System for removing liquid from a slurry of liquid and powdered material

Abstract

In order to remove liquid from a slurry of water and powdered material, and particularly from a slurry containing spent powdered ion exchange resins and other media used to decontaminate water in nuclear power plants, a vessel is filled with the slurry. The vessel contains filters, particularly panels which are arrayed in the upper portion of the vessel and through which water is filtered leaving a body ('cake') of the powdered material in the vessel. The filters are surrounded on at least their sides and top by a bag of pliant material. This bag defines a variable volume region and may be evacuated to compress the cake against the filters, prevent breaking suction at the filters and enabling them to continue to remove the water remaining in the cake so that additional water may be removed from the cake and discharged from the vessel, leaving a compact mass which efficiently utilizes the volume of the vessel, thereby preparing the vessel and the dewatered slurry for disposal.