JPS63266028A - Seawater uranium extracting device utilizing oceanic current and wave power - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To efficiently adsorb uranium in seawater on an adsorbent and to extract uranium by arranging plural hung pipes provided with many basket bodies having an opening for the uranium adsorbent to go in and out in seawater, and utilizing an oceanic current and wave power. CONSTITUTION:Plural floats 1 are arranged at regular intervals on the sea by a connecting rope 2, a long hung pipe 3 of rubber, etc., with the upper end opened on the upper surface of the float 1 as the entrance 4 for the uranium adsorbent is hung from each float 1, and many basket bodies 5 are skewered on the hung pipe 3 to form plural adsorption beds. Four openings 8 are provided to the basket body 5, and a damper 9 free to open and close is fixed to the upper edge. The uranium adsorbent is injected into the adsorption bed of each basket body 5 by the sand pump of a marine working boat, and uranium is extracted. The adsorption bed of the basket body 5 is vertically oscillated even by a low wave, the damper 8 is one-sidedly opened and closed by seawater energized by the oceanic current and wave power to pass seawater, the uranium in seawater is continuously adsorbed on the adsorbent in the adsorption bed, and uranium is desorbed and recovered on the working boat. The adsorbent after recovery is again supplied to the adsorption bed, and used for adsorbing uranium.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Field of Industrial Application This invention relates to an apparatus for collecting uranium dissolved in seawater via an adsorbent. More specifically, this invention relates to an apparatus for efficiently collecting uranium dissolved in seawater by charging a uranium adsorbent and placing it in the sea, and utilizing ocean currents and wave power. be.

Conventional technology In recent years, a method has been developed to collect uranium from seawater by immersing a large amount of adsorbent made of polymeric materials such as fibers in seawater and utilizing the ion exchange properties of the adsorbent. As a means of adsorbing uranium, a large amount of seawater is injected into an adsorbent using a pump, and the uranium contained in seawater is forcibly adsorbed onto the adsorbent. A large floating structure equipped with an adsorbent on the sea is used. A method has been proposed in which seawater is transmitted through an adsorbent using ocean currents and wave power.

However, although the former method of supplying large amounts of seawater using pumps allows sufficient treatment with ground equipment, it is economically disadvantageous because the operating cost of the pumps for moving large amounts of seawater is extremely high. The latter method, which uses ocean currents and wave power, is economical and highly practical, but since the entire device is a large floating structure installed on the sea, there is a risk of damage during storms and it is not suitable for use on a real island. is scarce.

In addition, when adsorbing uranium from seawater, a large amount of adsorbent is required, and the bulk density of the adsorbent must be reduced to improve seawater permeability, so an adsorbent bed that holds the adsorbent is required. This requires a huge amount of volume, but existing methods have been insufficient in this respect and have not been able to increase the recovery rate of uranium.

Problems to be Solved by the Invention The present invention overcomes the drawbacks of the conventional seawater uranium recovery method, and can solve the problem without moving a large amount of seawater.
Furthermore, the purpose of this invention was to provide a device that could recover uranium from seawater with high efficiency without the need to install large structures on the sea.

Means for Solving the Problem The inventors of the present invention have conducted intensive research to develop a device that can efficiently recover uranium from seawater without requiring large-scale land or offshore facilities. , the adsorption bed containing the uranium adsorbent is suspended on a floating body that can support the weight of the adsorbent in water, so that even waves with relatively short wavelengths can cause up and down vibration, and the size of the floating body and the length of the suspension of the adsorption bed are determined. By adjusting the vertical motion natural period and wave period of the floating body and adsorption bed system, it is possible to recover uranium from seawater with high efficiency using ocean currents and wave power. If the structure is such that a large number of cages are suspended from the floating body via pipes for inlet and out of the adsorbent, and the floating body is submerged in water when hit by high waves so that no external force is applied, then no large-scale offshore equipment can be used. The present invention was developed based on this knowledge. Attach a long hanging pipe with a magnetic property as an adsorbent entrance/exit with its upper end opening on the upper surface of the floating body, and the outside of this hanging pipe is like a closed container, and the inside is a window-like opening provided in each hanging pipe. A series of adsorption beds are formed by fixing a large number of cage bodies communicating with the hanging pipes at regular intervals, and an outward-opening original damper is installed in the window-like opening, which is constantly closed by its own weight. To provide a seawater uranium extraction device that utilizes ocean currents and wave power, in which the floating body is attached with a slight gap between it and the rim of the opening, and the floating body is configured to have sufficient buoyancy to support an adsorption bed. Six Embodiments Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
As shown in Figure 1, there are several floating bodies on the sea surface.
are lined up in a row with a gap between them using the connecting rope 2,
Drooping tube 3 consisting of one long rubber tube from each floating body 1...
is lifted up with its upper end serving as an adsorbent inlet/outlet 4 that opens on the upper surface of the floating body 1, and a large number of shallow container-like cage bodies 5 are skewered through the hanging tubes 3 through the centers of each of these hanging tubes so as to be horizontal. It is supported and attached to form multiple rows of adsorption beds.

These cage bodies 5... are made in the shape of a sealed shallow container with an outer diameter of 2.5 mm and a height of 0.51 mm, the entire surface of which is covered with wire mesh, and the hanging pipe 3 passes through the center of the upper and lower surfaces of the cage body 5. As is clear from FIG. 2, the portion located inside the body 5 consists of four steel wires 6 embedded in the hanging tube 3 in advance at equal positions on the circumference along the center line of the tube.
It is cut out into a window shape, leaving a linear part 7 containing . As is clear from Figure 3,
The lower edge of each damper 9 is pivotally supported on the lower surface of the top plate of the car body, and the lower edge abuts against a stopper 10 provided on the upper surface of the bottom of the car body to form an outward-opening door. Although it is closed, a slight gap is always maintained between it and the edge of the opening 80 even when it is closed.

Furthermore, in order to prevent deformation of the hanging pipe 3, 11 is a short tubular reinforcing ring located between each cage body 4 and inserted into the hanging pipe, and 12 in Fig. 1 is a connecting rope. It is a mooring cable that connects one end to a base on the seabed.

Operation This invention has the above-described structure, and the injection and extraction of adsorbent into and from the adsorption beds connected to each floating body 1 is carried out by a sand pump 13 equipped on a commercial vessel. That is, the tip of the hose connected to the sand pump 13 is engaged with the adsorbent inlet/outlet 4 opened on the upper surface of each floating body 1...
The base end of the hose can be switched between the suction side and the discharge side of the sand pump each time.・
・Since the damper 9 provides resistance to the adsorbent in and out of the cage body 5, it is prevented that the adsorbent flows in and out of the cage body 1 near the top. be done. Therefore, the cage body 5 near the bottom...
It is not necessary to provide the damper 9.

In the above embodiment, as described above, the outer diameter is 2.5mm,
A cage body 5 with a thickness of 0.5z is placed in a hanging pipe 3 with an outer diameter of 500xx, and 6 adsorption beds with a length of 100z are provided at intervals of 500zz with 100 skewers on the oil surface. The volume of the adsorbent bed is approximately 190z', and 26 tons of adsorbent (
The specific gravity of the fibers of the spherical adsorbent is 1.3, and the bulk density of the adsorbent is 0.
1) can be filled. Approximately 78 Ag of uranium can be extracted in 20 days.

The weight of the adsorption bed in water is about 10 tons, and a cylindrical floating body with a diameter of 31 mm and a depth of 51 mm is sufficient to support it, and this floating body is a small floating body with a weight of about 5 tons.

Next, the adsorbent stored in the work vessel is transferred to a uranium desorption facility on land for processing. The desorbed adsorbent is again transferred to the adsorbent inlet/outlet 4 by the work boat and injected into the adsorption bed.

FIG. 4 shows an example of an adsorbent extraction device for extracting adsorbent mixed in a liquid (seawater or hydrochloric acid). This device consists of a seawater tank 14, a fresh water tank 15, and a centrifugal separation system, each of which is equipped with a lifting device that raises and lowers a horizontally placed net, and a piston lever that tilts the net and collects the adsorbent on the net. A tank 16 is installed on the side wall of each container, and a horizontally placed net slides up and down the side wall. That is, the adsorbent transferred from the work boat is stored in the seawater tank 14 together with seawater, a net at the bottom of the seawater tank is raised above the water surface to separate the adsorbent and seawater, and the adsorbent is placed in the net. Collect on top. Next, the piston lever is actuated to tilt the net so that the adsorbent on the net falls into the adjacent fresh water tank 15. After washing the adsorbent in the clean water tank 15, the adsorbent is similarly placed in a centrifugal separation tank 16, water contained in the adsorbent is completely removed, and the adsorbent is placed in an adjacent hydrochloric acid tank to complete desorption.

Effects of the Invention As described above, this invention has a simple structure, is relatively small, and is not hindered by external forces during ocean currents or stormy winds.Furthermore, the removal and filling of the adsorbent is performed by a sand pump, so it is not hindered by natural forces. It has many advantages, such as being easy to work with.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

The drawings show an embodiment of the invention, and FIG. 1 is an overall explanatory diagram;
FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the inside of the cage with its top surface removed, FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of the cage portion, and FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view showing an example of an adsorbent extraction device. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Floating body, 3... Drooping pipe, 4... Adsorbent entrance/exit, 5... Basket body, 8... Opening part, 9... Damper, 10... Stopper, 13...・Sand pump patent applicant Kozo Iizuka Director General of the Agency of Industrial Science and Technology Figure 1 Figure 4 Figure 2 Figure 3

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A long hanging pipe having appropriate elasticity is attached to the bottom of the floating body, with its upper end serving as an adsorbent entrance/exit opening to the upper surface of the floating body, and this hanging pipe has an external shape like a closed container, In addition, a series of adsorption beds are formed by threading and fixing a number of cage bodies at regular intervals, each of which communicates with the hanging pipe through a window-shaped opening provided in the hanging pipe. A damper in the shape of an outward-opening door that is always closed by its own weight is attached to the part with a slight gap between it and the rim of the opening, and the floating body is configured to have sufficient buoyancy to support the adsorption bed. A seawater uranium extraction device that uses wave power. 2. The ocean current according to claim 1, which is equipped with a work boat that extracts and injects adsorbent using a sand pump with its tip locked in the adsorbent entrance and exit port, and an adsorbent extraction device that separates adsorbent from liquid. A seawater uranium extraction device that uses wave power.