Method of purifying the used O-18 enriched cyclotron target water and apparatus for the same

• US 7,659,522 B2
• Filed: 05/31/2007
• Issued: 02/09/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/02/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (Government of The Republic of Korea)
• Original Assignee: Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (Government of The Republic of Korea)
• Inventors: Kim, Taek Soo, Kim, Jae Woo, Kim, Sang Wook, Bae, Se Won
• Primary Examiner(s): Souw; Bernard E
• Assistant Examiner(s): Sahu; Meenakshi S
• Application Number:
  US11/806,310
• Publication Number:
  US 20080187087A1
• Time in Patent Office: 985 Days
• Field of Search: 250428-432, 250/435, 250/436, 250/432.R, 376/190, 376/194, 376/195
• US Class Current: 250/432.00R
• CPC Class Codes: H05H 7/00 Details of devices of the types covered by groups H05H9/00, H05H11/00, H05H13/00

Abstract

A method of purifying the used O-18 enriched cyclotron target water contaminated by the various organic compounds, the method including: supplying gaseous oxygen into the target water to be purified; irradiating UV rays having wavelengths of 254 nm and 185 nm on the target water; and releasing the gases generated during the purification oxidation process.

Claims

1. A method of purifying used O-18 enriched cyclotron target water contaminated by various organic compounds, the method comprising:

supplying continuously and directly gaseous oxygen into the target water to be purified;

irradiating UV rays having wavelengths of 254 nm and 185 nm on the target water; and

releasing gases generated during a purification process by oxidation,

wherein, in the supplying gaseous oxygen, the gaseous oxygen is supplied by bubbling into the target water.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, in the supplying gaseous oxygen, the gaseous oxygen is supplied to maintain concentration of dissolved oxygen at 10 to 40 ppm in the target water.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein, in the supplying gaseous oxygen, the gaseous oxygen is supplied by connecting an oxygen gas line directly to a sample delivery tube before entering a UV irradiator.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the irradiating UV comprises:

generating intermediate by-products by one of C—

H bond and C—

C bond disassociation caused by irradiation of the UV rays having the wavelengths of 254 nm and 185 nm;

generating —

OH radicals from water molecules and reactive oxygen species (ROS) from the dissolved oxygen supplied into a sample under irradiation of the UV rays having the wavelength of 185 nm; and

generating CO₂ and H₂O as a result of oxidation reaction of the —

OH radicals and the ROS with the intermediate by-products of the organic compounds.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the irradiating UV further comprises generating ozone O₃ acting as a catalysis for purification of the organic compounds by reaction of the ROS with the dissolved oxygen.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising cooling a sample by heat exchange to maintain a constant temperature of the target water.

7. An apparatus for purifying used O-18 enriched cyclotron target water contaminated by various organic compounds, the apparatus comprising:

a reservoir for containing the target water;

a UV irradiator for irradiating UV rays on the target water transferred from the reservoir;

a heat exchanger for cooling the target water of a high temperature, transferred from the UV irradiator;

a spectroscopic part for measuring concentration of organic impurities in the target water transferred from the UV irradiator; and

a peristaltic pump for circulating the target water,

wherein the apparatus is configured to allow the target water in a tube to receive gaseous oxygen continuously and directly into the reservoir, flow out from the reservoir through the UV irradiator, the heat exchanger, and the spectroscopic part, and flow into the reservoir again, and to allow the gaseous oxygen to bubble into the target water.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the reservoir comprises an oxygen supplier for supplying gaseous oxygen, a temperature sensor, and a pH meter.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the reservoir is a flask including three mouths.

10. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the UV irradiator comprises at least one UV generator for generating UV rays having wavelengths of 254 nm and 185 nm, selected from a group consisting of a low pressure mercury lamp and a Xenon Eximer lamp,

wherein a transparent quartz cell, configured to allow the target water to pass through the transparent quartz cell, is installed close to the UV generator.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the transparent quartz cell is installed to be wound helically around the UV generator.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein an inside diameter of the transparent quartz cell is less than 2 mm and a thickness of a cell wall of the transparent quartz cell is less than 1 mm.

13. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the heat exchanger is configured to maintain a temperature of the target water at 10 to 20°

C.

14. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the spectroscopic part comprises an UV-VIS spectrometer and a quartz flow cell for monitoring the target water.

15. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the spectroscopic part comprises at least one selected from a group consisting of a Fourier Transform infrared spectrometer and a gas chromatography.

16. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the tube is at least one selected from a group consisting of a stainless steel tube and a chemical resistive Tygon tube.