Pressurized electro-hydraulic processing means

Abstract

A pressurized electrochemical bulk-process method & apparatus, adapted to real-time tracking and adjustment of electro-hydraulic parameters, comprising a high-pressure reaction chamber of the type of a horizontal cylindrical electrolytic cell, whose zirconium walls constitute one electrode in contact with an electrolytic solvent containing the target material to be processed. The other electrode is a thin vertical zirconium disk partially submerged in the electrolyte, which fills less than half of the chamber. Because the electrolyte's resistance is not constant, the current cannot be controlled merely by adjusting the voltage in the 60-cycle AC current; instead, the current amperage must be monitored in real time and the voltage either lowered in response to sharp amperage increases in order to keep the cell's temperature (and hence its pressure) below the safety limits at which the disk-shaped Teflon end-gaskets sealing the cylinder's ends will rupture, or else increased, during normal operation, to compensate for decreases in current caused by various reactions occurring in the electrolyte.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . An apparatus for aneutronic bulk-process transmutation of at least one selected chemical element, in macroscopic amounts, into bulk amounts of at least one other species of chemical element not previously present, by utilization of a relatively low-energy electrochemical process, comprising: 
 (a) a horizontally-positioned cylindrical reaction chamber comprised of a length of zirconium piping.    (b) disk-shaped Teflon gaskets adapted to seal both ends of said chamber;    (c) an insulated zirconium rod-shaped conductor, centrally penetrating said gaskets and positioned axially along the central axis of rotational symmetry of said piping and adapted to carry external electrical current to both    (d) a central relatively thin vertical disk-shaped zirconium electrode positioned perpendicularly to said axis of symmetry and extending its circular edges to within a pre-selected small distance of the cylindrical walls of said piping, as well as    (e) thick stainless-steel end-plates, positioned apart but held in contractive tension by strong stainless steel bolts parallel to said axis, adapted to hold said gaskets firmly against the punctured-disk-shaped ends of said piping, with sufficient tensile strength to convert the apparatus into a high-pressure processing electrolytic cell when an electrolytic solvent liquid containing target materials for processing is introduced into said cylindrical reaction chamber in sufficient quantity for said liquid to be in contact with at least the lower portion of said vertical disk electrode as well as the lower portion of the containing cylindrically shaped wall-electrode;    (f) a high-pressure port by means of which a selected amount of said liquid may be introduced into said chamber and sealed therein prior to electrolytic processing;    (g) externally visible thermometric monitoring means permitting said chamber's temperature to be monitored visually during processing;    (h) external 60-cycle alternating current supply means,    (i) means for electrically connecting said disk-electrode and said chamber walls through said electrolytic fluid so as to constitute an electrolytic cell; and    (j) means for real-time monitoring of both current amperage and voltage flowing through said electrolytic cell during processing; and    (k) means allowing an operator to make real-time adjustments of said voltage in order to keep said amperage from raising said liquid's temperature to a point wherein the resultant fluid pressure poses a risk of rupture to said gaskets while simultaneously adapting to current decreases caused by variations in the electrolyte's resistance arising from reactions of the material being processed.    
     
     
         2 . An apparatus for aneutronic bulk-process transmutation of at least one selected chemical element, in macroscopic amounts, into bulk amounts of at least one other species of chemical element not previously present, by utilization of a relatively low energy electrochemical process comprising: 
 (a) a selected bulk amount of at least one target element of a selected chemical identity to be transmuted;    (b) a thermally stable vessel selected from the class comprising leak-proof vessels and fluid pressure-tight vessels, in which to operate the process at temperatures higher than room-temperature;    (c) a selected bulk quantity of a pre-selected liquid solvent into which said target element is dissolved;    (d) at least one soluble material added to said target-carrying solvent which converts said target-carrying solvent into an electrically conductive electrolytic    (e) an electrolytic cell comprised of said vessel containing said target carrying electrolytic solvent;    (f) at least two electrodes selected from the group comprising metals and solid conductive material;    (g) means for positioning at least one of said electrodes at least partially submerged in said target-carrying electrolytic solvent;    (h) means for positioning at least one other of said electrodes in sufficiently close proximity to said vessel that a closed-loop electrical current may be established which runs through at least one of each said electrodes, and between them in said electrolyte, when energized by an external source of electrical power;    (i) an external source of electrical power selected from the class comprising direct current, alternating current and pulsed direct current;    (j) means for controlling in real time the salient power-conditioning characteristics of said power sources as regards features selected from the group comprising voltage, amperage, AC frequency, and pulse-repetition rate, in order to operate said combination of vessel, electrolytic solvent, dissolved target material, electrodes and power source as a closed-loop electrolytic cell, together with    (k) instrumentation for real-time monitoring of at least one of said solvent's fluid characteristics, selected from the group comprising fluid temperature and fluid pressure;    (l) means for adjusting said power-conditioning characteristics in real time in order to control said fluid characteristics in real time by means of a control technology selected from the group comprising human operated manual control, automatic feedback control and pre-programmed command control;    (m) timing means for operating said electrolytic cell during a sufficiently long epoch that at least a macroscopic amount of said target element is transmuted in bulk amounts into at least one other element not previously present, and    (n) safety means for exercising said control technology in such a manner as to maintain the microphysical energy levels of said cell's materials below the levels at which detectable neutrons might be produced and below the levels at which detectable ionizing radiation might be produced.    
     
     
         3 . The apparatus of  claim 2  in which said vessel is fluid-pressure-tight and adapted to contain pressures greater than atmospheric without rupturing.  
     
     
         4 . The apparatus of  claim 2  in which said soluble material coincides with said target material.  
     
     
         5 . The apparatus of  claim 2  in which said target material is compounded with said soluble material so that dissolving this compound in said solvent material creates a target-carrying electrolytic solvent.  
     
     
         6 . The apparatus of  claim 2  in which said instrumentation comprises means for measuring the temperature of said electrolytic solvent in real time.  
     
     
         7 . The apparatus of  claim 2  in which said control technology comprises computer controlled automatic feedback control means.  
     
     
         8 . The apparatus of  claim 2  in which said control technology comprises computer-controlled preprogrammed command control means.  
     
     
         9 . The apparatus of  claim 2  in which said timing means comprises means for real time monitoring of the amount of said target material's transmutation together with control means for termination of the operation of said apparatus when a pre-selected degree of transmutation has been achieved.  
     
     
         10 . The apparatus of  claim 2  in which said timing means comprises means for monitoring of the amount of electrical energy used, by means of which an indirect determination of the amount of transmutation achieved can be estimated in real time by means of comparison with records of previously monitored processes of comparable type.  
     
     
         11 . The apparatus of  claim 2  in which said safety means comprises instrumentation for detection of radiation selected from the group comprising neutron fluxes and ionizing radiation fluxes, together with automatic negative feedback control means for immediately decreasing the power input to the process if such a flux be detected.  
     
     
         12 . An aneutronic bulk-process method for transmuting at least one selected chemical element, in macroscopic amounts, into bulk amounts of at least one other species of chemical element not previously present, by utilization of a relatively low-energy electrochemical process, comprising the steps of: 
 (a) selecting a bulk amount and a chemical identity of at least one target element to be transmuted;    (b) providing a thermally stable vessel selected from the class comprising leak proof vessels and fluid-pressure-tight vessels, in which to operate the process at temperatures higher than room temperature;    (c) dissolving said target element in a selected bulk quantity of a pre-selected liquid solvent;    (d) adding to said solvent at least one soluble material which converts said target carrying solvent into an electrically conductive electrolyte;    (e) introducing said target carrying electrolytic solvent into said vessel,    (f) selecting at least two electrodes from the group comprising metals and solid conductive materials;    (g) positioning at least one of said electrodes at least partially submerged in said target-carrying electrolytic solvent;    (h) positioning at least one other of said electrodes in sufficiently close proximity to said vessel that a closed-loop electrical current may be established which runs through at least one each of said electrodes, and between them in said electrolyte, when energized by an external source of electrical power;    (i) providing an external source of electrical power selected from the class comprising direct current, alternating current and pulsed direct current;    (j) controlling in real time the salient power-conditioning characteristics of said power source as regards features selected from the group comprising voltage, amperage, AC frequency, and pulse-repetition rate, in order to operate said combination of vessel, electrolytic solvent, dissolved target material, electrodes and power source as a closed-loop electrolytic cell, while,    (k) providing instrumentation for real-time monitoring of at least one of said solvent's fluid characteristics, selected from the group comprising fluid temperature and fluid pressure;    (l) adjusting said power conditioning characteristics in real time in order to control said fluid characteristic in real time by means of a control technology selected from the group comprising human-operated manual control, automatic feedback control, and pre-programmed command control; and    (m) operating said electrolytic cell during a sufficiently long epoch that at least a macroscopic amount of said target element is trasmuted in bulk amounts into at least one other element not previously present, while    (n) safely exercising said control technology in such a manner as to maintain the microphysical energy levels of said cell's materials below the levels at which detectable neutrons might be produced and below the levels at which detectable ionizing radiation might be produced.    
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12  comprising the additional step of selecting said vessel to be fluid-pressure-tight and capable of containing pressures greater than atmospheric without rupturing.  
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 12  comprising the additional step of selecting said soluble material to coincide with said target material.  
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 12  comprising the additional step of compounding said target material with said soluble material and dissolving this compound in said solvent material to create a target-carrying electrolytic solvent.  
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 12  comprising the additional step of selecting said instrumentation to comprises means for measuring the temperature of said electrolytic solvent in real time.  
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 12  comprising the additional step of selecting said control technology to comprise computer-controlled automatic feedback control means.  
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 12  comprising the additional step of selecting said control technology to comprise computer-controlled preprogrammed command-control means.  
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 12  comprising the additional step of selecting said timing means to comprise means for real-time monitoring of the amount of said target material's transmutation together with control means for termination of the operation of the process when a pre-selected amount of transmutation has been achieved.  
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 12  comprising the additional step of selecting said timing means to comprise means for monitoring of the amount of electrical energy used, by means of which an indirect determination of the amount of transmutation achieved can be estimated in real time by means of comparison with records of previously monitored processes of comparable type.  
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 12  comprising the additional step of selecting said safe control manner to comprise use of instrumentation for detection of radiation selected from the group comprising neutron fluxes and ionizing radiation fluxes, together with automatic negative feedback control means for immediately decreasing the power input to the process if such a flux be detected.