Gary L Bourne

Title: Innovations by Gary L Bourne

Introduction

Gary L Bourne is an accomplished inventor based in Idaho Falls, ID (US). He has made significant contributions to the field of technology with a focus on environmental safety and monitoring systems. With a total of 2 patents, his work reflects a commitment to innovation and practical solutions.

Latest Patents

One of his latest patents is the Tritium Monitor and Collection System. This advanced system measures tritium on-line and collects it from a flowing inert gas stream. It effectively separates tritium from other non-hydrogen isotope contaminating gases, whether radioactive or not. The collecting portion of the system is constructed of various zirconium alloys known as getters. These alloys adsorb tritium in any of its forms at one temperature and release it as a gas at a higher temperature. The system consists of four on-line getters and heaters, two ion chamber detectors, two collection getters, and two guard getters. When the incoming gas stream is valved through the on-line getters, 99.9% of it is adsorbed, while the remainder continues to the guard getter for further adsorption. The inert gas stream then exits the system to the decay chamber. Once the on-line getter has collected tritium for a predetermined time, it is valved off, and the next on-line getter is activated. Simultaneously, the first getter is heated, and a pure helium purge is employed to carry the tritium from the getter. The tritium-loaded gas stream is then routed through an ion chamber that measures the tritium activity. The ion chamber effluent passes through a collection getter that readsorbs the tritium and is removable from the system once it is loaded. Prior to removal, the system switches to a parallel collection getter. The effluent from the collection getter passes through a guard getter to remove traces of tritium before exiting the system. The tritium-loaded collection getter, once removed, is analyzed using liquid scintillation techniques. The entire sequence is under computer control, except for the removal and analysis of the collection getter.

Another notable invention is the Method of Recovering Hazardous Waste from Phenolic Resin Filters. This process involves circulating a solution of 8 to 16 molar nitric acid at a temperature of 110 to 190 degrees Fahrenheit through the filter. The hot solution dissolves the filter material and