Granted Patent B2

US 12,234,172 · App. 17/662,219 · Granted Feb 25, 2025

Inventors: John Raymont (Newport Beach, CA); James Fredrickson (Irvine, CA); Joshua Leighton Mertz (West Richland, WA); David Carlson (Knoxville, TN); Mark Denton (Oak Ridge, TN); Gary Hofferber (Richland, WA); Ja-Kael Luey (Kennewick, WA); Zechariah James Fitzgerald (Kennewick, WA); Ronald Merritt Orme (West Richland, WA); Eric Vincent Penland (Benton City, WA)

C02F9/00C02F1/001C02F1/008C02F1/28C02F9/20G21F9/04G21F9/12B01D2311/25B01D2311/251C02F1/281C02F1/42C02F1/441C02F1/444C02F2101/006C02F2201/005C02F2201/007C02F2201/008C02F2209/001C02F2209/003C02F2209/005C02F2209/05C02F2209/40C02F2301/046C02F2301/08Y02E30/00Y02E30/30Y02W10/37

Abstract

Claims (37)

1. A method for processing nuclear wastewater with a mobile nuclear waste processing system, the mobile nuclear waste processing system comprising: a first transportable skid housing a filter and an ion exchange vessel;

wherein the filter includes a first radiation shielding and the ion exchange vessel includes a second radiation shielding structurally distinct from the first radiation shielding and

wherein the ion exchange vessel comprises an ion exchange material and/or a sorbent; and

a second transportable skid housing an electronic controller communicatively linked to the first transportable skid; and

the method comprising:

filtering solids from the nuclear wastewater with the filter in the first transportable skid resulting in a filtered nuclear wastewater;

removing a radioactive contaminant from the filtered nuclear wastewater with the ion exchange vessel resulting in a processed nuclear wastewater;

monitoring chemical properties of the filtered nuclear wastewater and/or the processed nuclear wastewater with the electronic controller and a sensor;

determining the chemical properties of the filtered nuclear wastewater and/or the processed nuclear wastewater meet a standard; and

routing the filtered nuclear wastewater and/or the processed nuclear wastewater to a storage tank based at least in part on the chemical properties of the filtered nuclear wastewater and/or the processed nuclear wastewater meeting the standard.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first transportable skid houses at least two filters each of which includes radiation shielding, and wherein one of the filters is online and another one of the filters is on standby.

3. The method of claim 2 , comprising:

determining with the electronic controller that a differential pressure associated with the filter that is online has reached or exceeded a limit; and

changing the filter that is online to offline and changing the filter that is on standby to online based at least in part on the determination that the differential pressure associated with the filter that is online has reached or exceeded the limit.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first transportable skid houses at least two ion exchange vessels each of which includes radiation shielding.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

determining the chemical properties of the filtered nuclear wastewater and/or the processed nuclear wastewater do not meet the standard; and

recirculating the filtered nuclear wastewater and/or the processed nuclear wastewater through the mobile nuclear waste processing system based at least in part on the chemical properties of the filtered nuclear wastewater and/or the processed nuclear wastewater not meeting the standard.

6. A method for processing nuclear wastewater with a mobile nuclear waste processing system, the method comprising:

moving a first transportable skid, a second transportable skid, and a third transportable skid to a site including a plurality of tanks where at least one of the plurality of tanks holds the nuclear wastewater;

wherein the first transportable skid houses a filter and an ion exchange vessel, the ion exchange vessel comprising an ion exchange material and/or a sorbent;

wherein the second transportable skid houses an electronic controller; and

wherein the third transportable skid houses a reagent;

fluidly linking the first transportable skid to the at least one tank that holds the nuclear wastewater;

communicatively linking the second transportable skid to the first transportable skid;

fluidly linking the third transportable skid to the first transportable skid;

filtering solids from the nuclear wastewater with the filter in the first transportable skid resulting in a filtered nuclear wastewater;

removing a radioactive contaminant from the filtered nuclear wastewater with the ion exchange vessel resulting in a processed nuclear wastewater;

monitoring chemical properties of the filtered nuclear wastewater and/or the processed nuclear wastewater with the electronic controller and a sensor;

determining the chemical properties of the filtered nuclear wastewater and/or the processed nuclear wastewater meet a standard; and

routing the filtered nuclear wastewater and/or the processed nuclear wastewater to another one of the plurality of tanks based at least in part on the chemical properties of the filtered nuclear wastewater and/or the processed nuclear wastewater meeting the standard.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the filter and the ion exchange vessel each include radiation shielding.

8. The method of claim 6 , wherein the first transportable skid houses at least two filters, and wherein one of the filters is online and another one of the filters is on standby.

9. The method of claim 6 , wherein the first transportable skid houses at least two ion exchange vessels.

10. The method of claim 6 , further comprising:

determining the chemical properties of the filtered nuclear wastewater and/or the processed nuclear wastewater do not meet the standard; and

recirculating the filtered nuclear wastewater and/or the processed nuclear wastewater through the mobile nuclear waste processing system based at least in part on the chemical properties of the filtered nuclear wastewater and/or the processed nuclear wastewater not meeting the standard.

Assignments (2)

Continuity (5)

References Cited (115)