IL26009A - Electronic regulation of a plutonium extraction battery - Google Patents

Description

Electronic regulation of a plu extraction COMMISSARlAf A 2 to a method for the regulation of a plutonium extraction and to regulating bank for carrying out fhe extraction batteries which it is here contemplated to regulate are of a known type and consist in a series of each of which comprises a mixer and a decanting and through which are caused flow in opposite on the one an aqueous solution containing Plutonium and fission on the other a solvent used for extracting plutonium and the fission products carried away by the exhausted aqueous fhe solvent phase is introduced into the extraction battery through an end vessel hereafter referred for ness as the upstream the aqueous solution introduced through one of the downstream On the other the battery delivers through the upstream vessel an exhausted aqueous solution containing a very small amount of plutonium and on the one through the most downstream the solvent containing stantially all the plutonium and the on the other In the extraction devices of the prior the thus recovered solvent still contains a small amount of fission products and it is therefore necessary to y out a second purification fhe present invention at achieving a nearly total purification in a single step the solvent introduced through the upstream can will in the following the extraction of then of plutonium and finally of the w away by the exhausted aqueous and therefore that there will be a very small of these products left in the This very amount of fission products is made still smaller by another dissolution thereof in a washing aqueous phase introduced through the downstreaa The decontamination as regards the fission products is thus substantially In order that the solvent be permanently loaded in spite of the variation of the parameters which define its it is necessary to keep a supply of substance and in the vessels located stream of the vessel through which the aqueous phase is introduced into the the operator is compelled to alter the adjustment of the the ratio of the solvent to the aqueous solution and to rely on measurement of the plutonium retention provided by the counting of The requirements of the adjustment are such that the range of vaiiation of said retention is very broad the of the correction is of special Such a regulation has the advantage of considerably shortening the transient the check analyses need not be so numerous and the operator is relieved of a rather critical The general problem to be solved Tor obtaining the maximum efficiency of the extraction battery is to keep the solvent saturated with uranium and plutonium and free of fission while avoiding any substantial plutonium losses the exhausted aqueous According to prior the measurement of uranium and plu onium solvent saturation is affected by applying either a discontinuous process in talcing samples in the battery vessels testing said samples at the laborator or a continuous by the neutrons resulting from spontaneous fission of plutoniua and the neutrons resulting from reactions on the light nuclei of the solvent and of aqueous phase the ratio is caused to vary as a function of the thus measured solution such an adjustment of the ratio being carried out manually and at rest which is a rather critical he method according to the invention substantially fies the methods of the prior in improving the continuous measurement of the solvent saturation by counting the on the one hand and in providing an automatic adjustment of ratio on the other said t making use of the provided by said continuous the present invention relates to a method for the electronic regulation of a extraction battery consisting in a series of each of which comprises a mixer and a decanting vessel and in which are caused to flow in opposite directions an aqueous solution containing plutonium fission on the one solvent used for extracting said fission products with a view to purifying said plutonium and uranium on the other both liquid phases being introduced into the battery by means of rotating dosing said method being characterised in that it consists in associating with each of the vessels of the ed rotation speed of which varies directly as said voltage and a mechanical device to be driven by said motor and to adjust th ratio of the solvent flow rate to the aqueous solution of said rotating dosing in direct proportion to the speed of rotation of said Said rotating dosing means can be dosing for instance and said neutron detectors for detectors containing boron According to a convenient one of said rotating dosing means has a constant speed of and said mechanical device comprises a mechanical differential actuated by said motor and adapted to in proportion to the speed of rotation of the the difference between the speeds of rotation of the dosing means and since one of these speeds has a constant the ratio of the solvent to the aqueous solution of said rotating dosing The features of the present invention will be disclosed reference being made to the accompanying sole which is a diagram of the regulating bank according to the The extracting battery B ia constituted by vessel P and vessels each of said vessels comprising a mixer and a canting The average plutonium and uranium concentrations of the aqueous phase A are 10 80 respectively 9 Θ said aqueous which contains fission products is introduced into battery through vessel the washing aqueous phase which is introduced into the battery through vessel improves the decontamination coefficient as regards fission products Through vessel P are evacua ed the Clean solvent S for is introduced through vessel P and leaves through vessel saidsol e being then loaded with plutonium and the concentration of are and A series six detectors 1 are located in the vicinity the decanting vessels of the intermediate g and h of the extracting battery Said detectors are for instance counting detectors containing and comprising a cylindrical copper cathode and a coaxial the contained therein being enriched with increases the provided by said six detectors are in then they go through an a criminator and circuit for a istorised discrimination unit and they are finally directed to an input Said inpu circuit an which adds the impulses delivered by the six different ways and a test circuit which generates and and permits to Operation and the oent of integrators 5 and Integrator delivers a voltage which is directly proportional to th counting rate of the detector of vessel c are constant is 500 s and the counting pulses in order to match the apparatus to the sensitivity of Said integrato serves as an adapted to warn of any excessive leakage in the exhausted aqueous phase in vessel delivered by said integrator Integrator 6 delivers a voltage which is directly proportional to th of the six detectors directly proportional to the plutoniua retention in vessels c to h its time constant is 500 s and the counting rates 60 and 200 pulses per The voltage delivered thereby is displayed regulating voltmeter 9 and on a po rio recorder provided with a scale which is graduated as that of voltmeter Said voltage is compared to a displayed at at the input of is displayed on a voltmeter as The difference between the and the voltage is amplified in amplifier 12 and controls a motor 14 having a of the alternating voltage delivered by the generator 21 injected into power amplifier 12 and into the modulating and the differential amplifier 11 and deliver a voltage which is directly proportional to t he speed of rotation of and algebraic sign of which is indicative of the direction of voltage is displayed on recorder which a scale graduated in terms of the solvent variations in of the actor 14 controls a the reducing ratios of which are and three ratios 20 20 permit to scan the whole range of the aqueous A and delivered by the dosing and fhe output shaft of reducer 20 controls the outer crown of differential rotation speeds vary according to the following e e being the rotation speed of dosing wheels 16 and 17 the speed of rotation of wheel 19 for dosing solvent and speed of rotation of 1 It results froa the above t the regulating bank according to the invention causes the the ratio of the solvent to the solution to vary in proportion to the difference between the measured retention value and the A located the displaying device to adjust the gain of the regulating switch and a manual on said playing device 11 permit to control motor 14 by safety is advisable that each of the elements of the regulating bank fee following table is indicative of favorable results obtained with the method according to the present insufficientOCRQuality

Claims (1)

1. A method for the electronic regulation of a plutonium extractio battery consisting in a of each of which comprises a mixer and a decanting vessel and in which are caused to in opposite an aqueous solution containing plutonium and fission on the one and a solvent used for extracting said fission products with a view to purifying plutonium and on the other both liquid phases introduced into the battery by rotating dosing said method being characterised tha it consists in associating with each of the vessels of the unstable portion o the extraction battery to each of the intermediate a neutron in adding the by said detectors and in integrating such an integration providing a voltage which varies directly as said of the counting rates varies directly as the plutonium retention of the in feeding a motor with voltage which is the difference between said measuring voltag and a set the speed of rotation of said motor proportional to said and in adjusting the ratio of solvent to aqueous solution of said rotating dosing means in proportion to the speed of tion of said whereby said ary directly as the betwee the measured value of the plutonium retention of battery and a set regulating bank for the eleotronic tio of a plutonium extraction battery consisting in a series of each o which comprises a mixer and a and in are caused to in opposite an aqueous solution containing plutonium and fission on the one a solvent used for extracting said fission products with a to said and on the other both liquid phases being introduced battery by of rotating proportioning said regulating bank being characterised in that it comprises a series of neutron each of which is associated with one the vessels of battery unstable portion the intermediate an circuit to add the delivered by said an integrato having a high and actuated by said adding said integrator being to deliver a voltage which varies directly as the sum of the counting rates of said detectors directly as plutoniua in intermediate an amplifier adapte to amplify the difference between said measuring voltage and set a motor red by oltage difference and the rotation speed of whic varies directly as said voltage difference and a mechanical adapted to be driven by said Motor to adjust the ratio of the solvent to the aqueous of said rotating dosing mea in direct proportion to the speed of rotation of said regulating bank according to claim 29 in tha the rotating proportioning means are proportioning e Axi electronic regulating bank according to claims 2 in that the neutron detectors are countin containing boron regulating electronic bank accordin to claim characterise in that said counting detectors comprise a copper cylindrical cathode and a coaxial anode and are filled with electronic bank according to claim characterised in that one of the rotating proportioning means has a constant rotating and in that said mechanical ice comprises a Beehanical differential actuated by aaid and adapted to in proportion to the speed of rotation of the difference between the speeds of rotation o the proportioning means and since one of a constant the ratio of the solvent to aqueous solution of said rotating proportioning An electronic regulating bank according to claim characterieed between each of the neutron detectors and adding are mounted a an and a setting An electronic regulating bank according to claim characterised in that second integrator having a high constant is directly and solely actuated by the impulses delivered by the detector corresponding to the vessel which the aost of the portion of the said second integrator acting as an insufficientOCRQuality