Application 1064 photograph of a steel container with a porthole

Case Study: Spinionic™ Pond Deployment

Fortis

Context

SpinChem® signed an agreement in 2019 with AtkinsRéalis for the exclusive use of their Rotating Bed Reactor (RBR) technology in nuclear environments, coined Spinionic™. This case study is based on tests performed to demonstrate the feasibility of operating a large-scale RBR within a industrial-size tank of 22 m3 volume. An RBR containing 57 litres of media (a media to effluent ratio of 1:350) was deployed in the pond with GX-194 (Radex Sb1000) media for the removal of arsenic from water.

 

57-litre rotating bed reactor

Atkins solutions and added value

The aluminium deployment frame supported the RBR at both the top and bottom to minimize eccentric loads. The whole deployment frame was designed to be lowered into the 22 m3 pond from the top using appropriate lifting equipment.

 

RBR and deployment frame

 

22-m3 'pond'

 

Three test runs were performed at different rotational speeds to assess the efficacy of the RBR. The results illustrated below revealed that the RBR performance is not necessarily improved with increased rotational speed.

 

removal of arsenic over approximately 24 h

 

CFD simulations were performed to estimate the mixing time and flow rate through the RBR. During the tests, samples were taken from both the top and bottom of the pond to ensure mixing of the effluent occurred as expected from the CFD simulation.

 

 

CFD simulations of effluent mixing in the pond

Services provided

  • CFD used to comprehend fluid flow in tank
  • production and verification of test reports
  • Spinionic™ technology engineering performance testing

 

Key benefits and success factors

  • SpinChem and AtkinsRéalis' combined knowledge of water chemistry and ability to assess RBR performance
  • AtkinsRéalis and SpinChem’s capabilities to design RBR and deployment frame

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