JPH0768133A - Isotope separation device - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [Purpose] To prevent the attachment of neutral atoms to the recovery electrode and improve the utilization efficiency of raw materials and the separation efficiency of isotopes. [Structure] Positive electrode 14 and negative electrode are provided in a sealed container 11 inside the vacuum container 2.
15 and 15 are alternately arranged to form a recovery electrode. The recovery electrode site is irradiated with the laser beam 12 and the ionized isotope 13 is separated. An evaporation crucible 4 containing a metal raw material 3 is installed in front of the positive electrode 14 and the negative electrode 15, and a vapor flow collecting plate is installed behind it.
16 are installed. The metal raw material 3 is irradiated with the electron beam 7 and heated to become a vapor stream 10. A rectifying plate 17 is provided below the positive electrode 14 and the negative electrode 15, respectively, and a rotating mechanism 18 is attached to the rectifying plate 17. Since there are many neutral atoms at the start of operation,
The flow straightening plate 17 restricts the flow of the vapor stream 10 to prevent the attachment of neutral atoms to the recovery electrode, that is, the positive electrode 14 and the negative electrode 15.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an isotope separation device using a laser method.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Isotope separation devices by gas diffusion method, nozzle method or centrifugal separation method have been conventionally operated by utilizing the difference in chemical characteristics or the difference in mass between isotopes.
However, since the conventional devices have low separation efficiency per unit, in order to concentrate a specific isotope to a predetermined concentration level,
It was necessary to repeat the same separation process in multiple stages by the cascade method.

However, the isotope separation device by the laser method for selectively ionizing a specific isotope by using laser light and electrically separating the ionized isotope has a very high separation efficiency per unit. Since it is not necessary to form a cascade as in the conventional case, the entire device is small and economically advantageous.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing the structure of a conventional laser isotope separation device. In the figure, an isotope separation device 1 includes a vacuum container 2 that hermetically houses a main body, and each device that constitutes the main body.

A metal raw material 3 containing a plurality of types of the same plate is housed in an evaporation crucible 4 having thermochemical resistance. A cooling pipe 5 for adjusting the temperature of the raw material is embedded in the evaporation crucible 4. The metal raw material 3 contained in the evaporation crucible 4 is continuously irradiated with the electron beam 7 emitted from the filament 6a of the electron gun 6.

The electron beam 7 is deflected by a deflection magnetic field device 8 provided inside the electron gun 6, and a molten liquid surface 9 of the metal raw material 3 is deflected.
Is irradiated. Metal raw material 3 irradiated with electron beam 7
Is heated to about 2700K, evaporates through the molten state,
A isotope vapor stream 10 is continuously produced.

The produced vapor stream 10 is enclosed in an enclosure 11 formed so as to surround the upper space of the evaporation crucible 4, and is further guided upward. Steam flow guided upwards
A part of 10 contacts the inner wall of the enclosure 11 having a relatively low temperature, is cooled, and is condensed to form an attached isotope layer (not shown).

On the other hand, the vapor stream 10 that has reached the upper portion without adhering to the enclosure 11 is irradiated with a laser beam 12 that selectively excites only a specific isotope for the purpose of recovery. As the laser light 12, a monochromatic laser light having a frequency corresponding to a resonance absorption line of a specific isotope is adopted. Electrons are expelled from the specific isotope irradiated with the laser beam 12 to become an ionized isotope 13 having a positive charge.

When the ionized isotope 13 passes through the electric field space formed between the recovery electrodes in which the positive electrode 14 and the negative electrode 15 are alternately arranged, only the ionized isotope 13 is on the surface of the negative electrode 15. It is deflected to and is collected by adsorption.

On the other hand, neutral atoms such as isotopes that are not ionized go straight between the positive and negative electrodes 14 and 15 without being affected by the electric field, and vapors arranged above the positive and negative electrodes 14 and 15 are vaporized. It is collected by the flow collecting plate 16.

[0011]

In the conventional isotope separation apparatus, when the metal raw material 3 is vaporized and ionized, there are many neutral atoms that are not ionized at the start of operation, and these neutral atoms adhere to the recovery electrode. Therefore, there was a problem that the amount of metal atoms ionized when the operation was continued was significantly reduced.

The present invention has been made in order to solve the above problems, and provides an isotope separation device for increasing the utilization efficiency of raw materials and improving the separation efficiency of isotopes by providing means for preventing the attachment of neutral atoms. To provide.

[0013]

According to the present invention, a vapor generator for evaporating a metal raw material containing a plurality of isotopes to produce a vapor stream, and a positive electrode parallel to the flow direction of the vapor stream are provided. Collection electrodes formed by alternately arranging negative electrodes,
An enclosing container that accommodates the recovery electrode and guides the vapor flow from the vapor generator to the recovery electrode; and a specific container included in the vapor flow by irradiating the vapor flow guided by the recovery electrode with laser light of a predetermined wavelength. A laser beam oscillating device for selectively ionizing an isotope is provided, and a rectifying plate having a rotating mechanism or a variable thickness is provided below the recovery electrode.

[0014]

In the present invention, by providing a rectifying plate below the recovery electrode in which the anode and the cathode are alternately arranged, it is possible to prevent the neutral atoms, which are often present at the start of operation, from adhering to the recovery electrode. Therefore, the utilization efficiency of metal raw materials is increased,
The isotope separation efficiency can be improved.

[0015]

EXAMPLE A first example of the isotope separation apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing a first embodiment of the isotope separation device according to the present invention, and the same parts and elements as those of the conventional example shown in FIG.

The isotope separation device 1a of the first embodiment is
A vapor generator, a recovery electrode, and a sealed container in the vacuum container 2.
It is configured by storing 11. The steam generator is a metal raw material 3
And an electron gun 6 for irradiating the metal raw material 3 with an electron beam 7 to heat and vaporize the metal raw material 3 to generate a vapor stream 10.

A recovery electrode formed by alternately arranging the positive electrode 14 and the negative electrode 15 is provided above the vapor generator. A photoreaction part A is formed between each positive electrode 14 and the negative electrode 15 as surrounded by a broken line, and a laser light oscillating device for irradiating a laser beam 12 to a vapor stream 10 flowing through the photoreaction part (see FIG. (Not shown) is provided on the axial extension of the photoreaction part A.

A rectifying plate 17 is provided below the recovery electrode, that is, the positive electrode 14 and the negative electrode 15. The straightening plate 17 is provided with a rotating mechanism 18, and the rotating mechanism 18 can change the straightening plate 17 to an arbitrary angle. The apparent thickness viewed from the direction of the steam flow 10 can be changed by rotating it by an arbitrary angle.

Next, the isotope separation device 1a according to the above configuration.
The operation method and action of the above will be described. Electron beam 7
The metal raw material 3 containing a plurality of isotopes heated and vaporized by the irradiation of the vapor becomes a vapor stream 10 and is guided to the enclosing container 11 and introduced into the photoreaction part A between the positive electrode 14 and the negative electrode 15 of the recovery electrode. It

The introduced vapor stream 10 is irradiated with a laser beam 12 oscillated from a laser beam oscillating device to produce a vapor stream.
Only the specific isotope contained in 10 is selectively excited, and this specific isotope electron is further ejected to become a cationized isotope. The generated cationized isotope is the recovery electrode positive electrode 14
The lines of electric force formed between the negative electrode 15 and the negative electrode 15 are electrically attracted to the negative electrode 15 side and separated and collected.

On the other hand, at the start of separation, there are many neutral atoms that do not ionize. Therefore, the flow of neutral atoms is increased by rotating the straightening plate 17 by an arbitrary angle to increase the apparent thickness seen from the vapor flow direction. Narrow the pattern, positive electrode 14 and negative electrode 15
It is recovered by the vapor flow collecting plate 16 without approaching to.

At normal times, the rectifying plate 17 is not rotated and the apparent thickness viewed from the steam flow direction is narrowed,
Positive electrode without seeing the flow of ionized ionized isotopes
It is collected by 14 and the negative electrode 15. Therefore, according to the isotope separation device of this embodiment, the utilization factor of the metal raw material 3 is increased and the isotope separation efficiency of the entire device is improved.

Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. The isotope separation device 1b according to the second embodiment in FIG. 2 is configured by storing a vapor generation device, a recovery electrode and a sealed container 11 in a vacuum container 2 as in the first embodiment. The vapor generator comprises an evaporation crucible 4 containing a metal raw material 3 and an electron gun 6 for irradiating the metal raw material 3 with an electron beam 7 to heat and vaporize the metal raw material 3 to generate a vapor stream 10.

Above the steam generator, a positive electrode 14 and a negative electrode
A recovery electrode formed by alternately arranging 15 and 15 is provided.
A photoreaction part A is formed between each positive electrode 14 and the negative electrode 15, and a laser light oscillation device for irradiating a laser beam 12 to a vapor stream 10 flowing through the photoreaction part A is an axial direction of the photoreaction part A. It is provided on the extension.

A rectifying plate 17 is provided below the recovery electrode composed of the positive electrode 14 and the negative electrode 15. The current plate 17 is a current plate
A thickness varying mechanism 19 capable of varying the thickness of 17 is provided.

Next, the operation method and operation of the isotope separation device according to the second embodiment will be described. The metal raw material 3 containing a plurality of isotopes heated and vaporized by the vapor generator becomes a vapor flow 10 and is introduced into the photoreaction part A between the positive electrode 14 and the negative electrode 15 of the recovery electrode, guided by the enclosing container 11. To be done.

The introduced vapor stream 10 is irradiated with a laser beam 12 oscillated from a laser beam oscillating device to produce a vapor stream.
Only the specific isotope contained in 10 is selectively excited, and this specific isotope electron is further ejected to become a cationized isotope.

The generated cationized isotope is electrically attracted to the negative electrode 15 side by the lines of electric force formed between the positive electrode 14 and the negative electrode 15 of the recovery electrode, and is separated and recovered.

On the other hand, at the start of the separation, since there are many neutral atoms that do not ionize, the flow pattern of the neutral atoms is narrowed by increasing the thickness of the rectifying plate 17, so that the positive electrode 14 and the negative electrode 15 are formed.
It is recovered by the vapor flow collecting plate 16 without approaching to.

In normal times, by narrowing the thickness of the rectifying plate 17, the ionized isotope ionized is recovered by the positive electrode 14 and the negative electrode 15 without generating a flow. Therefore, according to the isotope separation device of this embodiment, the utilization factor of the metal raw material 3 is increased and the isotope separation efficiency of the entire device is improved.

In each of the above embodiments, the rectifying plate 17 is provided with the rotating mechanism 18 or the variable thickness mechanism 19, but the rectifying plate 17
It is possible to change the shape depending on whether it has a curvature, an angle, a thickness, or the like, and an attachment / detachment mechanism for the current plate 18 can be provided as necessary. Thereby, the rotating mechanism 18 or the thickness varying mechanism 19 can be omitted.

[0032]

According to the present invention, since the attachment of neutral atoms at the time of startup can be prevented by the current plate, the utilization rate of the metal raw material is increased and the isotope separation efficiency is greatly improved.

Further, by rotating the straightening vane by an arbitrary angle by the straightening vane equipped with the rotating mechanism or the thickness varying mechanism, the apparent thickness seen from the vapor flow direction can be varied, so that The width of the steam flow incident on can be adjusted.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing a first embodiment of an isotope separation device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing a second embodiment of the isotope separation device according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a conventional isotope separation device.

[Explanation of symbols]

1, 1a, 1b ... Isotope separation device, 2 ... Vacuum container, 3 ...
Metal raw material, 4 ... Evaporating crucible, 5 ... Cooling tube, 6 ... Electron gun, 7 ... Electron beam, 8 ... Deflection magnetic field device, 9 ... Molten liquid level, 10 ... Vapor flow, 11 ... Encapsulation container, 12 ... Laser light ,13…
Ionized isotope, 14 ... Positive electrode, 15 ... Cathode electrode, 16 ... Vapor flow collecting plate, 17 ... Rectifying plate, 18 ... Rotation mechanism, 19 ... Thickness variable mechanism.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A vapor generator that heats and evaporates a metal raw material containing a plurality of isotopes to generate a vapor stream, and positive and negative electrodes are arranged alternately in parallel to the flow direction of the vapor stream. The recovery electrode formed as described above, an enclosure for accommodating the recovery electrode and guiding the vapor flow from the vapor generator to the recovery electrode, and irradiating the vapor flow guided by the recovery electrode with laser light of a predetermined wavelength. A laser light oscillating device for selectively ionizing a specific isotope contained in a vapor flow, and a rectifying plate having a rotating mechanism or a variable thickness under the recovery electrode. Isotope separation device characterized by.