Patent · US Expired

Arrangement for receiving and method for handling spent nuclear reactor fuel rods

US4636351A · kind A · utility

23Cited by
4References
15Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventor

Key dates

Filing dateApr 20, 1984
Grant dateJan 13, 1987
Priority date
Expiry dateApr 20, 2004

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
  • CPC primaryY02E30/30
  • WIPO fieldEngines, pumps, turbines
  • WIPO sectorMechanical engineering

Abstract

A packing assembly comprises a transport and storage container with a jacket, bottom and a head part for receiving the fuel rods from preferably two nuclear reactor fuel assemblies and arranging the rods in the densest possible packing, preferably in a hexagonal array packing. The packing assembly further comprises a dense-packing device surrounding the transport and storage container and a guide tube bundle or baffle plate guide for introducing the fuel rods from a fuel assembly into the dense-packing device. The transport and storage container and the dense-packing device are designed so that the bottom of the container can be decoupled therefrom and inserted into the dense-packing device. The guide tube bundle or baffle plate guide is removably insertable into the dense-packing device. The dense-packing device includes clamping means for compressing the introduced fuel rods into a hexagonal array. Upon insertion of the jacket of the transport and storage container into the dense-packing device and coupling of the jacket to the bottom element, the densely packed fuel rod bundle can be removed from the dense-packing device.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.