Apparatus for emptying and rinsing non-recoverable flasks containing a toxic product

In order to automatically carry out the emptying and rinsing of non-recoverable bottles or flasks (78) made from a perforatable material such as polyethylene and e.g. containing a low activity solution (88), an apparatus is proposed making it possible to pass the inverted bottles under a double-walled needle (44). The needle (44), operated by a jack, perforates the bottom (82) of the flask (78). Compressed air is then injected into the bottle above the solution (88) through the annular passage formed between the walls of the needle (44), so as to discharge the solution through the central passage of the needle. The flask is then rinsed by injecting pressurized water in place of the compressed air. Finally, the rinsing water is discharged by a further compressed air injection. The emptied and rinsed flasks are then passed to a station, where they are directly discharged into a storage drum.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
The invention relates to an apparatus making it possible to empty and, if 
necessary, rinse non-reusable bottles containing a toxic product such as a 
low activity solution containing gamma emitters and which has been used 
for carrying out analyses. 
2. Description of the Related Art 
For analyzing the gamma emitters contained in a low activity solution, 
frequently a count is made of a certain quantity of liquid introduced 
before hand into a flask equipped with a cover and sealed by a screw 
stopper. This flask is conventionally made from a plastics material such 
as polyethylene. When the analysis is ended the flasks have to be emptied, 
rinsed and then discharged for storage in drums suitable for receiving 
waste. 
At present, this operation required for each of the flasks the unscrewing 
of the stopper, the removal of the cover, the emptying of the flask, its 
rinsing, emptying again and then discharge into a drum. These different 
operations, which are performed manually within the cell several dozen 
times every week, are particularly tedious and generally contaminate the 
work station. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention relates to an apparatus making it possible to empty 
and, if necessary, rinse such flasks or bottles in an automated manner and 
without causing any significant contamination of the work station. 
In order to achieve this result, the invention proposes an apparatus for 
emptying bottles containing a liquid and having at least on perforatable 
partition, characterized in that it comprises a needle with two coaxial 
walls, which can be inserted in the bottle through the perforatable 
partition, the coaxial walls of the needle defining a central passage and 
an annular passage and means for injecting a pressurized gas into the 
needle by a first of the said passages, so as to empty the liquid through 
the other passage. 
By perforating the bottom of each of the bottles or flasks with the aid of 
a double-walled needle and then injecting a gas such as pressurized air 
into the flask through the needle, it is possible to automatically 
discharge without any risk of contamination the low activity solutions 
contained in the flasks. 
By also equipping said apparatus with means for injecting a pressurized 
rinsing liquid through the first passage, it is possible to rinse each of 
the flasks under the same comfort and safety conditions. After rinsing, 
the rinsing liquid contained in each flask is discharged by again 
injecting pressurized gas into each flask through the needle. 
Preferably, the first passage by which are injected the pressurized gas 
and, if appropriate, the pressurized rinsing liquid is the annular passage 
defined between the coaxial walls of the needle. 
Advantageously the needle has an inner tubular wall, an outer tubular wall 
and a perforating tip or point fixed to at least one of these walls, the 
outer tubular wall having at least one opening located in an area remote 
from said perforating tip and the latter has at least one opening issuing 
into the central passage defined by the inner tubular wall. 
In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the apparatus has a rotary 
barrel able to rotate about a vertical axis and having at least three 
cavities able to in each case receive an inverted flask, as well as means 
for rotating the said barrel, so as to successively pass each cavity in 
front of a loading station, an emptying station having means for moving 
said needle between an upper waiting position and a lower emptying 
position, together with a discharge station. 
Advantageously, the apparatus according to the invention also has a rotary 
basket able to rotate about a vertical axis parallel to the drum axis, 
said basket comprising vertical tubular columns in which can be placed 
several inverted bottles, a fixed horizontal panel placed below the basket 
and on which rest the bottles and means for rotating the basket, so as to 
successively bring each tubular column above an opening formed in the 
panel, said opening defining the barrel loading station located beneath 
the said panel.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
In FIG. 1, the reference numeral 10 designates in general terms a rotary 
basket having a vertical axis X. This basket 10 comprises a horizontal 
upper plate 11 and a horizontal lower plate 12 in which are formed 
respective circular openings 13, 14, e.g. eight such openings, which are 
regularly distributed around the vertical axis X. The circular openings 
13, 14 are linked in pairs by vertically axed, tubular columns 16 fixed to 
the plates 12. 
The rotary basked 10 rests on an upper horizontal panel 18 placed 
immediately below the plate 12. The plates 11 and 12 are integral with a 
vertical shaft 20 located along the axis X and which traverses the panel 
18. A motor assembly 22 placed below the panel 18 rotates the basket 10 
via the shaft 20. 
A circular opening 24 having substantially the same diameter as the 
circular openings 13, 14 is formed in the panel 18 at a location such that 
each of the circular openings 14 can be successively brought in front of 
the said circular opening 24 during the rotation of the basket 10. 
The emptying and rinsing apparatus illustrated in FIG. 1 also has a rotary 
drum generally designated by reference numeral 26. This rotary drum has a 
vertical axis Y displaced with respect to the axis X beyond the axis of 
the said circular opening 24, in such a way that these three axes are 
located in the same vertical plane. 
The rotary drum 26 is placed below the panel 18 and has three cavities 
materialized by the vertically axed tubular receptacles 28 regularly 
distributed around the axis Y. The distance separating each cavity from 
the axis Y is such that these cavities can be successively brought into 
the extension of the circular opening 24 by a rotation of the drum 26. 
In the embodiment diagrammatically illustrated in FIG. 1, the drum 26 has 
an upper horizontal plate 30 and a lower horizontal plate 32 
interconnected by a peripheral sleeve 34. The lower horizontal plate 
supports the receptacles 28 and the upper horizontal plate 30 has a 
circular opening 35 to the right of each of these receptacles. 
The drum 26 rests on a lower horizontal panel 36 joined to the upper panel 
18, e.g. by not shown small columns. The rotation of the drum 26 around 
the vertical axis Y is ensured by a motor assembly 40 fitted below the 
panel 36 and whereof the vertical output shaft 42, positioned along the 
axis Y, traverses the panel 36 for joining to the plates 30, 32 of the 
drum 26. 
When one of the receptacles 28 of the drum 26 is located in the alignment 
of the circular opening 24 formed in the panel 18 (said opening 
constituting the loading station of the drum 26), the two other cavities 
28 of the drum 26 respectively face a flask emptying and rinsing station 
and in front of a flask discharge station. These two latter stations are 
displaced so as to be located beyond the outer periphery of the basket 10. 
The emptying and rinsing station of the flask essentially comprises, 
according to an essential feature of the invention, a double-walled needle 
44, which will be described in greater detail hereinafter relative to 
FIGS. 2 and 3. This needle 44 is positioned in accordance with a vertical 
axis substantially aligned with the axis of the receptacle 28 located 
facing the flask emptying and rinsing station. It is supported by the rod 
47 of a needle holder jack 46 permitting its displacement in accordance 
with its axis between a top waiting position, illustrated in FIG. 1, and a 
bottom emptying position, illustrated in FIG. 2. 
In its top waiting position, the double-walled needle 44 is entirely 
positioned above the panel 18, whereas where it occupies its bottom 
emptying position, the needle 44 traverses an opening 45 formed for this 
purpose in the panel 18 and penetrates the flask received in the 
corresponding receptacle 28, as will be shown hereinafter. 
The discharge station in front of which is located the third cavity 28 of 
the drum 26 is materialized by a tubular collar 48 placed below a not 
shown circular opening formed at this point in the panel 36. The flasks 
are automatically discharged by gravity when they arrive in front of said 
opening following a rotation of the drum 26. The opposite end of the 
collar 48 issues directly into a not shown, waste material storage drum, 
after having passed through the wall of the cell in which the apparatus is 
located. 
As is illustrated in greater detail by FIG. 3, the double-walled needle 44 
has a head 50, a point or tip 52 and two coaxial tubular walls 
respectively constituted by an inner tubular wall 54 and an outer tubular 
wall 56. 
At its upper end, the head 50 has a taphole 58, by which the needle 44 is 
fixed to the threaded end 47a of the rod 47 of the needle holder jack 46. 
At its lower end, the head 50 has a staged bore 62 aligned with the 
taphole 58. This bore 62 has a relatively large diameter lower portion 62a 
in which is received the upper end of the outer tubular wall 56, a medium 
diameter intermediate portion 62b and a relatively small diameter upper 
portion 62c, in which is received the upper end of the inner tubular wall 
54. 
The head 50 has a first coupling connected by a passage 64 to the lower 
portion 62a or to the intermediate portion 62b of the staged bore 62. On 
said first coupling is mounted a tube 66 making it possible to inject a 
pressurized gas such as compressed air or a pressurized rinsing liquid 
such as water into an annular space 68 defined between the tubular walls 
54, 56. 
The head 50 also has a second coupling connected by a passage 70 to the 
upper part of the staged bore and on which is fitted a tube 72 making it 
possible to discharge the different fluids from the flasks by a central 
passage 73 formed in the inner tubular wall 54. 
The tip 52 of the needle 44 forms at its lower end a perforating core 52a 
enabling the needle to pass through the plastics material wall of the 
flasks. The tip 52 also has a tubular upper portion 52b around which is 
fitted the outer tubular wall 56 and in which is received the inner 
tubular wall 54. The tip 52 is advantageously fixed to the end of the 
outer tubular wall 56 by means of an argon weld 57. 
At least one opening 74 passes radially through the lower end of the outer 
tubular wall 56 and the upper tubular portion 52b of the tip 52, so as to 
issue below the lower end of the inner tubular wall 54. 
FIG. 3 also shows that the outer tubular wall 56 is advantageously 
traversed, in its upper portion in the vicinity of the head 50, by at 
least one opening 76 linking the annular passage 68 with the exterior. 
The introduction tube 66 is connected at its end opposite to the needle 44 
to a pressurized gas circuit, such as compressed air at approximately 2 
bars by means of a first, not shown electrovalve and to a pressurized 
rinsing liquid circuit such as water at approximately 3 bars via a second 
not shown electrovalve. The discharge tube 72 is connected to an effluent 
discharge circuit. 
The automated operation of the flask emptying and rinsing apparatus 
described hereinbefore is advantageously controlled by a programmable 
automaton, such as the SIEMENS SR501-U automaton, on the basis of 
information supplied by different sensors, such as optical sensors and in 
accordance with known procedures. 
The emptying and rinsing apparatus operation will now be described with 
reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. 
FIG. 2 shows on a larger scale one of the flasks 78, whose emptying and 
rinsing can be carried out with the aid of the apparatus according to the 
invention. This flask 78 has a body 80 having a circular section and in 
particular having a flat bottom 82 and which is made from a material which 
can be perforated by the tip or point of the needle 44, such as 
polyethylene. The mouth of the body 80 of the flask 78 is internally 
sealed by a cover 84 and externally sealed by a screw stopper 86. Each of 
the flasks is filled with a solution 88 which must be emptied and, in the 
embodiment described requires the rinsing of the flask before the latter 
is discharged into the drum. 
As is diagrammatically illustrated by FIG. 1, the flasks to be emptied and 
rinsed are e.g. stacked in fours in the represented embodiment in each of 
the vertical tubular columns 16 of the rotary basket 10. More 
specifically, the flasks 78 are inverted before being placed in the 
columns 16, in such a way that their bottoms 82 are turned upwards. 
When all the columns 16 are filled with flasks 78, the operation of 
emptying and rinsing them can commence. This operation, which is performed 
in a completely automatic manner, makes it possible to treat on average 60 
flasks every hour without any handling operation having to be carried out 
in order to ensure the definitive conditioning of the flasks in the drums. 
As soon as the apparatus is actuated, the basket 10 is rotated about the 
axis by a motor assembly 22. This rotation continues until one of the 
vertical tubular columns 16 arrives above the circular opening 24. The 
flasks 78 located in this said column then drop by gravity, in such as way 
that the lower flask is received in one of the receptacles 28 of the drum 
26. This drop is detected by an optical fibre sensor 90 positioned level 
with the panel 18 and which automatically stops the motor assembly 22. 
The drum 26 is then rotated by the motor assembly 40 until the flask 78 
arrives to the right of the flask emptying and rinsing station. When the 
drum is in this position, detected by a not shown electrical sensor, 
another flask 78 drops by gravity into the receptacle 28, which is then 
located below the circular opening 24. 
An emptying and rinsing cycle for the flask 78 located to the right of the 
emptying and rinsing station is then initiated. This cycle will now be 
described in greater detail relative to FIG. 2. At the start of the said 
cycle, the needle holder jack 46 is automatically operated in the sense of 
the fall of the double-walled needle 44. During this descent, the tip 52 
of the needle perforates the flask bottom 82 and the needle passes into 
the flask until it arrives in the vicinity of the cover 84, in the lower 
emptying position illustrated in FIG. 2. This lower position is detected 
by a not shown magnetic sensor. The openings 76 are then located within 
the flask 78 slightly below the bottom 82 and above the solution 88. 
The emptying of the solution 88 contained in the flask is then carried out 
by injecting compressed air (approximately 2 bars) above said solution 
through the tube 66, the annular passage 68 and the openings 76. The 
compressed air expels the solution 88 through the opening 74, the central 
passage 73 and the tube 72. 
In the embodiment described, the flask 78 is then rinsed by injecting 
rinsing water through the tube 66, the annular passage 68 and the openings 
76. The pressurized water (approximately 3 bars) is atomized within the 
flask, which optimizes the running down the walls and consequently the 
efficiency of rinsing. 
The rinsing water is then expelled from the flask by a second compressed 
air injection carried out under the same conditions as the injection used 
for emptying the flask, but for a longer period. 
When the pressure within the flask has returned to atmospheric pressure, 
which eliminates splashing during the exit of the needle 44, the latter is 
brought into its upper waiting position illustrated in FIG. 1 by the jack 
46. As soon as a not shown magnetic contact detects the return of the 
needle 44 to said upper position, the motor assembly 40 is again actuated 
in order to bring the emptied and rinsed flask to the right of the 
discharge station and bring the following flask to the right of the 
emptying and rinsing station. The emptied and rinsed flask is then 
automatically discharged by gravity into the tubular collar 48 and a new 
emptying and rinsing cycle is initiated on the flowing flask. In this 
position, a third flask contained in the vertical tubular column 16, which 
is located above the circular opening 24 drops into the receptacle 28 
placed below the said opening. 
As soon as the optical sensor 90 level with the circular opening 24 detects 
that the column 16 located above said opening is empty, the motor assembly 
22 is automatically actuated in order to bring another column 16 above 
said circular opening. 
The cycle continues in this way until all the vertical tubular columns 16 
are empty. The apparatus then stops automatically due to information 
supplied by a not shown electrical sensor responsible for counting the 
tubular columns 16. 
Obviously, the invention is not limited to the embodiment described in 
exemplified manner hereinbefore and in fact covers all variants thereof. 
Thus, the basket 10 and the drum 26, which constitute particular means for 
automatically passing the flasks to be emptied and rinsed in front of the 
double-walled needle by means of which said operations are performed, can 
in certain cases be eliminated, modified or replaced by equivalent means, 
such as a stepwise conveyor. Moreover, when the nature of the liquid 
contained in the flask to be emptied allows it, the rinsing operation can 
be eliminated.