JP2003185793A - Method and apparatus for removing adhering matter - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To remove adhering matter on the inside of the wall face of a glove box without damaging the wall face. <P>SOLUTION: A laser beam application device 5 for applying laser beams is used to apply a laser beam to the inside of the transparent wall face of the glove box 1 from the outside. There is adhering matter S on the inner surface of the wall face 2, such as dust and steam. Electrons contributing to the adhesion of the adhering matter are given energy and vibrated by the application of the laser beam to deprive the matter of its binding strength whereby the matter can be easily separated. The adhering matter separated is collected by a suction device 4. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method for removing deposits adhering to a wall surface, a device for removing deposits, and a method for removing deposits from a closed space. In an industry handling nuclear fuel (nuclear raw material) substances, the present invention relates to a deposit removing method and a deposit removing device for facilitating the handling of these substances, and a deposit removing method from an enclosed space.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art When handling radioactive materials, nuclear fuel materials, deleterious substances, poisons, etc., it is necessary to work in a space which is sealed from the outside in order to prevent adverse effects on the surrounding environment and the human body as much as possible. A device called a glove box is known for performing such work. The size and installation method of the glove box differ depending on the substance to be handled and the situation, but generally the structure is as shown in FIG.

As shown in the figure, the glove box 1 is
It is an enclosed space whose periphery is defined by the wall surface 2. The wall surface 2 is entirely made of a transparent material such as resin or glass, or a part of the wall surface 2 is formed with a viewing window (not shown) made of resin or glass. Further, a hole is made in a part of the wall surface 2 to fix the rubber globe 3.
An appropriate seal is provided between the wall surface 2 and the globe 3 so as to be airtight.

[0004] In the glove box 1, dust is generated or steam is generated by a chemical reaction depending on the contents of the work. A suction device 4 is arranged to suck and remove such dust and steam, and the dust and steam are discharged to the outside of the glove box 1 and processed. The suction device 4 is a suction head 4a which is a suction port.
And a flexible suction hose 4b, and a collection unit 4c for collecting the sucked dust and vapor.

In the glove box 1 having such a structure, an operator inserts his / her hand into the glove box 3 so that a predetermined amount of radioactive substances, nuclear fuel substances, deleterious substances, poisonous substances, etc. are used inside the glove box 1. Manual work can be done.

[0006]

In the work using the glove box 1, dust and steam generated by the work are removed by the suction device 4 each time because of the handling of radioactive substances, nuclear fuel substances, deleterious substances, poisons and the like. There is a need to. However, it is impossible to completely remove them. Therefore, when the work with the glove box 1 is performed for a long period of time, the generated dust and vapor gradually adhere to the wall surface 2 and accumulate (see FIG. 7). Such deposits S are unfavorable because they cause the visibility of the worker W to be reduced. Therefore, the inner wall of the wall surface 2 is regularly cleaned. Specifically, a waste cloth or a cloth is grasped through the glove 3, and the deposit S is manually removed by using a chemical solution, or a long tool such as a stick or a brush is used in a place where the glove 3 cannot reach. Are removed by using.

However, the base of the glove 3 is firmly fixed to the wall surface 2, and the glove 3 is made of a material that is not easily broken, with an emphasis on airtightness. Therefore, it is not suitable for the cleaning work as described above, and it is difficult to improve the workability. In particular, in order to clean the upper part of the front side wall surface (in the vicinity of the field of view of the worker W) that affects visibility, it is necessary to twist the hand in the opposite direction and extend it, and unwiping occurs. There was a problem such as doing.

Under such circumstances, as a method for cleaning the inside of the glove box, a method of spraying a liquid or particles on the wall surface to polish and remove the adhered substances (for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. Hei 5).
No. 87983) is known. However, while these methods can remove the deposits,
The wall itself is also polished. Therefore, as the cleaning is repeated, the wall surface gradually becomes like frosted glass, which reduces the visibility of the wall surface and causes deterioration of work efficiency.

Such a problem is not limited to the glove box that handles radioactive substances, but is a problem common to the application of cleaning the surface located on the side opposite to the operator across the wall surface. For example, this corresponds to the case of cleaning the inner surface of a container such as a water tank or the outer surface of a building window.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to remove a deposit on a wall surface without damaging the wall surface and a deposit. The purpose of the present invention is to provide a removing device.

[0011]

In order to achieve the above object, in the present invention, the boundary between the adhering material and the adhering material is attached to the adhering material having the property of transmitting laser light. A method of removing the adhered matter by irradiating a laser from the surface to separate the adhered matter from the member was adopted.

Further, a step of preparing a member having a property of transmitting a laser beam and having an adhered substance adhered thereto, and a step of irradiating the member with a laser beam from a boundary surface between the adhered substance and the member concerned. And a step of collecting the adhered matter separated by the irradiation of the laser beam.

Further, a laser light irradiating means for irradiating the member having the property of transmitting the laser light with the laser light,
When laser light is emitted from the laser light emitting means,
An adhering matter removing device having an adhering matter collecting means for collecting the adhering matter that separates from the boundary surface between the adhering matter and the member.

[0014]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The same components as those of the conventional technique shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 are designated by the same reference numerals, and duplicate description will be omitted.

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a glove box shown as an example for explaining the method of removing deposits according to the present invention. As shown in the figure, glove box 1
Is formed airtightly by the wall surface 2, and the adhering matter S is attached to the inside of the wall surface 2 around the globe 3. on the other hand,
A laser beam irradiation device 5 is arranged on the surface of the wall surface 2 opposite to the surface to which the adhered matter S adheres, that is, on the outside of the glove box 1. The laser light irradiation device 5 includes a laser light source in a laser oscillation unit 5a located at its base, guides the laser light L by an optical fiber laid inside a transmission unit 5b composed of an articulated arm, and emits the laser light from the irradiation unit 5c to the outside. It is configured to irradiate L.

In the irradiation unit 5c, a monitor camera for monitoring the irradiation state, a scan mirror for scanning laser light, and the like can be provided.

In general, a transparent material such as resin or glass allows the irradiated laser light to pass therethrough. Therefore, when the laser light L is applied to the wall surface 2 as shown in the figure,
The laser light L passes through the wall surface 2 and reaches the inside of the glove box 1. Of course, even if the visibility of the wall surface is not so good, there are materials that allow laser light to pass therethrough.
Various materials can be selected as the material.

FIG. 2A is for explaining the principle of removing deposits according to the present invention, and FIG. 2B is a reference diagram for explaining the present invention. The basic principle of removing adhered matter based on the present invention focuses on that adhered matter such as dust and vapor adheres to another substance (here, wall surface) by electrostatic force or van der Waals force. . Then, energy is given to the electrons that contribute to the adhesion to vibrate the adhered substance or the wall surface to deprive the binding force and desorb it. When the adhered material is peeled off, the wall surface 2 is not scratched or rubbed.

On the other hand, when the deposit S is directly irradiated with the laser beam L as shown in FIG. 1B, the deposit S is directly excited and removed. However, in this case, the influence of the laser light L only affects the surface portion of the deposit S. That is, when the deposit S has uneven deposition, the low-deposited portion can be removed in a short time, whereas the high-deposited portion needs to be repeatedly irradiated with the laser light L, and as a result, This will hinder the reduction of work time.

On the other hand, in the present invention, as shown in FIG. 2A, the laser light L is transmitted from the opposite side of the wall surface 2 and the adhered material S is indirectly irradiated with the laser light. There is. By using this method, the bonding force is uniformly removed from the surface of the adhering material S on the side of the wall surface 2 and the adhering material S is peeled off regardless of uneven deposition of the adhering material S. In this way, by irradiating the adhered matter with the laser beam from the back surface of the adhered matter, the wall surface can be effectively cleaned in a short time.

Here, a pulse oscillation laser can be used as the light source of the laser light. Especially, irradiation time is 1
By shortening to 0 ns or less, very strong energy is generated instantaneously, and it becomes possible to reliably excite and vibrate the electron. In addition, when the adhered matter is uniformly adhered to the wall surface, the irradiation position of the first pulse of the laser light and the irradiation position of the second pulse are scanned so as to overlap by at least ½ of the laser beam diameter, The wall surface can be cleaned uniformly. Since the adhesive force varies depending on the particle size of the adhered substance, it is possible to control the cleaning state by changing the intensity of the laser beam and the scanning speed (the moving distance per pulse of the laser beam).

As shown in FIG. 1, various structural members are arranged in the glove box 1, and it is considered that some of them are damaged by the laser light L. Such a structural member can be protected by the light shielding cloth 7 when performing the work according to the present invention. As the light-shielding cloth 7, for example, a metal fiber, a ceramic sheet, or a resin whose surface is porous is used. In particular,
Depending on the type of glove box, the back side may be transparent, and it is conceivable that the irradiated laser light may pass through the back side as it is and be emitted to the outside of the glove box. In order to avoid such a danger, it is also important to lay a light-shielding cloth 7a from the outside of the glove box 1 on the back surface 2a to terminate the laser light L, as shown in FIG. It is also important for workers around the glove box to wear protective glasses.

The deposit S peeled off by the method of the present invention is simply peeled off from the attached portion and does not obtain unnecessary kinetic energy. Therefore, the suction head 4
If an appropriate distance is maintained between a and the free deposit, the free deposit can be reliably recovered with an extremely small suction force.

Generally, the inside of the glove box is controlled to have a negative pressure, and the internal pressure is set to be lower than the external pressure. Therefore, by installing a fan or the like in the glove box to forcibly generate air convection, it is possible to more reliably capture the adhering matter by the suction head.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing an adhering substance removing device 6 for realizing the adhering substance removing method according to the present invention. As shown in the figure, the adhering matter removing device 6 has a structure in which the laser light irradiation device 5 and the suction device 4 described above are integrated. Specifically, a laser oscillation unit 5a, a transmission unit 5b, an irradiation unit 5c, a suction head 4a, a suction hose 4b, a collection unit 4c, a power supply unit 6a for supplying power, and a cooling unit for cooling the apparatus. 6
b. The deposit removing device 6 having such a configuration
Each part is configured to be detachable, but this is in consideration of the work environment and the transportation method. A caster is attached to the lower part of the deposit removing device 6 for easy transportation.

FIG. 4 schematically shows a situation in which the deposit removing device 6 shown in FIG. 3 is separated to remove deposits. The adhering substance removing device 6 transported to the work place is moved to both sides of the wall surface 2 with the laser light irradiation device 5 and the suction device 4 separated from each other. The laser beam irradiation device 5 that has moved to the side opposite to the adhered substance S irradiates the adhered substance S with laser light after passing through the wall surface 2. On the other hand, the suction device 4 that has moved to the side of the adhering matter S sucks and collects the free adhering matter.

FIG. 5 is a schematic view showing another embodiment of the deposit removing method according to the present invention. As shown in the figure, the front wall surface 2 is directly irradiated with the laser light, and the rear surface 2 a of the glove box 1 is irradiated with the laser light transmitted through the wall surface 2. Therefore, the deposit S on the wall surface 2 is peeled off based on the principle shown in FIG. 2A, and the deposit S on the back surface 2a is peeled off based on the principle shown in FIG. 2B.

When removing the deposits on the inside of the side surface of the glove box 1, a reflecting mirror is installed in the glove box, and the laser light transmitted through the wall surface 2 is irradiated onto the inner surface of the side surface by this reflecting mirror. Just configure it. It is preferable that the reflection mirror can be remotely operated from the outside of the glove box 1. As a result, the attached matter on the inside of the side surface of the glove box 1 is also shown in FIG.
Peeling based on the principle shown in (a) is possible.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, it is needless to say that the present invention is not limited to these and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

For example, in the above description, the case where the present invention is applied to the glove box has been described. However, when cleaning the inner surface of the container of the water tank whose periphery is made of resin or glass from the outside, or the outer surface of the window of the building from inside. The same effect can be expected when cleaning.

Here, it is known that, when water is present inside when cleaning the water tank, it does not pass through the water by using the Nd: YAG laser whose fundamental wavelength of the laser beam is 1064 nm. . Therefore,
Even if there are fish or other organisms inside the aquarium, they can penetrate the outer wall and remove the deposits such as algae, but this does not affect the fish or the like. On the other hand, if the laser wavelength is set to 532 nm using a crystal that generates the second harmonic, the laser light will be transmitted even in water. Therefore, for those that should not be irradiated with laser light, appropriate light shielding is performed and By arranging the reflection mirror on the inside, it becomes possible to clean each wall surface of the water tank.

As the laser light, not only visible light but also near infrared to infrared light laser or ultraviolet light laser may be used. In such cases, it is difficult to visually grasp the progress of the work. Therefore, the working site is CCD
It is also possible to configure so that a worker can grasp the progress situation by monitoring with a camera or the like, performing image processing, and displaying the result on a display.

Further, it is possible to grasp the progress of the work by detecting the generated sound by utilizing the fact that the laser light irradiation sound is reduced when the adhered matter is peeled off. In particular, when cleaning an area with uneven thickness of the adhered matter, use a method such as slowing down the scan speed for the part where the adhered matter exists by feedback controlling the detected laser irradiation sound. You can

[0034]

As described above, according to the present invention, the deposits on the wall surface can be removed without damaging the wall surface.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a glove box and a laser light irradiation device shown as an example for explaining an adhered substance removing method according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram for explaining a principle of removing attached matter.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing an adhering substance removing device for carrying out an adhering substance removing method according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing an adhering substance removing operation by the adhering substance removing device in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a schematic view showing another embodiment of the deposit removing method according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing the structure of a general glove box.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing how deposits are deposited in a glove box.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 glove box 2 walls 3 gloves 4 suction device 5 Laser light irradiation device 6 Adhesion remover 7 Shading cloth

   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    (72) Inventor Yuichi Tobayashi             2-1, Ukishima-cho, Kawasaki-ku, Kawasaki-shi, Kanagawa             Ceremony Company Toshiba Hamakawasaki Factory (72) Inventor Hiroshi Sakamoto             1-1 Shibaura, Minato-ku, Tokyo Co., Ltd.             Toshiba headquarters office (72) Inventor Shinichiro Matsuyama             8th Shinsugita Town, Isogo Ward, Yokohama City, Kanagawa Prefecture             Ceremony company Toshiba Yokohama office F-term (reference) 3B116 AA47 BC05                 5F072 AB02 KK05 MM17 RR01 RR03                       SS06 YY20

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A member having a property of transmitting a laser beam and having an adhered substance adhered thereto is irradiated with a laser from a boundary surface between the adhered substance and the member so as to separate the adhered substance from the member. A method for removing deposits, which is characterized by: 2. A step of preparing a member having a property of transmitting a laser beam and having an adhered substance adhered thereto, and a step of irradiating the member with laser light from a boundary surface between the adhered substance and the member. A method for removing deposits, comprising: collecting deposits that have been peeled off by irradiation with laser light. 3. A laser light irradiating means for irradiating a member having a property of transmitting a laser light with the laser light, and a laser light irradiating from the laser light irradiating means,
An adhering matter removing device, comprising: an adhering matter collecting means for collecting the adhering matter that separates from the boundary surface between the adhering matter and the member.