Patent Number: H00009148
Section: description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT As seen in FIG. 1, a contactor stage 10 includes a housing 12, a rotor in the housing 12 (not shown), and a motor 14 secured to a motor mount block 16 and the housing 12. The motor 14 turns the rotor in the housing 12. The contactor stage 10 includes first interconnect pipes 18 for passing aqueous radioactive materials into and out of the housing 12, and second interconnect pipes 20 for passing an organic liquid into and out of the housing 12. Which side the aqueous phase is on depends on its density relative to the organic phase. The radioactive and organic solutions are mixed in the housing 12. The organic phase in the mixture extracts specific radioactive elements from the aqueous phase and then the two phases are separated inside the rotor by centrifugal force created by the rotor as it spins in the housing. The separated liquids are then passed through their respective outlet interconnect pipes. A drain 26 is provided in the bottom 28 of the housing 12. The drain 26 is manually operated, and is provided primarily for maintenance and monitoring purposes. The contactor stage 10 is supported by apparatus 30. The apparatus 30 includes a footer 32 which rests on the floor or some other suitable surface (not shown) to create an effective ground surface, at least two legs 34 each of which is secured to its footer 32 by any suitable structure, a brace 36 secured to both the leg 34 and the footer 32 for added support, and a frame member 38. The frame 38 is secured to the top of the legs 34. The frame 38 is generally rectangular in shape, and resembles a box beam. The frame 38 includes substantially flat, spaced top and bottom surfaces 40 and 42, respectively, and substantially vertical side surfaces 44 and 46. It may be made of any suitable material, such as steel or the like, which has sufficient strength and rigidity to remain sufficiently stable during operation of the contactor stage 10. The rectangular shape of the frame 38 provides improved stability over the L-shape beam used in known structures. The top and bottom surfaces 40 and 42 each include an opening 48, 50, respectively. The housing 12 of the contactor stage 10 fits through the openings 48, 50, and is secured in the frame 38 by any suitable structure, such as bolts or welds 51. Preferably, the housing 12 is secured so that the bottom 28 of the housing 12 is adjacent the bottom 42 of the frame 38. In this manner, the drain 26 is relatively removed from the footer 32. A plurality of contactor stages 10 may be arranged in a cascade, as seen in FIG. 3. The interconnect pipes 18 (only partially seen in FIG. 3 as they are in back of the contactor stages) and 20 are connected between adjacent contactor stages 10 so that the liquids can flow to the adjacent contactor stage after they are separated in each of the contactor stages 10. The organic and aqueous liquids are passed through the cascade in opposite directions. A plurality of legs 34 are provided as required in the cascade shown in FIG. 3. The legs 34 provide easy access to the drains 26 from three sides of the contactor stages 10 in FIG. 3, in contrast to the known support structure shown in FIG. 4. In FIG. 4, a support structure 80 includes back legs 82 and front legs 84. The structure 80 is secured to the to of the contactor 10. If the drain 26 were raised away from the footer 86, the legs 82 and 84 would have to be made longer, which could result in excessive vibration and instability. The thickness of the legs 82 and 84 is limited by the interconnect pipes 18 and 20. As a result, in the known support structure, the drain 26 is relatively close to the footer 86. Access to the drain 26 is further limited by the front legs 84. Thus, mechanical devices which are moved to the drains 26 of successive contactors must be directed around the front legs 84. In the embodiment of the present invention shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, the housing 12 is secured to the frame 38. The legs 34 are shorter than the legs 82 and 84 in FIG. 4, and do not extend through the interconnect pipes 18 and 20. Accordingly, the legs 34 can be made as large as needed to achieve acceptable stability. Access to the drain 26 is improved because the drain 26 is raised away from the footer 32. In addition, access to the drain 26 is provided on three sides of the drain 26. In use, the contactor stages 10 can be placed in a suitably isolated area to prevent the undesired escape of radioactivity. The contactor stages 10 can be operated and maintained by mechanical devices, such as robotic arms and the like which, among other things, can place a container under each drain 26 and open the drains 26 to empty the housings 12. Because access to the drains 26 is provided on three sides of the contactor stages 10, such mechanical devices can easily move from one drain 26 to another, regardless of the number of contactor stages 10 which are cascaded in the manner shown in FIG. 3. The many advantages of the invention are now apparent. Stability is provided by the rectangular frame member. The frame member is shorter than previous support structures, and can be made larger in size than previous support structures, if desired, to provide greater structural support, without being limited in size by the interconnect pipes 18 and 20. Moreover, access to the drains is improved because the drains can be located farther away from the footer 32, and the drains 26 can be reached from three sides of the contactor stages 10, without substantial interference. While the principles of the invention have been described above in connection with specific apparatus and applications, it is to be understood that this description is made only by way of example and not as a limitation on the scope of the invention.