RU2068209C1 - Method of and device for eliminating toxic materials - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: elimination of toxic materials by means of nuclear expositions. SUBSTANCE: cavity preorganized in rock salt mass is filled with toxic chemical materials and reagents that disintegrate chemical materials and turn them into solutions or solid harmless materials under the action of high temperatures built up by nuclear explosion; to this end, nuclear device is placed in cavity, holes providing communication between cavity and earth surface are sealed; mass of toxic chemical materials M_tchm and strength of rock salt bed H_bed are found from equation M_tchm≅α(V_o),β,E_o,M_rg=γ•M_tchm,H_bed≥60•F $\genfrac{}{}{0ex}{}{\text{1/3}}{\text{o}}$ , where α(V_o) is factor depending on cavity volume V_o; β is factor depending on proportion and type of structural materials and type of toxic chemical materials, t/kt; g is factor depending on type of toxic chemical materials; E_o is nuclear explosion power, kt of trotyl equivalent. EFFECT: facilitated procedure. 6 cl, 1 dwg

Description

 The present invention relates to the use of nuclear explosions for peaceful purposes, in particular to the destruction of toxic substances by nuclear explosions.

Known methods for the destruction of toxic substances by chemical, thermal, electrochemical and plasma processing [1]
All these methods have been successfully used with small amounts of toxic substances. But during the transition to large-scale operations to destroy these substances and, in particular, chemical munitions, the environmental cleanliness of technologies and the safety of personnel remain unsatisfactory, since the reaction masses formed during the detoxification process contain neutralization products of toxic substances such as soman, monoethanolamine, phosphoric acid and others, which are extremely hazardous in terms of toxicity and danger (hazard class 1).

 A known system for generating nuclear energy, waste processing and a method for producing it is a prototype [2] consisting in the following: in a subterranean cavity created by the explosion of at least one nuclear device, a predetermined amount of substance (in particular, waste) is placed, an explosion of a nuclear device is carried out in order to cause the occurrence of nuclear or chemical reactions in the specified substance using reagents that contribute to the conversion of these substances under the action of high temperatures created by the poison explosive, in a gaseous state, after which this gas or steam enters the underground power station through the wells. Thus, the invention makes it possible to use the accumulated on-site thermal energy and utilize the removed waste. Thermal energy can be used outside the area of the explosion in places with the required temperatures.

The disadvantage of this method and device is that with their help it is impossible to destroy toxic chemicals (TCB) without violating the environment, since as a result of chemical reactions in a number of TCB it is possible to form other TCB, which can be quite dangerous from an environmental point of view, and also in the fact that when creating a cavity in arbitrary soil, it is impossible to ensure its tightness both before and after a nuclear explosion. This is explained by the fact that in arbitrary rocks, after the passage of the loading wave, the array is crushed into blocks of different sizes, new ones appear and natural cracks expand. The size of the destruction zones, in addition to the power of the explosion, to a large extent depends on the properties of the rock surrounding the nuclear charge. On average, for dense and strong silicate rocks (granite, syenite, quartz slates), the radius of the crushing zone (that is, the zone in which the destruction of the rock occurs in all three directions) is about 25 m / ct ^1/3 . Outside this zone, rock destruction has the nature of radial cracks that extend up to distances of the order of 100 m / kt ^1/3 . The shape of the fracture zone is close to spherical. Along these cracks, the products of decomposition of TXW under the influence of a nuclear explosion, and the products of this explosion themselves could spread over large distances up to the earth's surface or until they meet underground water layers, and this would lead to a violation of environmental cleanliness.

 Thus, the claimed invention is aimed at solving the problem of creating a method and device for the destruction of toxic substances with high operational capabilities. The technical result in solving this problem will be expressed in ensuring the environmental cleanliness of the method and device for the destruction of toxic substances.

где E₀ мощность ядерного взрыва в кт тротилового эквивалента;
β коэффициент, зависящий от доли и вида конструкционных материалов и вида ТХВ, загружаемых в полость (т/кт);
a(V₀) коэффициент, зависящий от объема полости V₀, определяется из выражения

γ коэффициент, зависящий от вида ТХВ и определяемый из выражения

ρ_TXB плотность ТХВ (г/см³);
ρ_peaг плотность реагента (г/см³);
μ_TXB молекулярный вес ТХВ;
N -число видов опасных компонентов, образующихся при разложении одной молекулы ТХВ;
m_i количество молекул каждого компонента,
i 1, N;
μ_i молекулярный вес реагента;
К_i необходимое число молекул реагента;
V_м суммарный объем ТХВ и реагентов (м³).The essence of the invention lies in the fact that in the method of destruction of toxic substances, which consists in organizing an underground cavity, loading into it toxic substances, a nuclear explosive device and reagents that contribute to the decomposition of these substances under high temperatures, sealing the cavity and carrying out a nuclear explosion in the cavity, according to According to the invention, the underground cavity is organized in a rock salt mass, toxic chemicals (TXW) are loaded into the cavity, and substances capable of yazyvat degradation products of complex molecules TXB to form a solution or a solid residue harmless substances, and the mass charged into the cavity and TXB reactant mass ratio was determined from

where E _{0 the} power of a nuclear explosion in CT TNT equivalent;
β coefficient, depending on the proportion and type of structural materials and type of water treatment equipment loaded into the cavity (t / ct);
a (V ₀ ) the coefficient depending on the volume of the cavity V ₀ is determined from the expression

γ coefficient, depending on the type of TXW and determined from the expression

ρ _TXB density THB (g / cm ³ );
ρ _peag reagent density (g / cm ³ );
μ _TXB molecular weight THB;
N is the number of types of hazardous components resulting from the decomposition of one TXV molecule;
m _{i the} number of molecules of each component,
i 1, N;
μ _{i is the} molecular weight of the reagent;
K _{i the} required number of reagent molecules;
V _{m the} total volume of TXW and reagents (m ³ ).

 More clearly, the problem is solved if either zeolites, or silica sols, or alkaline earth metal oxides are used as reagents.

In addition, the goal is achieved due to the fact that in the device for destroying TXW, containing a cavity for accommodating TXW and a nuclear explosive device, at least one well connecting the cavity to the earth’s surface, as well as means for sealing the well, according to the invention the cavity is made in an array of rock salt, the reservoir thickness of which is selected from the ratio
H _pl ≥60 • E $\genfrac{}{}{0ex}{}{\text{1/3}}{\text{0}}$ ,
where E _{0 the} power of a nuclear explosion in CT TNT equivalent;
and equipped with a receiver of a nuclear device mounted on the vertical axis of the cavity, and the nuclear device is installed in the TXW array at the receiver in the central part of the cavity. The receiver is made with an open mouth and is equipped with a conical skirt installed in its upper part; in addition, it is equipped with at least three pointed “paws” that can be fixed with a cementitious compound. When pouring liquid products to be destroyed, the need for the receiver disappears, and the nuclear charge falls into their layer.

где ρ_TXB и ρ_peaг плотности ТХВ и реагента соответственно.The coefficient α (V ₀ ) ≅1 is determined by the volume of the cavity and, accordingly, the total volume V _{m of} material (TXW and reagents), which can be placed in a cavity of a given size, and is equal to

where ρ _TXB and ρ _{peag are the} densities of TXB and the reagent, respectively.

 The coefficient β is determined by the fraction and type of structural materials and the type of TXW loaded into the cavity, and in each case it must be determined by calculation taking into account the experimental and theoretical data on the decomposition of this TXB.

 For example, if TXW completely decomposes upon evaporation in the explosion shock wave, then b ≃ 70 t / kt. If the decomposition temperature of TXW is lower than its melting point and decomposition occurs in the explosion shock wave, then β ≃ 500 t / kt. If TXW is located in some technological buildings, for example, chemical munitions, and decomposition occurs as a result of prolonged exposure to temperature in the cavity after the explosion, it is necessary to ensure the destruction of the shells and access to the TSW into the cavity. At the same time, the calculated value is β ≃ 500 t / kt (the total mass together with the hulls is taken as the mass of thermoelectric heat transfer), which ensures swimming and, accordingly, destruction of steel hulls.

Существует приближенная интерполяционная зависимость радиуса полости от нескольких основных факторов, полученная по данным 46 американских подземных взрывов:
R_п (м) 21 W^0,306 E^0,514 b^-0,244 G^-0,576 h^-0,161,
где W мощность взрыва в кт;
E и G модуль Юнга и сдвига в Мбар;
b плотность в г/см³;
h глубина взрыва в метрах.The coefficient γ is determined by the type of TXW and depends on the composition of its decomposition products, the presence of environmentally hazardous components among them, and the amount of reagents necessary for their binding. If, upon decomposition of 1 TXB molecule with a molecular weight m _TXB , N types of hazardous components are formed, each in the number of m _i molecules, i 1, N, and for each molecule of the hazardous component to bind, K _i reagent molecules with a molecular weight μ _{i are} required, then γ is determined the ratio

There is an approximate interpolation dependence of the radius of the cavity on several key factors, obtained from 46 American underground explosions:
R _p (m) 21 W ^0.306 E ^0.514 b ^-0.244 G ^-0.576 h ^-0.161 ,
where W is the explosion power in ct;
E and G Young's modulus and shear in Mbar;
b density in g / cm ³ ;
h explosion depth in meters.

On the other hand, it is known that the development of processes in camouflage explosions is similar. This means that all spatial (radius, cavities, radii of crushing and fracturing zones) and temporal (cavity formation time) characteristics of the explosion change with a change in the power (E ₀ ) of the explosion in proportion to E $\genfrac{}{}{0ex}{}{\text{1/3}}{\text{0}}$ .

Taking into account the foregoing and on the basis of experimental data (see, for example, the Vega-3 experiment), the reservoir power is selected from the condition that, when TSW is destroyed, the distance from the location of the charge to the target should exceed the radii of the crushing and fracturing zones, i.e. R _s ≥25 • E $\genfrac{}{}{0ex}{}{\text{1/3}}{\text{0}}$ . Hence, the thickness of the rock salt formation should not be less than 60 E ^1/3 meters.

 It is the claimed ratios of the volume of the cavity, the power of the explosion, the mass of the TXW and the mass of the reagents and the placement of the cavity in the rock salt mass that according to the inventions ensure the retention of the initially loaded TCB and their decomposition products in the process of destruction in the cavity and the conversion of the TCB into safe and environmentally friendly solutions or solid precipitates and thereby achieving the technical result of the problem being solved. This allows us to conclude that the claimed invention is interconnected by a single inventive concept.

 Comparison of the claimed technical solutions with the prototype made it possible to establish compliance with their criterion of "novelty."

 The causal relationship between the totality of the essential features of the claimed inventions and the achieved technical result is due to the fact that in these decisions it was possible to avoid the formation of other chemical substances, which are environmentally hazardous, as a result of chemical reactions during the destruction of mineral water, and also managed to ensure the integrity of the underground cavity as before and during and after a nuclear explosion.

 As an example of a specific implementation, a method and apparatus for the destruction of chemical munitions containing chemical warfare agent Sarin are described.

In the selected salt mass to the required depth (600.1000 m), an auxiliary well is drilled to lower the nuclear device (d _well ≃ 300 mm).

The main technological well of large diameter (D ≃ 1100mm) is vertically drilled directly above the nuclear charge point. A container with a nuclear charge of 5.10 kt is lowered, which, after erection, is undermined. The explosion in the salt mass forms a sealed cavity with a volume of 25.50 thousand m ³ .

 After the necessary time after the explosion (depending on the choice of technology for the second explosion), the auxiliary well drilling complex is drilled and radiation and chemical control devices, temperature and pressure sensors and a television installation are lowered into it. The specified complex is used to examine the cavity, monitor the composition of the gas in the cavity and to perform subsequent work. Upon receipt of positive results of the cavity examination, the technological well is drilled using a BU-75 installation. A receiver pipe of a nuclear device with a diameter of 430 mm with pointed “paws” up to ≈ 10 m long and a working part ≈ 20 m long for curtaining the nuclear device is lowered into the cavity along the axis of the well. Under the influence of the receiver’s own weight, the “paws” will enter softened salt and, thus, the receiver will be fixed. For more reliable fixation of the receiver, it is possible to pump a certain amount of cement mortar into it, which, having passed through the lower perforated part of the receiver, partially cementes the “paws” and the lower part of the pipe, which will ensure rigid fixation of the receiver. In the upper part, the receiver has a cone-shaped skirt to "reflect" the descent containers with chemical ammunition, while the mouth of the receiver remains open.

 At the well site, chemical ammunition is placed in special containers. The weight of ammunition placed in one container is ≈ 5 tons, the dimensions of the container are: outer diameter ≈ 820 mm, length ≈ 2000 mm. The containers are interconnected by a flexible connection, the distance between the containers during the descent is ≈ 3 m, a garland of 10-12 containers is formed. After that, the drill pipe is attached to the upper container of the garland and the entire garland is lowered into the cavity on the drill pipes. After laying the containers on the bottom of the cavity (work is being done with telecontrol), they are uncoupled from the drill pipes using an electromagnet or a squib.

After descent into the cavity of the planned number of containers according to the established standard technology, the nuclear device descends and is located in the receiver approximately in the center of the mass of containers with chemical ammunition. The control equipment is removed from the auxiliary well, both wells are clogged. The mass of ammunition is about 7 times that of the actual mass of explosives. The mass of ammunition loaded into the cavity is 500 E, where E is the explosion power in kt, which ensures the destruction of the steel shells of the ammunition and the evaporation of explosives under the action of the explosion, i.e., β ≃ 500 t / kt in the case under consideration. When using a charge with a power of 10 kt, the mass of the destroyed ammunition is 5,000 tons, and the mass of the sarin itself is 700 tons. This number of ammunition occupies a volume significantly smaller than the volume of the cavity and α = 1. As a result of the explosion, after the end of the movement of the cavity, the temperature in the cavity significantly exceeds the wall temperature It occurs melting of the cavity wall, accompanied by a melt runoff on the bottom, and the cavity temperature is set equal to the melting temperature of the salt of about 800 ^o C. subsequently a slow about tyvanie cavity by conduction. The temperature of the onset of decomposition of sarin is 100 ^o C, at a temperature of 500 ^o C the degree of decomposition reaches 99.8% and the reaction rate constant (decomposition time in l times) 23 sec. Under these conditions, thermal decomposition of organic matter to very high degrees of dissociation occurs in less than 1 day.

Upon thermal decomposition of sarin, two main environmentally hazardous substances (N 2) are formed: metaphosphoric acid HPO ₃ and hydrogen fluoride HF, one molecule for each sarin molecule (m ₁ m ₂ 1). To neutralize these decomposition products, calcium hydroxide Ca (OH) _{2 is used} :
2HPO ₃ + Ca (OH) ₂ Ca (PO ₃ ) ₂ + 2H ₂ O;
2HF + Ca (OH) ₂ CaF ₂ + 2H ₂ O and K ₁ K ₂ 0.5.

Moreover, one molecule of sarin requires one molecule of hydroxide. With a molecular weight of sarin μ _TXB = 140 • 1 and a molecular weight of calcium hydroxide μ ₁ = μ ₂ = 74, the required amount of reagent is 380 tons. The value of γ is 0.53.

Decomposition products interact with the reagent and form environmentally friendly solid precipitates of CaF ₂ and Ca (PO ₃ ) ₂ .

 The drawing schematically shows a system for destroying TXW, consisting of an underground cavity 1 made in an array of rock salt 2, technological wells 3 connecting the cavity 1 to the surface of the earth, a nuclear device located in the receiver pipe 5 and destroyed by TXB 6 mixed with reagents . In the well 3 there are gates 7, a sealing concrete plug 8 and environmental control sensors 9. On the earth's surface and in the well there is equipment for controlling and controlling the destruction of chemical water treatment and other processes occurring in the cavity and other mine workings at the time and after the nuclear explosion ( for simplicity, a schematic image is not shown in the drawing).

 The operation of the system is as follows. A signal from the surface of the earth detonates the nuclear device 4. As a result of the explosion, the walls of the cavity 1 move, after which a high temperature is established in the cavity, which exceeds the decomposition temperature of the organic matter. Under these conditions, the thermal decomposition of organic matter to very high degrees of dissociation occurs. The decomposition products of TXB, interacting with reagents, form solid and environmentally friendly precipitates or solutions. This ensures the destruction of the steel shells of chemical munitions and the evaporation of OM. The surface of the cavity 1 is melted without cracking, which prevents the spread of the nuclear explosion products beyond the rock salt 2. The concrete plug 8. This is also facilitated by the concrete plug 8. The environmental monitoring sensors 9 record the state of the atmosphere in the well 3 and their information is transmitted to the surface via the communication and control line land where it is fixed and cultivated.

 After a certain time, of the order of several months, this cavity can be reused. The time of decomposition of OM from the point of view of the possibility of opening the well and its reuse must be determined based on the specific design and composition of the OM in a given explosion. The applicant has created and is actively using a program to calculate the kinetics of ionization and dissociation of chemicals, taking into account the excitation of levels. With its help, if necessary, a detailed calculation of the kinetics of decomposition of specific types of OM in a specific destruction experiment is possible when providing the necessary data on the compositions of OM or other TXW.

 Using the present method and device for its implementation allows the destruction of chemical ammunition and various chemical weapons in large quantities (hundreds and thousands of tons) without violating the environment, because as a result of chemical reactions, the formation of other toxic substances is excluded, and the whole process is carried out with a high degree of sealing, which guarantees the non-proliferation of toxic substances outside the cavity and makes it possible to control the composition of substances in the cavity after the explosion and, if necessary, use reagents to influence it. At the same time, the seismic effect of a nuclear explosion produced in the cavity of the salt massif is tens and hundreds of times less than from a whole explosion of the same power.

 The economic efficiency of the proposed method and device for its implementation is obvious from the following comparison.

 The cost of destruction of OM in comparable prices for the chemical processing method is about 100 thousand rubles. per ton of OM. The cost of destruction of OM by the proposed method is about 1 thousand rubles. per ton of organic matter (in 1991 prices).

 An important role is played by the fact of repeated use of underground workings of the cavity and wells made in rock salt massif.

LITERATURE
[1] V. N. Alexandrov, V. I. Emelyanov. Toxic substances. M. Military Publishing House, 1990

 [2] UK patent N 2089558 (G 21J 3/00) "System for the production of nuclear energy and waste processing and method for its manufacture" prototype, 1982

Claims (6)

1. The method of destruction of toxic substances, which consists in organizing an underground cavity, loading into it toxic substances, reagents and a nuclear explosive device, sealing the cavity and carrying out a nuclear explosion in it, characterized in that the underground cavity is organized in an array of rock salt, toxic are loaded into the cavity chemicals, moreover, substances that can bind the decomposition products of complex molecules of toxic chemicals with the formation of a solution or solid precipitate are harmless as reagents substances, and the mass of toxic chemicals loaded into the cavity and the mass of reagents are determined from the ratios
M _txv ≅ α (V _o ) βE _o ;
M _react = γ • M _tkhv ;
where E _{0 the} power of a nuclear explosion in CT TNT equivalent;
β coefficient depending on the proportion and type of structural materials and the type of toxic chemicals loaded into the cavity, T / CT;

a coefficient depending on the volume of the cavity V ₀ is determined from the expression

γ coefficient, depending on the type of TXW and determined from the expression

ρ _Тхв density ТХВ, g / cm ^З ;
ρ _pear reagent density, g / cm ^Z;
μ _THB molecular weight THB;
N is the number of types of hazardous components resulting from the decomposition of one THB molecule;
m _{i the} number of molecules of each component;
μ _{i is the} molecular weight of the reagent;
K _{i the} required number of reagent molecules;
V _{m the} total volume of TXW and reagents, M ³ .  2. The method according to p. 1, characterized in that the reagents used are zeolites, or silicas, or oxides of alkaline earth metals. 3. A device for the destruction of toxic substances, containing an underground cavity for accommodating an array of toxic substances and a nuclear explosive device and at least one well connecting the cavity with the surface of the earth, as well as means for sealing the well, characterized in that the cavity is made in an array rock salt, and the thickness of the rock salt layer is selected from the ratio
H _pl ≥ 60 • E $\genfrac{}{}{0ex}{}{\text{1/3}}{\text{o}}$ ;
where N _{PL the} thickness of the reservoir of rock salt, m;
E ₀ nuclear explosion power in CT of TNT equivalent,
and a nuclear explosive device is placed in an array of toxic substances.  4. The device according to p. 3, characterized in that it is equipped with a receiver of a nuclear device mounted on the central axis of the cavity, made with an open mouth and equipped with a conical skirt installed in the upper part of the receiver.  5. The device according to paragraphs. 3 and 4, characterized in that in it the receiver of the nuclear device is equipped with at least three pointed "paws".  6. The device according to p. 5, characterized in that in it the "paws" of the receiver of the nuclear device are fixed with a cementing composition.