Abstract Given a group of radioactive concentrates including a concentrate from a resin-bead ion exchange filter, a concentrate from an evaporation concentrator, and a concentrate from another concentrator yielding a concentrate having a salt content lower than that of the concentrate from the evaporation concentrator and particles smaller than the particle size of the resin beads; a process including mixing the concentrate from the resin-bead ion exchange filter with the concentrate from the other concentrator, passing the resulting mixture through a filtercake-producing filter for dewatering and drying, and skirting the concentrates from the evaporation concentrator around the filtercake-producing filter and directly into transport and storage vessels for their dewatering in such vessels.
A method as claimed in claim 1, the filter-cake-producing filter comprising a plurality of plate-shaped elements carried by a vertical hollow shaft means for removing filtrate, filter cake forming on the upper sides of the plate-shaped elements during filtering, further comprising the step of coating on the elements a precoat of fibrous material for filtering out radioactive solids.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
13 words
A method as claimed in claim 2, the fibrous material being cellulose fiber.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
19 words
A method as claimed in claim 2, the step of coating being additionally for filtering out aerosols during drying.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
26 words
A method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising, before the step of dewatering and drying by passing, the step of settling soLids from the concentrates.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
27 words
A method as claimed in claim 1, the step of mixing being performed in an intermediate storage container having a means for mixing concentrates fed into it.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
45 words
A method as claimed in claim 1, the smaller-particle-size concentrate having a relatively high radioactivity, further comprising the steps of filling this smaller-particle-size concentrate sequentially into a plurality of containers and performing the step of mixing with the concentrate from the earliest-filled of said plurality.