Patent Number: 042242584
Section: description

The apparatus illustrated in FIG. 1 has a container 1, closed at the top and of funnel-shape below, which has an opening at the side near the top and opposite a horizontally directed nozzle 2 provided for projecting a stream of liquid. The nozzle 2 is connected with a vibrator 3 and with another container 15, only partly or symbolically shown in the drawing, for holding a supply of the liquid solution. The stream of liquid 4, subdivided into drops by the action of vibrator and nozzle is directed into the ammonia gas phase 6 which is provided in the space above the surface of the aqueous ammonia solution 5 in the container 1 and is deflected by the force of gravity while passing through the ammonia gas phase. In order to prevent that through projection or dropping, there should be formed particles that are not sufficiently uniform, either because no stationary liquid stream has yet been established or because this stream is in a state of collapse. A vertical diaphragm or baffle 7 is provided that can be shifted vertically in position between appropriate limits, so that in one of its two end positions the entrance opening for the container 1 is covered. Furthermore, the diaphragm is so connected with a funnel 8 that when the diaphragm 7 is closed, the liquid coming out of the nozzle 2 is drained by the funnel 8. In order to prevent the gaseous ammonia phase from reaching the nozzle 2, the suction hood 10 is provided above the entrance opening of the container 1. The particles of nuclear fuel or breeder material formed by hardening in the container 1 are drawn off at the bottom through an outlet 9. As is further shown in FIG. 1, nozzles 11, illustrated in cross-section, for introduction of ammonia gas are provided in the form of supply tubes with lateral slits so disposed with respect to the nozzle 2 that produces the liquid drop stream so that one of them is above and the other underneath the succession of drops that make up the steam 4. The slits are so directed that the ammonia impinges on the droplet stream 4 in a flow that forms an angle of about 40.degree. with the tangent to the path of the liquid drops. By this arrangement of the nozzles 11 a passing gas flow on all sides of the drops is provided, resulting in uniform solidification of the drops even at a drop formation rate of more than 3,000 drops per minute. The apparatus shown in FIG. 2 has a container 12 that is open on top and, again, funnel-shaped below for the aqueous solution of ammonia 5 and the ammonia phase gas 6 above it. The nozzle 2' that is connected with a vibrator 3' and a container 16 for the nitrate solution is, in this case, disposed above the container 12, and a suction system 10 to prevent upward flow of the ammonia gas is provided around the rim of the container 12. Nozzles 13 are provided for the supply of the ammonia gas to the ammonia phase 6 and, as shown in FIG. 2, are directed at an angle of about 45.degree. to the vertical stream of drops and slightly offset vertically with respect to each other. Although the invention has been described with respect to particular illustrative embodiments, it will be understood that modifications and variations are possible within the inventive concept; for example, a horizontal row of nozzles 2 could be arranged one behind the other in the aspect of FIG. 1, with either individual or common vibrator(s) and supply container(s) 15 to produce parallel streams of drops against which ammonia flows from elongated slits parallel to the axes of the supply pipes that with their slits provide the gas supply nozzles 11, rather than a single nozzle 2 providing a single stream 4 of droplets.