ore ~han fif~een ~15~
~inute6. Durlng this ti~e, he must dlrect ~he flow of ~lr fro~ the ~un over, llterall~, every ~quare inch of the l~em being deconta~lnated~ In additlon, none of these e~lsting methods addre3ses r~dioactive conta~ination or radioactive contamlnants ln combination ~ith chemic~l and/or blologlcal contamlnantsO
~3~
SUHMARY OP THE INV~NTION
Accordingly~ lt is an ob~ect of the preaent invention to provide a ~e~hod of an apparatuR for deconta~lnating tool~, equlpment aod ~eapons coneaminated ~lth r~dioactive particu-late6, chemlcal agents and to~in~ and blological agent60 A further ob~ect of the preQent inveneion i8 to provide a ~eehod of and apparatus for decontamination which iB non-destructlve to ~he item6 belng decontamlnated.
~ nother obJect of the pre6ent inventlon i8 to provide a ~ethod of and apparatus for decontamlnation of items contamina-ted wlth radio~ctlve9 chemical and biological conta~inants ~hich capture~ and enclo~es ehe contaminaoes onc~ removed fro~ the l~em.
~ ureher, it is an ob~ect of the pre~ent ir~v~ntlon to provlde a ~ethod of and apparatu~ for decontaminatl~g tools~
equipment and weapons contamlnsted wlth biologlcal ~nd to~ln conta~in~nt~ includlng anthrax, ~almonella, botulinum, ~ ~y-~oto~in com~onlg referred to a8 yellow rain n~d other vlrufies and bacteria ~hich can be potentially used ln ~arfare or ter-rori~t ac~iv~ty.
Another ob~ect of the pre~ent lnvention i8 to provide a ~ethod of and apparaeus for decontaminaeion which i8 ~elf contained and relatlvely ea6y to tran6port so ~hat lt may be ~aken fro~ ~ite to ~lte and 16 thereby u~able ln battlefield cond~tion~.
~;~3~3~
~ nother obJect of the present lnven~lon i8 to provlde a method of nnd ~ppara~u6 for decontamin~tion of l~em6 contamlna-ted wieh chemical and biological contamlnants and to~lns ~hi~h captur2s and enclo~e6 ehe contaminant6~ once removed from the lte~, and destroys the same contaminant~ ~o ~8 to gleld a safe, non-~o~ic waste re~idue for dlsposal.
Aoother ob~ect of ~he present lnvention i~ to provide method of and flpparatus for decontamination ~hich operate~
under negative pressure ~o that, should leaks develop, no contamlnatlon ~ill be di6charged to the at~osphere.
A further ob~ect of the present inventlon 1~ to provlde a ~ethod of and apparatu~ for decontsminatlon ~hlch uaes a solvent that i~ a dielectric allo~ing electronic equipment ~o be operated and tested during the decontaminfltion procesæ.
Ano~her obJec~ of the present in~ention i6 to provide ~
~e~hod of aod sppar~tus for decontamination which utilize~ a 1ushing agen~ which i8 a better ~olvent thsn the chemical agents being ~emoved 80 that the che~ical agents ~re di~olved 1D ehe flu~hl~g agen~ and removed from the itemO
A further ob~ect of the pre~ent invention is to proYlde a ~etho~ of and appara~u6 for decontamin~tion wherein ~he solven~ vapor penetrates ~he ln~ernal~ of ~he item being decon~aminated and condense on ~he int&rnal ~urace~ of that item ~hereby di3~01vlng and flu~hing away coDt~mlnan~$
~hat may be pre~en~ in the intern~ls of the item being de-contamin6ted.
3~
It is a still further object of the inven-tion to provide a method for cleansing a solvent having contaminants therein of a radioactive, chemi-cal, toxin and/or biological nature.
- 5a -~3~737~
Brlefly stated, the foregoing ~nd numerou6 other feaeure~, ob~ecta and advant~ge~ of the present inventlon ~ill beco~e readily apparent upon reading the detailed descrlpeion~ cla1m8 ~nd dr~wings ~et forth hereinafter. These feature6, obJects ~nd adv~ntages are acco~pllshed through the use of ~ hlgh pressure spray nozzle directing a 301vent ~t the item being decontamlnated thereby dissolvlng chemlcal agent6 ~nd to~ln6 ~hile slmultaneou~ly loosening and dl~lodglng r~dloactive and biologlcal partlcula~e contaminants.
Spraylng of the item belng deconta~lnated with high pressure ~ol~ent spray takes place in an enclosed chamber.
Liquid solvent then contalning particulate cont~mlnant~ ~nd ~is~olved chemical contaminants drains from the cha~ber through a partlculate tr~p. The cnntsminated ~olvent 18 then collected and d1ætllled~ Located wlthin the dlaeilla-tion vessel 18 ~ layer of neutr~lizinK agent comprlsed of a ml~ture of ~n ~queous 801ution of calcium hypochlorlte or ~odiu~ hypocblorlte and ~odium hydro~ide or poeasslum hy-dro~lde. The concents~tion of the ~queou~ ~olutlon of cal-cium or sodium hypochlorlte ~ust be greater than 10% and the concentrat~on of sodium hydro~ide or potas61u~ hydro~lde must be greater ~hsn loO Normal~
Biologlcal contamlnantæ coming ln cont~ct ~ith thi6 heutr~lizing agen~ are de~troyed. The chemic~l conta~in~n~s coming in con~sct ~l~h this neuer~ ing ~gen~ ~re chemically ~ ~73~7~
broken do~n to elther nonto~ic or less to~lc ~ub~tances. The density of the neutralizing agent i8 less than the density of the solvent aod further, the neutrallzlng agent 1~ nonml~lble ln the zolve~t, because the neutralizlng agent ha2 a polar chemical configuratlon. Therefore, the neutrali~ing agent will float as a layer on eop of ~he contamina~ed solvent dumped to the dl~tillation ve~ael. Any chemical agent at-te~pting to mlgrate fro~ the distillatlon meanfi with the aolvent vapor generated therein must fir~t pa~ through thls l~yer of neutralizlng agent. ~pon contactlng the neutrali~ing agent layer~ the chemical contaminants are broken do~n to heavier co~ponent~ which setele out in the distillation means a~url~g that no co~tsminants migrate from a distallaelon Yes6el ~ith the ~olvent vspor. The solvent vapor Chus generated 18 then conden~ed and collected in a pure solvent tank fro~ which i~ c~n be pu~ped back eo the hlgh pressure spray gun for further decontamlnation. The rate of distllla tlon ~ay be ~ppro~imately equal to or somewhat lesa than the rate at ~hich the solvent i8 sprayed to decontamlnate and therefore, decon~amination can take pl~ce on an ~lmost con-tinuous ba~ i8 .
UPOD co~pletion of the removal of contaminant~ fro~ the ite~ being decontaminated, the item is dried by circula~ing hot ~olvent Yapor in a closed loop through the cleaning eha~ber, a condenser, and a heater. The hot vapor serves to dry the ~;~3~37~ ~
item while the condenser serves to desaturate the vapor before it is reheated and recirculated back to the cleaning chamber for further drying.
Given the relatively small size required for the apparatus, it is particularly adaptable for use as a portable decontamination unit. Further, because decontamination may be performed on a con-tinuous basis, the invention is especially useful by the military for decontaminating the tools, equip-ment, weapons and -the like at or near the place of battle.
In the case of sophisticated electronic and optical equipment prevalent in today's military, there is an even greater need for the decontamination method of the present invention. Current conven-tional decontamination methods are quite destructive of this type of equipment. The solvent used in the present invention, trichlorotrifluoroethane, is quite compatible with this sophisticated electronic and optical equipment. Indeed, because trichlorotri-fluoroethane is an excellent dielec-tric, the electronic equipment can be operated while decon-tamination is being performed.
Further, in accordance with the invention, there is provided a method for cleansing a solvent having contaminants therein of a radioactive, chemical, toxin and/or biological nature. The method includes the steps of contacting the contaminated solvent with a neutralizing agent to deactivate the toxin contaminants such as yellow rain, the biological contaminants such as anthrax, salmonella and botulinum suspended in the solvent and to oxidize the chemical contaminants such as tabun, sarinr soman and mustard dissolved in the solvent thereby placing the toxin, chemical and biological contaminants in - B -~3~'3~7~
non-toxic form. The contaminated solvent is dis-ti.lled in a distillation vessel to thereafter produce the solvent free of contaminants by vaporizing the solvent while leaving the neutralizing agent, the radioactive contaminants and the residue of chemical, toxin and biological contaminants within the distillation vessel.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Fig. 1 is a flow diagram and schematic view of the apparatus constructed according to the present invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Turning first to Fig. 1, there is shown a schematic illustration of a decontamination system constructed according - 8a -~, ~23 ~
to the present inventi3n. The decontaminatlon apparatns vf ~hl~ lnvention include~ a cleaning ~hamber 10 wherein tool~
equipment, ~e~pons and the ll~e can be placed for decontamina-tion. The ite~ placed therein may haYe been contaminated with radloacti~e particulae~ matter, ~o~in contsmlnant~, chemical cont~mlnant~, and/or biological contamlnant~. The chemical con~amlnants may be heavy ~etals, toxic organlcs, cyanotic compounds, pestic~des or tho~e types of nerve agen~s and bl~ster agents used by the military ln chemical ~arfare.
They include: tsbun, sarin, soman~ and mu~tard. The type6 of biologic~l or toxin contaminant~ encountered ~ay include ~al~onella, botulinum, anthrax and a ~ycoto~in commonly re-ferred to a~ yellow rain.
~ ocated wlthin the cleaning chamber 10 1~ a support grld 12 upon whi~h the ltem to be decoutaminated 18 placed. Th~
support grid 12 i6 of open configura~ion ~o tha~ liquid snd vapor as ~ell as particulate contaminants may paBB the~e-through. Also located wlthin ~he cleaning chamber 10 i8 a high pressure ~olvent ~pray guo 14. The hlgh pressure ~ol~
vent ~pray gun 14 may be manipulated from ou~ide ~he clean-ing chamber 10 by meRns of flexible gl~e 16. ~lexible glove 16 al80 ~llo~ the ~anipula~ion of the ltem being decon~a~i~
nated. Positloned at the top o clea~ing chamber 10 are a ~erie~ of fi~ed ~pray nozzles 18 to be used elther in tbe ~lterna~iYe to high pres6ure 6pray gun 14 Dr ~upplementally 3~
wl~h high pre~urQ spray gun 14~
AB pure 601vent i8 sprayed over ~he ite~ belng deconea-minated, the ~ol~ent loosens and dl~lodges particulate con-tamlnants ~hile simultanPou~ly dissolvlng chemical and to~in agent~. The solvent, thus contalnlng both dissolved and ~u~pended contamlnants dt~ins through the support grid 12, mflcroparticle tr~p 20 and conduit 22 lnto still tank 24~
Still tan~ ~4 ls heated by heater 26 to the boiling point of ~he ~olvent. ~eater 26 may be a conventional coil type heater or it may oper~te on a ~aste heat recovery ~yste~ recovering exhau~e heat f ~om evaporator coil 42. Operatlng heater 26 on a ~as~e heat reeovery ~yatem ~ould be more energy efficient and, therefore, ~ore attrac~ive for u~e by the ~llltary bec&u~e the present invention i~ lntended to be u~ed under ~any condition~ including on the baetlfleld ~here po~er sources may be ln ~hort 8UPP1YD
There i8 a ~e~perBeure controller 124 whlch sen6es ~he temper~ture in the vapor phase of still t~n~ 24. ~hen a vapor phase temperature riBe i6 sensed above the boiling polnt o the solvent, temperature contoller 124 ~hut~ do~n heater 26 ~o as not to overhest the ~tlll ~ank 24 or boil off the neutrali~ing agen~.
There i~ a neutr~l~zing agent t~nk 28 co~tainlng a ~ml~ture of concentrated bleach aad cau6~1c having ~ p~ o~
sppro~lma~ely 120 The neutrallzing agent can b~ ~ade by dis601vlng ~olld ~odlum hydro~ide or pota~sium hydro~lde in ~23~73~
sn aqueou~ solutlon of ~t least 102 calciu~ hypochlorite or sodium hypochlorite BO that the solution ha6 at least a 1.0 ~or~al hydro~ide presen~D The neutr~llzing agent i~ lntro-duced to the ~till ~ank 24 from the neutralizing agent tank 28 by mean~ of conduit 30 ln which there i8 located control valve 32.
Whenever an attempt 1~ made to operate the apparatus of the inventlon herein, a level switch 34 located w$thin ~tlll tank 24 determines whether there is a le~el of neutrallzing agent pre~ent withln the still tank 24. If a sufficient level of neutralizing agent i6 not presene within still t~nk 24, control valve 32 automatically opens dumping a quantity Qf neutrali~ing agent from neutrallzlng agent tank 28 through eonduit 30 and into ~tlll tank 24~ There i6 a 6econd level ~itch 36 located ~lthin neutralizing agent tank 28. Should there not be ~ufflcient n~utraliziDg agent already present in ~eill tank 34 and ~hould there not be any neutr~lizlng agent left in neutral~zing agent tank 28, the apparatu~ will not oper~te. ~urther, 6hould there be ~ome qu~ntity of neutrallzing agent left in neutr~llzing agent ~ank 28 whlch iB du~ped to stlll ~ank 24 ~hich ls noe sufficient to raise the level o the neutrallzlng agent to thae desired ~lthin the ~till tank 24, level swi~ch 34 will prevent the apparatu6 fro~ operating. ~hen a ~ufflcient level of neu~rallzing i ~23'73~
ageDt i8 pre~ent in still tank 24, level s~ltch 34 ~111 al~ow opera~ion of the apparatus to coneinue. It i8 preferable to use a conductlvity eype probe for level ~itch 34 becau~e the neutrallzing agent læ conductive and a level ~ill be sensed. However, because trlchlorotrlfluoroethane iB dielec-tric, the apparatu~ will not be trlcked into operstion by placlng a quantlty of solvent in stlll tank 240 ~ ehe solYent containing disfiolved and ~u~pended contaminants col-lect~ in still tank 24, the neutralizing agent, being polar ln configuration and therefore nonmisslble ~lth the 801vent, aod le88 den~e than ~he solvent, floa~s as a contiguou6 l&yer above ~he conta~inated ~olvene. A~ the solvent boils withln the ~till t~nk 24, the resulting vapor muBt fir6e pa~s through and thereby co~tact ~he layer of neutralizlng agent rlding on top of the llquid solvent. Any chemlc~l ~genes ~tte~ptlng to ~igrate wlth the solvent YapOr~ ~111 be chemlcslly oxidlzed by the nPutralizing agen~ and wlll ulti-~ately end up as a re~idue on ~he bottom of the ~till eank 24 in a much less to~lc form aftcr dist~llation i6 eomple~e.
The neutrall~ing agent al80 BerVe8 to de6troy ~he blo-loglcal and to~ln contaminants. It i6 ~mpor~ant ~hat no con~amlnant~ be per~i~ted to ~lgrate wleh the freoD vapor from the stlll tank 24 a~ this ~ould cnuse 8 recon~amination ~ ~q~J3~
~P~ LD
of the tools, equip~ent or weaponn duriog A l~ter ph~e of the operatio~ or could create a vapor haz~rd to the operator ~hen he opens the cleaning chamber at the end of the completed cycle. One mu6t be aware of the f~ct that the agents used in chemical ~arfare can klll or in~ure even ~ith conceo~ratioos in the parts per million ran~e.
Solvent vapor generated ln ~tlll tank 24 p~6ses through conduit 38 and lnto evaporator housing 40 by convection~
~vaporator housing 40 i6 loca~ed ~n the lower half of cleaning chamber 10. Dlsposed ~l~hln evapora~or housing 40 18 evapora ted roll 42. ~vaporator hou~ing 40 collects solvent conden-sed by evaporator coll 42 for transmlsslon through conduit 44 to water ~epsrator 46. Di~posed over evaporator coil 42 i6 deflector plate 48~ Deflector plate 48 prevents solvent containing dissolved and ~uspended contamlnants rom falllng lnto ev~pora~or housing 40 thereby preventlng the contamln~nts fro~ reachlng w~ter sep~rator 46 v18 conduit 44.
At the beginnlng of operation of the present i~ventio~, ~ome v~porization of the solvent will take place ju~t fro~
spraying through the high pres~ure spray gUD 14 or the serles of spray aozzle6 18~ Thi~ vaporlzation would cau~e a po61tlve pres~ure in the cleanlng chamber ~hich 18 undeslrable for two rea~ons. ~lrst, the flexlble glove~ 16 could concelvably be pu~hed out61de ~he cle~nlng chs~ber or even e~ploded. 8eco~d, 73~
~hould the apparatus develop ang lea~s, contamlna~ts ~ould escape to the atmosphere thereby creatlng hazard to the operator and other~ in the near vicini~y~ Therefore, 1~ is highly de~ir~ble to opera~e the apparatus under a sllght negative pre6sure. A sllght negative preBsure i6 scco~pllsbed in the present ioveneion through the u~e of conduit 52, carbon colu~n 54 and hepa filter 56. A~ oper,~tion of the apparatu~ begins lsolation val~e 50 i8 open. A~ spraylng of the solvent begln6, vapori2atlon of the fiolven~t causes an lnitial po6itive pressure ~ithin the cleanlng chamber cau~ing vapor to exit cleaning chamber 10 through isola~ion valve 50 and conduit 52 into arbon column 54 and hepa fllter 56~ Carbon eolumn 54 adsorbs the solvent vapor and ~ny trace quanti~ie6 of ehe~ical agen~ ffh~le hepa f~lter 56 prevents the esc~pe of particulate conta~inane~ to the at~o-6phere. Hepa llter 56 i6 a high efflciency partlculate air filter de~lgned to remove 99.97~ of ~11 p~r~lculate6 greater than 003 micron~ in ~ize. Therefore, what ~ctually escape6 to the atmo~phere 18 ~he air that ~a8 origlnally contained ~lthin the ~pparatus~
Furtherp it should be recognized that although deflection plate 48 preven~s contam~na~ed liquid solvent from falliLng into evaporator housing 40, it does oot prevent the flo~ of ~olvent vapor9 which i~ necessarily pure~ from flowing into ev~porator housing 40 and over evaporaeor coil 42, wher~ lt is ~L~3'73~
conden~ed thereby causing a slight negative pressure ln the cleaning chamber 10. The differential pre~sure bet~een the cleanlng chamber 10 ~nd the at~osphere iB not great enough to cau8e a back flo~r of air through hepa filter 56 and c~rbo~
column 54 to equallze the pressure ~lthln and wlthou~ the cleaning chamber 10 and therefore, operatlo~ of the apparatu~
i6 performed under a sligh~ negatlve pressureO Valve 50 re~ains open durlng the entlre operation~ If valve 50 ~a~
clo6ed aftes the expul~lon of air through carbon column 54 snd hepa fllter 56, ehe subsequent condensatlon by evaporator coil 42 of the ~olvent vapor ~ould cause such a ~ignlflcant negatlve pre aure ~ithin the cleaning chamber 10 that fle~ible gloves 16 might implode.
Water ~epara~or 46 1~ nece~sary becau6e ~ater and trichlo-roerifluoroethane will form an a~eotrope at appro~lmately 112F. Since the neutrallzing agent i~ an aqueous solution, there i~ always water present in the still ~an~ 24~ ~ur~her, lt 18 qulte li~ely that ~here ~111 be some ~oi0ture in the air, lntroduced to the cleaning chamber, ~hen loadlng the contamlnated item. A~ the conde~sed water and condensed solvent collec~ in water ~eparator 46, A phase separ~tion ta~es place. Water i8 drawn of back to the ~till tank 24 ~1~ conduit 58. Inverted J tube 60 ~llows pure, conden6ed ~olvent to flo~ fro~ the ~ater separator 46 into ~olvent tank 62~ Tran~fer pump 64 ts~e~ ~uction fro~ ~olvent tank ~.~3~3~
62 ~ia coodu~t 66~ Transfer pump 64 dlschsrges through conduit 68, valve 70, ad60rptlon cannl6ter 72, conduit 74, s~rainer 76 and conduit 78. High pressure pump 80 take~
suctlon fro~ condult 78 via condui~ 82. The pu~ping rate of transfer pu~p 64 is greater than the pumping raee of ~igh pre~sure pu~p ~0 80 that hlgh pressure pump 80 always has a ~ufficient supply of ~olvent and will not be pumped dry~
Whatever 601vent is oot eaken by high pres~ure pump 80 1 B
returned to the solvent eank 62 through valve 84 vl& conduit 86. High pressure pump 80 di~charges through condult 88 into unloader valve 90. From unloader va7ve 90, pure solvent i8 dellvered to the fi~Pd ~pray no~zles 18 or the ~pray gun 14 or both via conduit 92. There i8 a surge suppressor 94 located ln condult 92 to even out the flo~ co~ing from hlgh pre~sure pu~p 80 because high pressure pump 80 i8 a pi~eOn type pump 6upplying pressure at approxl~ately 2000 p6i.
There i8 a ball v~lve 96 disposed in condult 92 ~hich conerols flo~ of pure solqent to fixed 6pray nozzles 18.
~ dsorpelQn canni~ter 72 preferably u~e~ ~ullers earth ~8 ~he adsorbent, but ~ay also use actlvated csrbon, ~ctivaed alu~ina or 8~ llc~ gel~ Ad~orption cannl~er 72 Berves to remove any trace guaneities of chemical ~gent~ whlch m~y have, in any ~ay9 reached ~he ~olvent tank 62, Sbereby a~suring the solvene ~prayed in the cleAning chsmber 10 i8 totally wlthout con~a~iuation.
~3~73~7~
Spraying of pure ~olvent ~ithin the cleaning chamber 10 18 performed at a ~a~imum rate of appro~imately 2 gallon8 pe~
~inute. Should de~nd by the operator for solvent be les6 ~han 2 gallons per minu~e, then the surplus volume being supplied by high pressure pump 80 ~ill flow through unloader v~lve 90 into conduit 98 and back to ~olvene tank 62~ Should the operator stop spraying completely, the entire volume of solvent belng supplied by hlgh pressure pump 80 will flow through unloaded valve 90 into conduit 98 and back to ~olvent tank 62.
Alternatively, high pressure pump 80 can take sucCion dlrectl~ from solvent tank 62 via condult 100. Dlsposed in condule lO0 i~ draln valYe 102, 1601ation valve 104 and trainer 106. In such a mode of operation9 tran~fer pump 64 and adsorption c~nnl~ter 72 would not be used.
Stralner 76 and/or adsorption cannister 72 can be dralned vla valve 108 loto condu~t 98 ~nd back to solvent tank 62.
Thi~ ~110~8 the cleanlng of strainer 76.
There i~ a level swltch llO located in ~olven~ tank 62.
Should level awitch 110 sense a low level in solvent t~nk ~2, indlcatlng thae, for ~ome reason, distillation iB not taklng plsce rapidly enough, level swi~ch llO ~111 shut do~n ~he oper.~tion of the entlre ~pparatus.
~2~737~
Heater 26 ~y be a con~entlonal coll type heater or it may oper~te on a wsste heat rerovery sy~tem recovering e~haust h2a~ from evaporator coil 42, When decontamina~ion of the item i6 eomplete, it 1B
desirable to dry the ltem of solveDt before removing it from the cleaning chamber 10~ Drying i8 performed by fan 114 taking suction from evaporator hou6ing 40 via condult 116.
Discharge of air and vapor from fan 114 iB through condult 118, heater 120, conduit 122 and into cleaning chamber 10.
In this ~anner, clean solvent vapor flo~ about the deconeam-lnated ite~ thereby drying it. Vapor circulates around the decontam~nated item and about evaporator coil 42 where a eondenRstion ls performed thereby desaturating the vapor being recirc~lated through conduit 116 and bsck to fan 114 thereby co~pleting a contlnuous drylng loop. When the decon-taminated ltem and ~he interlor of the eleanlng chamber 10 appear rO be dry by vi8ual ln~pection of the operatsr, the i~em 1~ re~oved from the eleaning chamber.
A~ ~eated prevlousl7 di~tillation of the contaminated ~olvent takes place at a rate which i~ ~omewhat le~ than the rate at ~hl~h clean solvent is sprayed on the ite~ being de-contaminated. The combination o~ a surplus quantlty of ~olvent p~e~en~ in solvent eank ~2 and the f MCt ~hat ~praying will not ~ake plsce for the entire operat~on of the sppara~u~
~373~7~
allow~ the distlllation rate to be le88 than the spraying rate while al~o allowlng the spp~ratus to perform repeated con-fiecutlve decontamln~tion. Thls distllla~ion rate 16 pre-ferably, ~t le~st eq~al to the total gallons 6prayed divided by the to~al of the time lt t&kes ~o load ~he item being deconta~ln~eed lnto the cleaning chamber 10 plu8 the time ~o ~pray and decontaminate the ltem plus the time to dry the item~ plu8 the ti~e eo unload ~he item from the cleanlng chamber 10~ Therefore, in ~he preferred embodiment, ~hile spraylng may take place at appro~iL~tely two g8110n6 per mlnute, distlllation ~ay be perfor~ed at appro~lmately one g~llon per ~inute and there ~111 stlll be assured ~ complete 8upply of pure ~olvent in ~olvent tank 62 for decon~aminaclon of the nex~ item to be decontamlnated.
It 1~ envlaioned that still tank 24 ~ill be dr~ined of 6pent neutralizi~g ~gent a~ ~ell a6 the radloacti~e, chemicul, to~ln and biological contaninant6 captured thereln periodlcal-ly .
It should be noted that main~nance of the appara~us of the pre~ent inve~tion can be perfor~ed during nonoperatlve perlods with relat~ve ~afety from the contamlnaneB cont~ined in the s~lll tank 24. Thl~ ecsuse there should be no contamlnatlon present ~7ithln the ~pparatus but for that ~hich has been cap~ured in ~tlll tank 24~
~z~
The system msy be de6igned so that high pre~sure pump 80 discharges ~olvent at a pressur~ of se~er~l thou6and p61- In ehe preferred embodiment~ high pre~sure pump 80 ~ischarges 601~ent at ~ rate of appro~lmately t~o gallon6 per ~iDute a~
pressure of appro~imately 2,000 p61.
From the foregoing, it will be seen that thl6 inveneion i~ one well adapted to attain all of the ends and ob~ects hereinabove set forth, together with other advantages whlch are obviou6 and ~hich are inherent to the apparatu6.
It wlll be under6tood that certain features and ~ubcom-blnation6 are of utility and may be employed with reference to other feature~ and 6ubcomblnatlons. Thi6 i8 coatemplated by a~d 18 ~ithin the ~cope of the claims.
A~ many possible embodi~ents ~ay be made of the inYentlon ~lthout departlng from the ~cope thereof, it i8 to be under~tood that all ~ateer hereln ~et forth and sho~n in the accompanying drawings i8 to be l~terpreted a illustrative and not in a llm~lng ~ense.
Claims (35)
1. A method for cleansing a solvent having contaminants therein of a radioactive, chemical, toxin and/or biological nature comprising the steps of:
a. contacting said contaminated solvent with a neutralizing agent to deactivate the toxin con-taminants, the biological contaminants suspended in said solvent and to oxidize the chemical contaminants dissolved in said solvent thereby placing the toxin, chemical and biological contaminants in non-toxic form;
b. distilling said contaminated solvent in a distillation vessel to thereafter produce said solvent free of contaminants by vaporizing said solvent while leaving said neutralizing agent, the radioactive contaminants and the residue of chemical, toxin and biological contaminants within said dis-tillation vessel.
a. contacting said contaminated solvent with a neutralizing agent to deactivate the toxin con-taminants, the biological contaminants suspended in said solvent and to oxidize the chemical contaminants dissolved in said solvent thereby placing the toxin, chemical and biological contaminants in non-toxic form;
b. distilling said contaminated solvent in a distillation vessel to thereafter produce said solvent free of contaminants by vaporizing said solvent while leaving said neutralizing agent, the radioactive contaminants and the residue of chemical, toxin and biological contaminants within said dis-tillation vessel.
2. A method for cleansing a contaminated solvent that was used to flush radioactive, chemical, toxin and/or biological contaminants from tools, equipment and weapons comprising:
a. placing a layer of nonmiscible neutralizing agent in a distillation means containing a solvent contaminated with toxin contaminants, biological contaminants, and/or chemical contaminants, said layer of nonmiscible neutralizing agent having a specific gravity less than the specific gravity of said solvent;
b. distilling said contaminated solvent causing said solvent vapor generated by said dis-tilling to pass through said layer of neutralizing agent so that any chemical contaminants attempting to migrate with said solvent vapor will contact said layer of neutralizing agent, oxidize into heavier, non-toxic components and be removed from said vapor;
c. contacting any toxin and/or biological contaminants suspended in said solvent with said neutralizing agent thereby chemically attacking and rendering non-toxic said toxin and/or biological contaminants.
a. placing a layer of nonmiscible neutralizing agent in a distillation means containing a solvent contaminated with toxin contaminants, biological contaminants, and/or chemical contaminants, said layer of nonmiscible neutralizing agent having a specific gravity less than the specific gravity of said solvent;
b. distilling said contaminated solvent causing said solvent vapor generated by said dis-tilling to pass through said layer of neutralizing agent so that any chemical contaminants attempting to migrate with said solvent vapor will contact said layer of neutralizing agent, oxidize into heavier, non-toxic components and be removed from said vapor;
c. contacting any toxin and/or biological contaminants suspended in said solvent with said neutralizing agent thereby chemically attacking and rendering non-toxic said toxin and/or biological contaminants.
3. A method for decontaminating tools, equip-ment and weapons contaminated with radioactive, toxin, chemical and/or biological contaminants comprising the steps of:
a. depositing the contaminated item in a cleaning chamber;
b. spraying the item with a solvent under high pressure to thereby dissolve the chemical agent contaminants and to dislodge particulate contaminants;
c. collecting the solvent containing both dissolved and suspended contaminants;
d. contacting the collected solvent with a neutralizing agent to deactivate the toxin and biological contaminants suspended in the collected solvent and to oxidize the chemical contaminants dissolved in the collected solvent thereby placing the toxin, chemical and biological contaminants in non-toxic form; and e. distilling said contaminated solvent to thereby separate said solvent from the dissolved and suspended contaminants contained therein.
a. depositing the contaminated item in a cleaning chamber;
b. spraying the item with a solvent under high pressure to thereby dissolve the chemical agent contaminants and to dislodge particulate contaminants;
c. collecting the solvent containing both dissolved and suspended contaminants;
d. contacting the collected solvent with a neutralizing agent to deactivate the toxin and biological contaminants suspended in the collected solvent and to oxidize the chemical contaminants dissolved in the collected solvent thereby placing the toxin, chemical and biological contaminants in non-toxic form; and e. distilling said contaminated solvent to thereby separate said solvent from the dissolved and suspended contaminants contained therein.
4. A method as recited in claim 3, further comprising the steps of:
a. distilling the solvent to generate uncon-taminated solvent vapor; and b. condensing the uncontaminated solvent vapor generated by said distilling step into a reservoir to supply solvent for said spraying step.
a. distilling the solvent to generate uncon-taminated solvent vapor; and b. condensing the uncontaminated solvent vapor generated by said distilling step into a reservoir to supply solvent for said spraying step.
5. A method as recited in claim 4, further comprising the steps of:
a. condensing said solvent vapor generated by said spraying step thereby maintaining the pressure within said cleaning chamber at below atmospheric;
b. venting in said cleaning chamber of the atmosphere through an adsorption column and a filter so that the brief initial pressure surge caused by said spraying step is alleviated and so that the system air is purged leaving largely solvent vapor which condensed rapidly thus promoting negative atmospheric pressure.
a. condensing said solvent vapor generated by said spraying step thereby maintaining the pressure within said cleaning chamber at below atmospheric;
b. venting in said cleaning chamber of the atmosphere through an adsorption column and a filter so that the brief initial pressure surge caused by said spraying step is alleviated and so that the system air is purged leaving largely solvent vapor which condensed rapidly thus promoting negative atmospheric pressure.
6. A method as recited in claim 4, further comprising the step of:
adsorbing any trace chemical contaminants from the sol-vent prior to said spraying step.
adsorbing any trace chemical contaminants from the sol-vent prior to said spraying step.
7. A method as recited in claim 6, wherein:
said adsorbing step is performed within an adsorbent selected from the group consisting of:
fuller's earth activated alumina, activated carbon, silica gel and diatomaceous earth.
said adsorbing step is performed within an adsorbent selected from the group consisting of:
fuller's earth activated alumina, activated carbon, silica gel and diatomaceous earth.
8. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein:
said solvent is trichlortrifluroethane.
said solvent is trichlortrifluroethane.
9. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein:
said neutralizing agent is a mixture of an aqueous solution of concentrated hypochlorite and caustic.
said neutralizing agent is a mixture of an aqueous solution of concentrated hypochlorite and caustic.
10. A method as recited in claim 7, further comprising the step of drying the item decontaminated after said spraying step is completed.
11. A method as recited in claim 8, wherein:
said drying step is comprised of circulation hot, unsaturated solvent vapor through said cleaning chamber.
said drying step is comprised of circulation hot, unsaturated solvent vapor through said cleaning chamber.
12. An apparatus for decontaminating tools, equipment and weapons contaminated with radioactive, toxin, biological and/or chemical contaminants comprising:
a. a cleaning chamber for supporting the contaminated item and containing the containing during the decontamina-tion;
b. high pressure spraying means for emitting a solvent onto the item being decontaminated to dislodge particulate contaminants therefrom and to dissolve chemical contaminants on the surface of and within the item being decontaminated;
c. draining means for removing said solvent containing suspended and dissolved contaminants from said cleaning cham-ber into a separate and distinct container;
d. neutralizing agent means for making non-toxic the chemical, toxin and/or biological contaminants drained from said cleaning chamber to said separate and distinct container with said solvents.
a. a cleaning chamber for supporting the contaminated item and containing the containing during the decontamina-tion;
b. high pressure spraying means for emitting a solvent onto the item being decontaminated to dislodge particulate contaminants therefrom and to dissolve chemical contaminants on the surface of and within the item being decontaminated;
c. draining means for removing said solvent containing suspended and dissolved contaminants from said cleaning cham-ber into a separate and distinct container;
d. neutralizing agent means for making non-toxic the chemical, toxin and/or biological contaminants drained from said cleaning chamber to said separate and distinct container with said solvents.
13. An apparatus as recited in claim 12, wherein:
said separate and distinct container 18 a distillation means for vaporizing said solvent while the contaminants remain in liquid or solid phase.
said separate and distinct container 18 a distillation means for vaporizing said solvent while the contaminants remain in liquid or solid phase.
14. An apparatus as claimed in claim 12, wherein:
said neutralizing agent is a mixture of aqueous solution for concentrated bleach and caustic.
said neutralizing agent is a mixture of aqueous solution for concentrated bleach and caustic.
15. An apparatus as recited in claim 12, wherein:
said neutralizing agent is a minimum 10% aqueous solution of calcium hypoclorite containing at least 1.0 Normal hydroxide by dissolving one member of the following group in said calcium hypoclorite solution:
a. sodium hydroxide;
b. potassium hydroxide.
said neutralizing agent is a minimum 10% aqueous solution of calcium hypoclorite containing at least 1.0 Normal hydroxide by dissolving one member of the following group in said calcium hypoclorite solution:
a. sodium hydroxide;
b. potassium hydroxide.
16. An apparatus as recited in claim 12, wherein:
said neutralizing agent is a minimum 10% aqueous solution of sodium hypochlorite containing at least 1.0 Normal hydroxide by dissolving one member from the following group in said sodium hypochlorite solution:
a. sodium hydroxide;
b. potassium hydroxide.
said neutralizing agent is a minimum 10% aqueous solution of sodium hypochlorite containing at least 1.0 Normal hydroxide by dissolving one member from the following group in said sodium hypochlorite solution:
a. sodium hydroxide;
b. potassium hydroxide.
17. An apparatus as recited in claim 14, wherein:
said solvent is trichlorotrifluoroethane.
said solvent is trichlorotrifluoroethane.
18. An apparatus as recited in claim 17, further com-prising:
a. venting means to prevent large pressure surges in said cleaning chamber;
b. adsorbing means disposed in said venting means for preventing said solvent and any dissolved contaminants from escaping through said venting means;
c. filter means disposed in said venting means for pre-venting any particulates from escaping through said venting means; and d. condenser means located within said cleaning chamber for condensing said solvent vapor generated during spraying so that said condenser means and said venting means allow the spraying of solvent on the item being decontaminated to be performed at a pressure below atomspheric.
a. venting means to prevent large pressure surges in said cleaning chamber;
b. adsorbing means disposed in said venting means for preventing said solvent and any dissolved contaminants from escaping through said venting means;
c. filter means disposed in said venting means for pre-venting any particulates from escaping through said venting means; and d. condenser means located within said cleaning chamber for condensing said solvent vapor generated during spraying so that said condenser means and said venting means allow the spraying of solvent on the item being decontaminated to be performed at a pressure below atomspheric.
19. An apparatus as recited in claim 18, further com-prising:
an adsorption means for removing trace quantities of chemical contaminants from said solvent prior to spraying.
an adsorption means for removing trace quantities of chemical contaminants from said solvent prior to spraying.
20. An apparatus as recited in claim 19, wherein:
said absorber means uses fuller's earth as an adsor-bent.
said absorber means uses fuller's earth as an adsor-bent.
21. An apparatus as recited in claim 19, wherein:
said adsorber means uses activated carbon as an adsor-bent.
said adsorber means uses activated carbon as an adsor-bent.
22. An apparatus as recited in claim 19, wherein said adsorber means uses activated alumina as an adsorbent.
23. An apparatus as recited in claim 19, wherein said adsorber means uses silica gel as an adsorbent.
24. An apparatus as recited in claim 19, wherein said adsorber means uses diatomaceous earth as an adsorbent.
25. An apparatus as recited in claim 19, wherein:
said neutralizing agent is non-missible with said sol-vent and floats as a contiguous layer above said solvent in said distillation means so that any vapor generated in said distillation means must pass through said neutralizing agent means thereby preventing the migration of any chemical con-taminants with said solvent vapor from said distillation means.
said neutralizing agent is non-missible with said sol-vent and floats as a contiguous layer above said solvent in said distillation means so that any vapor generated in said distillation means must pass through said neutralizing agent means thereby preventing the migration of any chemical con-taminants with said solvent vapor from said distillation means.
26. A method for cleansing a solvent having chemical nerve and/or blister agents dissolved therein comprising the steps of:
a. contacting said chemical nerve and/or blister agents as tabun, sarin, soman and mustard dissolved in said solvent with a neutralizing agent which chemically reacts with said chemical nerve and/or blister agents breaking down said chemical nerve and/or blister agents into non-toxic components;
b. distilling said solvent in a distillation vessel so that said solvent is vaporized while said neutralizing agent and the residue of said chemical nerve and/or blister agents remains in liquid state within said distillation vessel;
c. collecting the vapor of said solvent generated by said distilling step;
d. condensing the vapor of said solvent generated by said distilling step.
a. contacting said chemical nerve and/or blister agents as tabun, sarin, soman and mustard dissolved in said solvent with a neutralizing agent which chemically reacts with said chemical nerve and/or blister agents breaking down said chemical nerve and/or blister agents into non-toxic components;
b. distilling said solvent in a distillation vessel so that said solvent is vaporized while said neutralizing agent and the residue of said chemical nerve and/or blister agents remains in liquid state within said distillation vessel;
c. collecting the vapor of said solvent generated by said distilling step;
d. condensing the vapor of said solvent generated by said distilling step.
27. A method for cleansing trichlorotrifluoro-ethane having tabun, sarin, soman and/or mustard contaminants dissolved therein comprising the steps of:
a. contacting any tabun, sarin, soman and/or mustard contaminants dissolved in said trichlorotri-fluoroethane with an aqueous solution of concentrated bleach and caustic which chemically reacts with said tabun, sarin, soman and mustard contaminants breaking down said tabun, sarin, soman and mustard con-taminants into non-toxic components;
b. distilling said trichlorotrifluoroethane in a distillation vessel so that said trichlorotri-fluoroethane is vaporized while said aqueous solution of concentrated bleach and caustic and the residue of said tabun, sarin, soman and/or mustard remains in liquid state within said distillation vessel.
a. contacting any tabun, sarin, soman and/or mustard contaminants dissolved in said trichlorotri-fluoroethane with an aqueous solution of concentrated bleach and caustic which chemically reacts with said tabun, sarin, soman and mustard contaminants breaking down said tabun, sarin, soman and mustard con-taminants into non-toxic components;
b. distilling said trichlorotrifluoroethane in a distillation vessel so that said trichlorotri-fluoroethane is vaporized while said aqueous solution of concentrated bleach and caustic and the residue of said tabun, sarin, soman and/or mustard remains in liquid state within said distillation vessel.
28. A method for cleansing a solvent having chemical nerve and/or blister agents dissolved therein as recited in claim 26 wherein:
said neutralizing agent is a mixture of an aqueous solution of concentrated bleach and caustic.
said neutralizing agent is a mixture of an aqueous solution of concentrated bleach and caustic.
29. A method for cleansing a solvent having chemical nerve and/or blister agents dissolved therein as recited in claim 26 wherein:
said neutralizing agent is a minimum 10%
aqueous solution of calcium hypochlorite containing at least 1.0 Normal hydroxide by dissolving one member of the following group in said calcium hypo-chlorite solution:
a. potassium hydroxide;
b. sodium hydroxide.
said neutralizing agent is a minimum 10%
aqueous solution of calcium hypochlorite containing at least 1.0 Normal hydroxide by dissolving one member of the following group in said calcium hypo-chlorite solution:
a. potassium hydroxide;
b. sodium hydroxide.
30. A method for cleansing a solvent having chemical nerve and/or blister agents dissolved therein as recited in claim 25 wherein:
said neutralizing agent is a minimum of 10%
aqueous solution of sodium hypochlorite containing at least 1.0 Normal hydroxide obtained by dissolving one member of the following group in said sodium hypo-chlorite solution:
a. sodium hydroxide;
b. potassium hydroxide.
said neutralizing agent is a minimum of 10%
aqueous solution of sodium hypochlorite containing at least 1.0 Normal hydroxide obtained by dissolving one member of the following group in said sodium hypo-chlorite solution:
a. sodium hydroxide;
b. potassium hydroxide.
31. A method for cleansing a solvent con-taminated with chemical nerve and/or blister agents as used by the military and chemical warfare and/or pesticides comprising the steps of:
a. contacting said chemical nerve and blister agents and/or pesticides dissolved in said solvent with a nonmiscible neutralizing agent, said non-miscible neutralizing agent chemically reacting with said chemical nerve and blister agents and/or pesti-cides breaking down said chemical nerve and blister agents and/or pesticides into non-toxic components;
b. distilling said solvent in a distillation vessel to separate said solvent from said neutraliz-ing agent and the residue of said chemical nerve and blister agents and/or pesticides thereby producing said solvent in substantially pure form.
a. contacting said chemical nerve and blister agents and/or pesticides dissolved in said solvent with a nonmiscible neutralizing agent, said non-miscible neutralizing agent chemically reacting with said chemical nerve and blister agents and/or pesti-cides breaking down said chemical nerve and blister agents and/or pesticides into non-toxic components;
b. distilling said solvent in a distillation vessel to separate said solvent from said neutraliz-ing agent and the residue of said chemical nerve and blister agents and/or pesticides thereby producing said solvent in substantially pure form.
32. A method for cleansing a solvent con-taminated with chemical nerve and blister agents as used by the military in chemical warfare and/or pesticides in claim 31 wherein:
said chemical nerve and blister agents are tabun, sarin, soman and/or mustard.
said chemical nerve and blister agents are tabun, sarin, soman and/or mustard.
33. A method for cleansing a solvent con-taminated with chemical nerve and blister agents as used by the military in chemical warfare and/or pesticides as recited in claim 32 wherein:
said neutralizing agent is a mixture of an aqueous solution of concentrated bleach and caustic.
said neutralizing agent is a mixture of an aqueous solution of concentrated bleach and caustic.
34. A method for cleansing a solvent con-taminated with chemical nerve and blister agents as used by the military in chemical warfare and/or pesticides as recited in claim 31 wherein:
said solvent is trichlorotrifluoroethane.
said solvent is trichlorotrifluoroethane.
35. A method as defined in any one of claims 1 or 2 wherein said toxin contaminant comprises yellow rain, and wherein said biological contaminant com-prises a biological contaminant selected from the group of anthrax, salmonella or botulinum, and wherein said chemical contaminant comprises a chemical contaminant selected from the group of tabun, sarin, soman or mustard.
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| US65106684A | 1984-09-14 | 1984-09-14 | |
| US06/651,066 | 1984-09-14 |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA1237378A true CA1237378A (en) | 1988-05-31 |
Family
ID=24611445
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA000490307A Expired CA1237378A (en) | 1984-09-14 | 1985-09-10 | Tool decontamination unit for the removal of radioactive, chemical and biological contaminants |
Country Status (6)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| CA (1) | CA1237378A (en) |
| DE (1) | DE3531743A1 (en) |
| FI (1) | FI853513L (en) |
| FR (1) | FR2570542A1 (en) |
| GB (1) | GB2167056B (en) |
| IL (1) | IL76314A (en) |
Families Citing this family (7)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US4842746A (en) * | 1986-06-16 | 1989-06-27 | Quadrex Hps Inc. | Method of removing toxic agents for trichlorotrifluoroethane |
| US4955403A (en) * | 1988-11-30 | 1990-09-11 | Westinghouse Electric Corp. | Closed loop system and method for cleaning articles with a volatile cleaning solvent |
| GB2226025A (en) * | 1988-12-16 | 1990-06-20 | Quadrex Hps Inc | Cleaning solvent purification |
| JPH0727073B2 (en) * | 1990-03-20 | 1995-03-29 | 森川産業株式会社 | Decontamination method and decontamination apparatus for objects contaminated with radioactivity, and decontamination method and decontamination apparatus for materials used for the decontamination |
| GB9416429D0 (en) * | 1994-08-15 | 1994-10-19 | Parkes John | Improvements in and relating to explosion supression |
| DE19929120A1 (en) * | 1999-06-24 | 2001-02-08 | Elba Umwelttec Gmbh | Detecting, handling and eliminating chemical, biological or radioactive materials, using sensor arrays to detect the materials, and UV reactors to activate oxidation |
| WO2011061566A1 (en) * | 2009-11-20 | 2011-05-26 | La Nacion, Ministerio De Defensa, Fuerza Aerea Colombiana | Apparatus and method for cleaning mechanical objects |
Family Cites Families (5)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US3634278A (en) * | 1969-02-20 | 1972-01-11 | Us Air Force | Monoethanolamine-lithium decontaminating agent |
| JPS4955560A (en) * | 1972-10-02 | 1974-05-29 | ||
| DE3009739A1 (en) * | 1980-03-13 | 1981-10-01 | Health Physics Systems, Inc., Gainesville, Fla. | Decontaminating radioactive garments by dry cleaning - using solvent which is continuously pumped through agitated drum and sump and particle filters |
| DE3226272A1 (en) * | 1982-07-14 | 1984-01-19 | Deutsche Gesellschaft für Wiederaufarbeitung von Kernbrennstoffen mbH, 3000 Hannover | METHOD AND DEVICE FOR MECHANICAL DECONTAMINATION |
| US4797128A (en) * | 1984-12-10 | 1989-01-10 | Quadrex Hps, Inc. | Method of and apparatus for cleaning garments and soft goods contaminated with nuclear, chemical and/or biological contaminants |
-
1985
- 1985-09-05 DE DE19853531743 patent/DE3531743A1/en not_active Ceased
- 1985-09-05 GB GB8522089A patent/GB2167056B/en not_active Expired
- 1985-09-06 IL IL7631485A patent/IL76314A/en unknown
- 1985-09-10 CA CA000490307A patent/CA1237378A/en not_active Expired
- 1985-09-13 FI FI853513A patent/FI853513L/en not_active Application Discontinuation
- 1985-09-13 FR FR8513615A patent/FR2570542A1/en active Pending
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| IL76314A (en) | 1989-09-28 |
| FI853513L (en) | 1986-03-15 |
| GB2167056B (en) | 1989-06-07 |
| GB2167056A (en) | 1986-05-21 |
| FR2570542A1 (en) | 1986-03-21 |
| FI853513A0 (en) | 1985-09-13 |
| DE3531743A1 (en) | 1986-03-20 |
| GB8522089D0 (en) | 1985-10-09 |
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| MKEX | Expiry |