Patent Number: 042809223
Section: description

Referring now to the drawing and first, particularly, to FIG. 1 thereof, there are shown four chambers 5, 6, 7 and 8 separated from one another by intermediate walls or partitions 2, 3 and 4 in a concrete building 1, the chambers 5, 6, 7 and 8 serving as a drumming station for radiant synthetic wastes. Waste storage or drumming in a condition affording ultimate disposal is effected with the aid of a kneader 10 which is essentially disposed in the chamber 7. The kneader 10 is constructed, for example, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,971,732. It has one or more worm shafts that are set in motion by a non-illustrated electric motor through a drive shaft 11. The worm shafts advance or convey the radiant wastes and bitumin employed as matrix or embedding material in direction of the arrow 12 through the kneader 10 to a discharge opening 13. The kneaded mixture is delivered thereat into socalled standard drums 14 having a 200 liter capacity which, after having been filled and closed, are transported to an ultimate storage facility, such as abandoned salt mines, for example. The kneader 10 has three degassing domes 16, 17 and 18 serially disposed in direction toward the discharge opening 13 and serving for removal of gases or vapors, as is disclosed in the hereinaforementioned German Published Nonprosecuted Application DE-OS No. 25 31 584. The degassing domes 16, 17 and 18 have respective ends thereof facing away from the kneader 10 which extend into the chamber 6. In the illustrated embodiment of the invention, the radiant wastes are accumulated in a rocking bin or bunker 20. These wastes are in essence dried residues from filters for purifying gas or liquid flows of a pressurized water reactor. The size of particles thereof is from about 1 to 300.mu.. The synthetic substance contained therein is primarily resins having a styrene base. In addition thereto, the residues include filtering aids or auxiliaries such as kieselguhr or diatomaceous or infusorial earth. From the rocking bunker 20, the wastes can be conveyed by a conveyor tube 21 to a downcomer or gravity tube 22 which extends out of the chamber 5 through the wall or partition 2 into the chamber 6. A gate-type shut-off valve 23 is provided thereat which is connected by means of a flexible collar 24, preferably formed of rubber or rubber-like material, to a section of pipe 25. The pipe section 25 is the outer extension or elongation of a metering tube which is shown in greater detail in FIGS. 2 to 4. The pipe section 25 is sealed by means of a corrugated tube 26 with respect to a cover 27 of the vapor or steam dome 18 and is set into vibratory motion above all transversely to the longitudinal axis thereof by a vibrator 30. The vibration frequency may be 50 Hz at an amplitude of 0.7 mm. As is seen in FIGS. 2 to 4, the steam dome 18 seated on the kneader 10 constitutes a tube 31 having a rectangular cross section. The tube 31 is surrounded with clearance by a cylindrical tube 32, so that an annular or ring chamber 33 for receiving superheated steam therein is formed. Another annular or ring chamber 34 which is defined by concentric or coaxial tube sections 35 and 36, can contain a non-illustrated condenser therein. A metering tube 38 having a wedge-shaped squeezed-together end 39 projects therewith, as an extension or elongation of the tube section 25, into the dome 18 up to the screws or worms of the kneader 10 which are indicated by center lines 40. The longitudinal direction of the wedge-shaped end 39 extends transversely to the longitudinal direction of the kneader worms 40, so that the entire width of the bitumin flow displaced by the worms 40 is covered. The metering tube 38 is provided with an outer casing 41 so that an intermediate space 42 is defined therebetween which can receive steam therein. A union 43 for the supersaturated steam is shown in FIG. 2. At an oppositely disposed union location 44, scavenging air can be blown into the tube 38 and can flow therethrough to the kneader 10 and simultaneously ensure that the tube 38 is not wetted by condensing vapors and covered by dried-up bitumin splashes or by waste. In addition, the conveyance or delivery of the waste particles is improved. At the cover 27 of the degassing dome 18, wherein the metering tube 38 is disposed, tightly sealed with the corrugated tube 26, a lead-glass window 45 is provided for observation, for example, by means of a television camera. The supersaturated steam flows from the union 43 through the annular space 42 in direction toward the kneader 10. At the lower end 39 of the metering tube 38, the supersaturated steam discharges from nozzles 46. Thereby, clogging or obstructing of the lower region of the dome 18 with bitumin is prevented. Similar discharge openings can also be distributed over the height or length of the metering tube 38.