Patent Number: 040081710
Section: claims

1. A process for reducing the volume of spent radioactively contaminated ion exchange material comprising the steps of: generating a slurry of water and ion exchange material and supplying the slurry to a fluid bed chamber;  removing the free water from said slurry thus leaving wet ion exchange material;  externally heating said chamber and the ion exchange material therein to a temperature between 40.degree. to 150.degree. C;  evacuating said chamber to a pressure between 15 and 29" mercury and then while maintaining said pressure and external heat, introducing superheated steam thereinto at a temperature between about 200.degree.-500.degree. F to remove at least a portion of the intrinsic water in said material to thereby reduce the volume of the material;  conducting the steam and said removed intrinsic water, from said chamber to a condenser; and  discharging the dehydrated ion exchange material to a disposal drum.  introducing superheated steam into said chamber to transport the partially dried material to said drum; and  removing said steam from said drum.  discharging steam from said drum to said condenser. 2. The process according to claim 1 including the step of continuing to impart heat to said material at substantially constant temperature to dry the material and as the drying rate decreases, increasing the temperature of the fluidized bed of material until the moisture content in said material is further reduced to a desired value. 3. The process according to claim 2 including isolating said chamber after said desired value is reached; and 4. The process according to claim 3 including utilizing the superheated steam in said chamber to transport said partially dried material to said drum through a nozzle wherein the material is caused to lose an additional amount of intrinsic water; and 5. The process according to claim 4 including introducing a supply of superheated steam into a mixing chamber for the nozzle so that the superheat content in the transporting steam and the superheat content in the nozzle injected steam is transferred to said material to further dry it to a desired value.