Comprehensive Pneumatic Transportation System for Geological Disposal Facilities

Abstract

The pneumatic capsule pipeline transportation is a method to transport various materials by utilizing differential pneumatic pressure. It has advantages over conventional methods (e.g., vertical transport using a lift in a shaft) in terms of safety and economical efficiency when it is applied to the deep radioactive waste disposal facilities (Hane, et al., 2002). In this paper, focusing attention on the safety and efficiency of transportation, we propose a concept of the comprehensive transportation system for the high-level radioactive wastes disposal facilities. By introducing a curved pipe section to the pipeline system, we show the applicability and practicability of the system for the facility by analytical study.

Numerical Method for System Level Simulation of Long-Distance Pneumatic Conveying Pipelines

“…Transportation of capsules through pipelines has been extensively used in various industries. These capsules are typically hollow containers filled with minerals [1], radioactive materials [2], waste [3,4], or other goods [5][6][7][8]. As air is readily available, pneumatic capsule pipelines (PCPs) has drawn substantial attention and have been successfully used in mineral industries, tunnel construction, waste disposal facility and hospitals [2][3][4][5][6][7][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17].…”

“…Moreover, the models were all established based on oversimplified pipeline architecture (a single horizontal/vertical tube), although practical PCPs are often composed of multiple horizontal, vertical, and bend segments in which forces applied on capsules may vary a lot. In addition, the pressure difference on both ends of the capsule was considered the only aerodynamic force in the models, which means the viscosity force was neglected [7]. Such an assumption may be correct in case the capsules have regular shapes and are constructed with end plates [8].…”