Method and apparatus for decontaminating solid surface

Claim 1

A method of decontaminating a solid surface with a recirculating bed comprising: providing a packed bed of polishing particles within a vessel; providing a vertical partition with top and bottom ends spaced from the top and bottom of the vessel respectively to thereby divide the packed bed into a vertically oriented loop shaped bed surrounding the partition so that the loop-shaped bed has first and second vertical bed sections, and upper and lower bed portions respectively above and below the partition; immersing a contaminated solid body into the packed bed in the first section of the vessel; applying downwardly directed vibrations to said first vertical bed section while applying upwardly directed vibrations to the second vertical bed section of the bed; moving the polishing particles by the downwardly directed vibrations to flow downwardly to mechanically and frictionally polish the surface of said body in said first section and produce polishing dust, and then moving the polishing particles by the vibrations to flow from the first to the second sections around the bottom end of the partition in the lower bed portion, then moving the polishing articles by the upwardly directed vibrations to flow upwardly in said second section to clean said particles by mechanically and frictionally removing the polishing dust from the particles by mutual friction, and then moving the particles by the vibrations to flow from the second to the first sections around the top end of the partition in the upper bed portion; spraying a cleaning liquid from a position above said packed bed to flow downwardly through both sections to remove polishing dust from the packed bed; removing the cleaning fluid containing polishing dust from the lower portion of the vessel; and thereby recycling clean polishing particles to the first section through the upper bed portion.

Claim 2

A method of decontaminating a solid surface with a recirculating bed comprising: providing a packed bed of polishing particles within a vessel; providing a vertical partition with top and bottom ends spaced from the top and bottom of the vessel respectively to thereby divide the packed bed into a vertically oriented loop shaped bed surrounding the partition so that the loop-shaped bed has first and second vertical bed sections, and upper and lower bed portions respectively above and below the partition; immersing a contaminated solid body into the packed bed in the first section of the vessel; applying downwardly directed vibrations to said first vertical bed section while applying upwardly directed vibrations to the second vertical bed section of the bed; moving the polishing particles by the downwardly directed vibrations to flow downwardly to mechanically and frictionally polish the surface of said body in said first section and produce polishing dust, and then moving the polishing particles by the vibrations to flow from the first to the second sections around the bottom end of the partition in the lower bed portion, then moving the polishing articles by the upwardly directed vibrations to flow upwardly in said second section to clean said particles by mechanically and frictionally removing the polishing dust from the particles by mutual friction, and then moving the particles by the vibrations to flow from the second to the first sections around the top end of the partition in the upper bed portion; spraying a cleaning liquid from a position above said packed bed to flow downwardly through both sections to remove polishing dust from the packed bed; removing the cleaning fluid containing polishing dust from the lower portion of the vessel; and thereby recycling clean polishing particles to the first section through the upper bed portion.

Claim 8

An apparatus having a recirculating bed for decontaminating solid surfaces comprising: a vessel having a top and bottom; said bed containing a packed bed of polishing particles; a vertical partition means spaced from the top and bottom of the vessel for dividing the packed bed into a vertically oriented loop shaped bed surrounding the partition means said bed having first and second bed sections, and upper and lower bed portions respectively above and below said partition means; at least one vibrating means for applying downwardly directed vibrations to the first section of the bed for causing the polishing particles within said first section to flow downward; at least one vibrating means for applying upwardly directed vibrations to the second section of the bed for causing the polishing particles within said second section to flow upward; and both said vibrating means for further applying vibrations to said upper and said lower bed portions so that the polishing particles flow from said first section to said second section through said lower bed portion and from said second section to said first section through said upper bed portion; means to supply cleaning liquid to said bed from a position above the packed bed; and means to remove cleaning liquid from a position below said packed bed; wherein the polishing particles move downward in said first section, through said lower bed portion and into the second section, upward in said second section, through said upper bed portion and into the first section for reuse.

Claim 9

An apparatus having a recirculating bed for decontaminating solid surfaces comprising: a vessel having a top and bottom; said bed containing a packed bed of polishing particles; a vertical partition means spaced from the top and bottom of the vessel for dividing the packed bed into a vertically oriented loop shaped bed surrounding the partition means said bed having first and second bed sections, and upper and lower bed portions respectively above and below said partition means; at least one vibrating means for applying downwardly directed vibrations to the first section of the bed for causing the polishing particles within said first section to flow downward; at least one vibrating means for applying upwardly directed vibrations to the second section of the bed for causing the polishing particles within said second section to flow upward; and both said vibrating means for further applying vibrations to said upper and said lower bed portions so that the polishing particles flow from said first section to said second section through said lower bed portion and from said second section to said first section through said upper bed portion; means to supply cleaning liquid to said bed from a position above the packed bed; and means to remove cleaning liquid from a position below said packed bed; wherein the polishing particles move downward in said first section, through said lower bed portion and into the second section, upward in said second section, through said upper bed portion and into the first section for reuse.