RU2256964C1 - Container for shipment and storage of radiation sources - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: nuclear engineering.

SUBSTANCE: proposed container designed for shipment and storage of ionizing radiation sources has body with top and bottom plugs incorporating coaxial refueling channels. In addition, container has magazine drum with seats to receive radiation sources whose axes lie on cylindrical surface, axis of the latter being in line with that of magazine drum; it also has control shaft and hollow shaft. Container is provided with shielding insert installed in refueling channels. Shutoff device made in the form of coaxial movable disk is mounted at bottom-plug butt-end. Slot is made in the form of semi-circle on external surface of movable disk, its diameter being equal to that of refueling channel. Drum has hollow shaft accommodating shaft coupled with movable disk.

EFFECT: simplified design, enhanced reliability, and facilitated maintenance.

1 cl, 4 dwg

Description

The invention relates to the field of atomic physics, and more specifically to protective containers for transporting and storing radionuclide radiation sources and for subsequent loading of irradiators of powerful radioisotope installations and their unloading.

Containers for transporting radioactive sources are known, for example, a container for storing gamma radiation sources, consisting of a housing filled with lead and equipped with an unloading tube, a central drum with vertical sockets for sources, a lid and checks, and also a drum that covers and opens the unloading handle by turning the handle hole and equipped with a locking device made in the form of a slider with a spring-loaded rectangular ring holding the check in the upper position for use of its place by the central drum (author's certificate. USSR No. 133984, published in Bull. No. 23, 1960).

The disadvantages of the known device are the complexity of the design, causing the complexity of manufacturing and lack of reliability.

A container for transporting and storing radioactive sources containing a magazine (rotary) drum for transporting radioactive sources with various loading and unloading and transportation between filling and emptying places (GDR patent No. 2111699, application WP G 21 F / 237 755, 01.03.82, IPC G 21 F 5/00). In a known container, the magazine drum has a locking disk located on the lower end side and axially fixed. The disk contains blind holes and through them has a geometrical closure with pins, as well as support to the bottom plugs of the container in such a position that the through hole in the locking disk is closed by a shutter and the magazine drum can rotate independently.

The disadvantages of the known container are the complexity of the design, causing insufficient reliability, as well as technological difficulties in manufacturing and inconvenience of operation.

The technical result obtained by the implementation of the proposed device is to simplify the design, as well as to increase the reliability and ease of use.

The specified technical result is achieved due to the fact that in the protective container for transporting ionizing radiation sources, comprising a housing with upper and lower plugs, loading channels made coaxially to each other, a magazine drum with sockets for sources, the axes of which lie on a cylindrical surface, the axis which coincides with the axis of the magazine drum, the control shaft and the hollow shaft, a protective liner installed in the overload channels and the locking device, the locking device at the end The bottom of the plug is made in the form of a coaxial movable disk, and on the outer surface of the movable disk, a groove is made in the form of a semicircle, the diameter of which is equal to the diameter of the transfer channel, and the drum shaft is hollow and a shaft is located inside that is connected with the movable disk, respectively.

The specified set of essential features is necessary and sufficient to achieve the specified technical result obtained by using the invention.

The proposed device is shown in figure 1 (General view of the protective container in the context), figure 2 (section aa figure 1), figure 3 (node B of figure 1) and figure 4 (section b - In - figure 3).

The protective container consists of a housing 1 filled with radiation-shielding material, a magazine drum 2 with sockets 3 for placing radiation sources, upper 4 and lower 5 plugs with overload channels 6. The drum 2 is made with sockets concentrically arranged relative to the axis of the drum and rests on the housing through movable bearings 7. At the end of the lower plug, coaxial to the drum, a locking device is mounted, consisting of a movable disk 8 having its own support 9 of rotation around a common axis using the control shaft 10, p rolling along the axis of the container. The movable disk 8 has a groove 13 in the form of a semicircle. The drum 2 has the ability to rotate using a hollow shaft 11. At the time of transportation or storage of radiation sources in the reloading channels 6 and the socket of the drum 3 is placed liner 12.

The operation of the device is as follows.

The container is installed on the hatch of the “hot” camera or the transfer device of the radiation-technological industrial installation and is locked.

The protective container is loaded with radiation sources through the bottom. Similarly, the channels of the irradiators of the radioisotope installations are unloaded. The process is as follows.

From above, from the reloading channels 6, the liner 12 is removed. A grip with an extension is inserted into the channel from above. Using the hollow shaft 11, the drum 2 is rotated from its initial position until the axis of the socket to be loaded coincides with the axis of the loading channel of the lower loading and is locked. The capture with the extension cord is moved down along the channels 6, and then into the irradiator of the installation until it contacts the radiation source. The capture with the radiation source is removed from the irradiator of the installation, moved upward, into the channel 6, then into the receptacle of the container drum and locked. Using the control shaft 10, turn the disk 8 of the locking device at an angle α and lock. The groove 13 of the movable disk moves, respectively, at an angle α. Since the cavity of the loading channel of the lower plug is stationary, the cylindrical surface of the movable disk 8 when moving through the angle α closes the passage opening of the container locking device. The irradiation source is forcibly released from the grip, and under the influence of its own weight, it drops all the way into the end surface of the locking device. Using a hollow shaft 11 rotate the drum 2 to the loading position of the next slot. Using the shaft 10, the disk 8 of the locking device is rotated to its original position, i.e. angle α (Figure 4). At the same time, its groove 13 together with the cavity of the loading channel of the lower plug 5 form a passage opening of the locking device. Similarly, load the remaining jacks of the drum of the container in any order.

The unloading of the protective container from the bottom is as follows.

The container is mounted on the hatch of the “hot” chamber or the transfer device of the irradiator channel of the radioisotope industrial installation and is locked.

An insert 12 is removed from the reloading channels 6. A gripper with an extension is inserted into the channel. Using the control shaft 10, turn the disk 8 of the locking device at an angle α and lock. The groove 13 of the disk moves, respectively, at an angle α. Using the shaft 11, the drum 2 is rotated from the initial position until the axis of the socket to be unloaded coincides with the axis of the discharge channel and is locked. The grip with the extension cord is moved down along the channel of the plug 5 and further into the drum socket until it contacts the radiation source. Using the control shaft 10, turn the disk 8 of the locking device to its original position and lock. The groove 13 of the disk and the cavity of the boot channel of the lower plug 5 form a passage hole of the locking device. The capture with the radiation source is moved down along the channel 6, and then into the irradiator of the installation. The radiation source is forcibly released from the capture. The capture is removed from the irradiator, moved upward into the channels 6, into the slot of the drum and then into the channel of the plug 4, where it is locked. The groove 13 of the movable disk moves, respectively, at an angle α. Using the shaft 11, rotate the drum 2 to the unloading position of the next drum socket and lock it. Similarly, unload the remaining nests of the drum.

EFFECT: invention allows loading and unloading ionizing radiation sources and assemblies of high activities based on them both from the bottom and through the top, along the loading channel in case of working in a protective pool without the use of additional devices, which improves the operational capabilities of the container.

Claims (1)

A container for transporting and storing ionizing radiation sources, comprising a housing with upper and lower plugs, loading channels made in the plugs coaxially to each other, a magazine drum with sockets for sources, the axes of which lie on a cylindrical surface, the axis of which coincides with the axis of the magazine drum, the control shaft and a hollow shaft, a protective liner installed in the overload channels, and a locking device, characterized in that in the end of the lower plug is mounted a locking device made a disk movable coaxially, with the outer surface of the movable disc is formed as a semicircle groove whose diameter equals the diameter of the reloading channel, and the drum shaft is hollow and is located inside the shaft, connected respectively with the movable disk.

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