1. A method for treating an article that includes a radioactive material, the method including the steps of:
(a) loading the article into a containment area defined in a treatment vessel;
(b) while the article is being held in the radioactive material containment area, placing the article in contact with a liquid reactant metal in the treatment vessel to decompose the radioactive material in the article into radioactive material decomposition constituents dispersed in the liquid reactant metal;
(c) producing a storage mixture including the radioactive material decomposition constituents dispersed in the liquid reactant metal together with radioactive emission control materials, the radioactive emission control materials being present in the storage mixture in an effective ratio with radioactive material decomposition constituents in the storage mixture to limit radiation emissions from the storage mixture; and
(d) cooling the storage mixture in one or more molds to form a solidified storage product for the radioactive material decomposition constituents.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein the article comprises one or more pieces of a nuclear reactor fuel rod or one or more whole fuel rods.
3. The method of claim 1 further including the step of encapsulating each solidified storage product in a radiation shielding material.
4. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of producing the storage mixture includes combining radioactive emission control materials and liquid reactant metal after placing the article in contact with the liquid reactant metal.
5. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of producing the storage mixture includes combining radioactive emission control materials and liquid reactant metal prior to placing the article in contact with the liquid reactant metal.
6. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of placing the article in contact with the liquid reactant metal includes tilting the treatment vessel from a loading position to a treatment position.
7. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of placing the article in contact with the liquid reactant metal includes transferring liquid reactant metal into the treatment vessel from a separate vessel.
8. The method of claim 1 further including the step of pouring the storage mixture from the treatment vessel into one or more molds.
9. A method of treating a target material in a liquid reactant metal, the method including the steps of:
(a) loading a target material in a treatment vessel;
(b) containing a volume of liquid reactant metal in the treatment vessel;
(c) tilting the treatment vessel to place the target material in contact with the liquid reactant metal; and
(d) removing reaction products from the treatment vessel.
10. The method of claim 9 wherein the step of loading the target material in the treatment vessel includes loading the target material into a containment area defined in the treatment vessel.
11. The method of claim 10 further including the step of tilting the treatment vessel to a loading position and maintaining the treatment vessel in the loading position during the step of loading a target material into the containment area, the containment area residing above the level of the liquid reactant metal in the treatment chamber when the treatment chamber is in the loading position.
12. The method of claim 11 wherein the step of tilting the treatment vessel to place the target material in contact with the liquid reactant metal comprises tilting the treatment vessel to a treatment position in which the containment area resides below the level of the liquid reactant metal in the treatment chamber.
13. The method of claim 9 wherein the step of removing reaction products from the treatment vessel includes pouring liquid reactant metal and reaction products entrained in the liquid reactant metal from the treatment vessel.
14. A method of treating a target material in a liquid reactant metal, the method including the steps of:
(a) loading a target material into a containment area defined in a treatment vessel and holding the target material in the containment area;
(b) placing the containment area below a level of liquid reactant metal in the treatment vessel to place the target material in contact with the liquid reactant metal; and
(c) removing reaction products from the treatment vessel.
15. The method of claim 14 wherein the step of placing the containment area below the level of liquid reactant metal in the treatment vessel includes tilting the treatment vessel to a treatment position.
16. The method of claim 14 wherein the step of placing the containment area below the level of liquid reactant metal in the treatment vessel includes adding the liquid reactant metal to the treatment vessel.
17. An apparatus for treating materials with a liquid reactant metal, the apparatus including:
(a) a treatment vessel capable of containing a liquid reactant metal;
(b) a target material containment structure located within the treatment vessel and defining a containment area;
(c) a reactant contacting arrangement for placing the containment area below a level of liquid reactant metal in the treatment vessel to place target material loaded in the target material containment structure in contact with the liquid reactant metal; and
(d) a reaction product removal arrangement connected to the treatment vessel.
18. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the reactant contacting arrangement includes a tilting mechanism connected to the treatment vessel to enable the treatment vessel to tilt between a contacting position and a loading position, wherein the containment area is above the level of the liquid reactant metal in the treatment vessel when the treatment vessel is in the loading position.
19. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the reactant contacting arrangement includes a conditioning vessel and a transfer arrangement for transferring a sufficient volume of the liquid reactant metal from the conditioning vessel to the treatment vessel to place the containment arrangement below the level of the liquid reactant metal in the treatment chamber.
20. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the reaction product removal arrangement includes a collection vessel connected to receive liquid reactant metal and entrained reaction products from the treatment vessel.
21. The apparatus of claim 20 further including a tilting mechanism connected to the treatment vessel for moving the treatment vessel from a treatment position to a pouring position to pour liquid reactant metal and entrained reaction products from the treatment vessel to the collection vessel.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
What is claimed is:
1. A method for providing a decorative covering for a floral grouping, comprising:
securing at least one sheet of material to an individual so as to maintain the individual’s hands unconstrained;
detaching at least one sheet of material; and
disposing the detached sheet of material about at least a portion of the floral grouping such that a portion of the floral grouping is left exposed to provide the decorative covering for the floral grouping.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the sheets of material has an opening formed therethrough and wherein the step of disposing the sheet about at least a portion of the floral grouping includes the step of disposing at least a portion of the floral grouping within the opening of at least one sheet of material such that the sheet of material is disposed about at least a portion of the floral grouping.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of detaching at least one sheet of material from the header assembly includes the step of tearing at least one sheet of material from a header assembly along a line of perforations disposed between the sheet of material and the header assembly.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein the sheet of material is secured to the individual via a belt.
5. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of transporting the at least one sheet of material to a predetermined location for dispersion of at least one sheet of material.
6. The method of claim 5, wherein the at least one sheet of material is transported by the individual.
7. A method, comprising the steps of:
providing a decorative covering assembly comprising a header assembly and a plurality of sheets of material detachably connected to the header assembly, the decorative covering assembly adapted to be connected to an individual so as to maintain the individual’s hands unconstrained; and
delivering the decorative covering assembly to a greenhouse for use by an individual at the greenhouse to cover floral groupings grown in the greenhouse.
8. A method, comprising the steps of:
providing a decorative covering assembly comprising a header assembly and a plurality of sheets of material detachably connected to the header assembly, the decorative covering assembly adapted to be connected to an individual to maintain the individual’s hands unconstrained and to hang in a vertical direction; and
delivering the decorative covering assembly to a greenhouse for use by the individual in wrapping floral groupings.
9. The method of claim 8, further comprising the steps of:
connecting the decorative covering assembly to the individual;
detaching at least one sheet of material; and
disposing the at least one sheet of material about a floral grouping such that at least a portion of the floral grouping is left exposed.