JPS5819452A - Refining method for liquid metal - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To restore functions even when a refining device for liquid metal in atomic power plants is closed by using steel balls for the packings in said device and agitating the balls with magnetic fields. CONSTITUTION:The liquid metal entering through an inlet 1 descends in a downcomer 2, is reversed in the direction of flow in a settling chamber 3, passes through meshed parts 4 and flows out through an outlet 5. The liquid metal contg. impurities is cooled in the downcomer 2 by the cooling means which are provided in an outer vessel and in which a coolant is passed. The impurities of oversaturated concn. components deposit on the surfaces of the balls 6 packed in the meshes 4. The balls 6 are grid-like plates 8 having meshes smaller than the ball sizes to prevent the outflow of the balls. If the flow passages among the balls are closed on progression of the above-described deposition of the impurities, the device is closed. In such a case, magentic fields are generated by the coil 7 provided on the outside part to rotate the balls. Then the balls 6 contact with each other and the impurities stuck on their surfaces are dislodged from the balls.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an atomic couplant purification system using liquid metal as a coolant, and more particularly to a reproducible liquid metal purification system.

FIG. 1 shows a conventional example. The liquid metal flowing in from the liquid metal port 1 descends through the downcomer 2, reverses its flowing direction in the settling chamber 3, passes through the mesh portion 4, and flows out from the liquid metal outlet 5. The liquid metal containing impurities is cooled by exchanging heat with the cooling body passing from the cooling body inlet to the cooling body outlet in the downcomer. As the liquid metal is cooled, the supersaturated concentration of impurities is captured by the mesh. In such a purification device, when the concentration of impurities is high, the impurities tend to be concentrated at the lower end of the mesh. Therefore, there is a possibility that the refining device becomes clogged and the refining function of the coolant is impaired. For this reason, there is a conventional method of heating the refining equipment to redissolve and regenerate the impurities that have precipitated on the mesh, thereby restoring its functionality.

In this method, since the mesh and structural materials are heated to high temperatures, there is a risk that the mesh and structural materials will be corroded by high impurities.

An object of the present invention is to provide a liquid metal refining device that can be regenerated and recover its function even if the liquid metal refining device is blocked.

The present invention involves filling steel balls as a filler in a liquid metal refining device, stirring them using an external magnetic field, removing impurities deposited on the surface of the steel balls, and draining the impurities to regenerate the refining device. The present invention relates to a liquid metal refining device characterized in that it is capable of refining liquid metals.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIG. 1st
Filled with magnetic balls 7 instead of the mesh shown in the figure,
A lattice-shaped plate 8 smaller in diameter than the ball is arranged at its upper and lower ends to prevent the ball from flowing out. Further, a coil 7 capable of generating a magnetic field is attached to the outer periphery of the purification device. Impurities in the sodium precipitate on the surface of the magnetic sphere.

If the precipitation progresses and the flow path between the pairs is blocked, it means that the purification device is blocked. At this time, a magnetic field is generated by an external coil to rotate the magnetic sphere. Due to this rotation, the spheres come into contact with each other, and impurities deposited and attached to the sphere surfaces are separated from the spheres. The liquid metal after this operation is drained into a drain tank.

According to this embodiment, since spheres are used as the filler,
When a magnetic field is applied to the sphere by a coil, the sphere can be easily moved, so impurities on the sphere surface can be removed, and regeneration can be easily performed when the sphere is blocked. In addition, since there is no need to regenerate by heating to a high temperature as in the conventional method, regeneration can be easily performed, and the structural materials of the refining equipment will not be corroded, so the refining equipment will be able to withstand repeated regeneration. Reliability can be ensured.

According to the present invention, when the liquid metal refining device is closed, regeneration is possible by rotating the filler balls by applying a magnetic field from the outside, so the regeneration process can be performed easily and at a relatively low temperature. There are effects such as being able to ensure the reliability of the constituent materials of the purification device through regeneration.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of the prior art, and FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of a preferred embodiment of the present invention. 4... mesh, 6... ball, 7... coil, 8...
...Grid 61 diagrams 2

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. An outer container having an inlet for liquid metal, which is disposed at a constant distance from the inside and outside of the outer container, has an open end at one end and an outflow port for liquid metal at the other end, and has an outer container having an outlet for liquid metal at the other end. In a cold trap having an inner container having a filler material for removing water, and a cooling means provided in the outer container. 1. A liquid metal refining device in which steel balls are filled as the filler and a device for generating a magnetic field is provided outside the outer container.