Solids irradiator

Claim 1

A facility for gamma irradiation or sterilization of solids embodying pathogens comprising; an underground structure of concrete having an irradiation chamber, an inlet opening above and spaced from said chamber, a barrier portion of concrete intermediate said chamber and inlet opening, and a communicating passageway interconnecting said chamber and inlet opening at an end portion of said barrier and out of direct alignment with said chamber and inlet opening; an endless conveyor carrying individual open top containers along its length extending through said chamber and passageway and inlet opening having a plurality of spaced apart lengths one above the other disposed in said chamber and having an outer portion with upper loading and lower discharging lengths disposed above said concrete structure and irradiation chamber for receiving untreated solids through said open tops and discharging treated solids through said open tops by inverting said containers, said conveyor comprising an endless foldable chain with means for moving said containers into close adjacency disposed in said irradiation chamber and in said upper loading length; a concrete cavity portion at one side of said irradiation chamber for containing a water pool and an irradiation source and having a delivery port adjacent said irradiation chamber, and means for transferring an irradiation source through said port from said cavity portion to an irradiating position in said irradiation chamber adjacent said conveyor and intermediate said upper and lower conveyor lengths to irradiate or sterilize solids carried in said individual containers from their tops during movement in one direction and from their bottoms during movement in an opposite direction.