Method and device of irradiation of logs with x-ray as a phytosanitary treatment

• US 7,760,854 B2
• Filed: 04/11/2008
• Issued: 07/20/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/12/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nuctech Company Limited (Tsinghua Tongfang Co., Ltd.), Tsinghua University
• Original Assignee: Nuctech Company Limited (Tsinghua Tongfang Co., Ltd.), Tsinghua University
• Inventors: Huang, Ming, Ming, Shenjin, Zhang, Huayi, Hu, Ming, Li, Yuanjing, Li, Junli, Zhang, Hui, Liu, Yaohong, Chen, Zhiqiang, Tang, Chuanxiang, Hu, Haifeng, Kang, Kejun, Miao, Qitian, Wu, Wanlong
• Primary Examiner(s): Kiknadze; Irakli
• Application Number:
  US12/101,726
• Publication Number:
  US 20080253517A1
• Time in Patent Office: 830 Days
• Field of Search: 378/57, 378/58, 378/62, 378/64, 378/68, 378/69
• US Class Current: 378/64
• CPC Class Codes: A01M 1/226 by using waves, fields or rays, e.g. sound waves, microwaves, electric waves, magnetic fields, light rays
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2/082 X-rays
• CPC Class Codes: B27K 5/0045 X-rays

Abstract

A method for conducting irradiation of all logs of a whole vehicle with X-rays as a phytosanitary treatment may include: connecting a traction device and a goods carrying vehicle outside a shielding door; opening the door; the traction device pulling the vehicle into a tunnel; closing the shielding door; upon the vehicle reaching an irradiation region, accelerators generating X-rays; the traction device pulling the vehicle to pass through the irradiation region; stopping the X-rays; opening the door; the traction device pulling the vehicle away from the irradiation treatment tunnel; and disconnecting the traction device from the vehicle. A device may include a shielding structure, a tunnel formed therethrough; a rail along the tunnel; accelerators within the tunnel; and a traction device for pulling a vehicle carrying goods for quarantine treatment, the accelerators symmetrically arranged at both sides of and on the top of an irradiation region in the tunnel.

Claims

1. A method of conducting irradiation with X-rays as a phytosanitary treatment, comprising:

connecting a traction device and a goods carrying vehicle outside a shielding door;

opening the shielding door;

pulling the vehicle into an irradiation treatment tunnel by the traction device;

closing the shielding door subsequent to entry of the vehicle into the irradiation treatment tunnel;

upon the vehicle reaching an irradiation region, generating X-rays by accelerators;

pulling the vehicle by the traction device so that the vehicle passes through the irradiation region to realize irradiation treatment of the whole vehicle;

subsequent to the irradiation treatment of the whole vehicle, stopping the generation of the X-rays; and

subsequent to stopping the generation of the X-rays;

opening the shielding door;

pulling the vehicle away from the irradiation treatment tunnel by the traction device; and

disconnecting the traction device from the vehicle;

wherein the accelerators are a plurality of accelerators arranged symmetrically at opposite sides and at a top of the irradiation region in the tunnel with respect to a cross section that is perpendicular to a direction in which the vehicle is pulled through the tunnel.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the pulling of the vehicle so that the vehicle passes through the irradiation region includes the traction device pulling the vehicle passing through the radiation region reciprocatingly to receive irradiation twice.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the plurality of accelerators includes five accelerators;

two of the five of accelerators are arranged at a left side of the tunnel;

two of the five of accelerators are arranged at a right side of the tunnel; and

one of the five of accelerators is arranged at a top of the tunnel.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of accelerators is staggered along the direction in which the vehicle is pulled through the tunnel.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the goods include logs and different ones of the plurality of accelerators are configured to generate X-rays by electron beams hitting a metal target at different scanning angles with respect to each other, thereby providing an even distribution of an absorbed dose in the logs.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the goods include logs and the irradiation treatment is conducted for all the logs carried in the vehicle.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the goods include logs and wherein the arrangement of the accelerators generates an evenly distributed X-ray radiation field in the logs.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein:

the plurality of accelerators includes five accelerators;

two of the five of accelerators are arranged at a left side of the tunnel;

two of the five of accelerators are arranged at a right side of the tunnel; and

one of the five of accelerators is arranged at a top of the tunnel.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the plurality of accelerators is staggered along the direction in which the vehicle is pulled through the tunnel.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein different ones of the plurality of accelerators are configured to generate X-rays by electron beams hitting a metal target at different scanning angles with respect to each other, thereby providing an even distribution of an absorbed dose in the logs.

11. A device for conducting irradiation with X-rays as a phytosanitary treatment, comprising:

a shielding structure having a tunnel formed therethrough;

a rail provided along the tunnel;

accelerators within the tunnel; and

a traction device configured to pull a vehicle carrying goods along the rail for quarantine treatment;

wherein the accelerators include a plurality of accelerators symmetrically arranged at opposite sides and at a top of an irradiation region in the tunnel with respect to a cross section that is perpendicular to a direction in which the vehicle is pulled within the tunnel.

12. The device of claim 11, wherein:

the plurality of accelerators includes five accelerators;

two of the five accelerators are arranged at a left side of the tunnel;

two of the five accelerators are arranged at a right side of the tunnel; and

one of the five accelerators is arranged at a top of the tunnel.

13. The device of claim 11, wherein the vehicle carries logs and the goods for quarantine treatment include all the logs carried by the vehicle.

14. The device of claim 13, wherein the shielding structure includes:

a shielding door provided at an end of the tunnel;

shielding walls forming the tunnel;

a maze structure that provides access to the tunnel;

a radiation source shielding chamber located in the middle of the tunnel and configured to shield leakage radiation of the X-rays generated by the accelerators; and

a device chamber door that provides access to the radiation source shielding chamber;

wherein the shielding walls are located at opposite sides of and at a first end of the tunnel, and the shielding door is located at a second end of the tunnel opposite the first end.

15. The device of claim 14, wherein each of the shielding door, device chamber door, and maze structure is provided with a safety interlock device configured to prevent unintentional access thereto.

16. The device of claim 14, wherein the shielding door, shielding walls, maze structure, and radiation source shielding chamber form a closed region, which is designated as a radiation controlled area.

17. The device of claim 14, further comprising:

a plurality of buttresses on the shielding walls along the direction in which the vehicle is pulled within the tunnel, wherein the buttresses are arranged to lower a radiation level outside the shielding door caused by scattering of rays on the shielding walls.

18. The device of claim 11, wherein:

the traction device includes a traction locomotive, a hook, a current collector, and a sliding guide rail;

the sliding guide rail is fixed to ground along the direction in which the vehicle is pulled within the tunnel;

the traction device is configured for automatic connection with the vehicle via the hook; and

the current collector is installed on a side of the traction locomotive for contact with the sliding guide rail for keeping communication and supplying a driving power to the traction locomotive.

19. The device of claim 18, wherein the traction device further includes an anti-collision device fixed to an end of the rail in the tunnel, and the anti-collision device is configured and arranged to prevent collision between the traction locomotive and a closed end of the tunnel.

20. The device of claim 18, wherein the traction locomotive is an unmanned automatic driving locomotive.

21. The device of claim 11, wherein:

the goods include logs; and

the plurality of accelerators are configured to generate X-rays by electron beams hitting a metal target at different scanning angles with respect to each other, thereby providing an even distribution of an absorbed dose in the logs.

22. The device of claim 11, wherein energy of the accelerators in use is selected from a range of 10-16 MeV.

23. A method of conducting irradiation with X-rays as a phytosanitary treatment, comprising:

pulling, by the traction device, a vehicle through an irradiation treatment tunnel formed within a shielding structure;

upon the vehicle reaching an irradiation region within the tunnel, generating X-rays by accelerators; and

pulling, by the traction device, the vehicle through the irradiation region to realize irradiation treatment of the whole vehicle;

wherein the accelerators include a plurality of accelerators symmetrically arranged at opposite sides and at a top of the irradiation region with respect to a cross section that is perpendicular to a direction in which the vehicle is pulled within the tunnel.