Dry cleaning plant for clothing contaminated by radioactivity - using solvent such as tri:chloroethylene, and where filter can be partly decontaminated prior to its replacement

摘要

The clothing is placed in a rotary drum through which a solvent in circulated. A pump then drives the solvent through a solenoid valve, a filter, and a second valve, so the solvent can be recycled to the drum. When the filter requires replacement the valves can be used to connect a by-pass circuit to the filter. The by-pass circuit is employed to circulate a drying gas through the filter, so the latter can be dried and the bulk of its radioactivity can be removed before it is replaced. In one pref. plant, some of the solvent leaving the filter is fed into a distn. plant, the vapour from which is condensed and flows into a storage tank used to supply solvent to the drum.