Fuel rack apparatus having storage tubes comprising interior flux trap chambers

A fuel rack for underwater storage of spent nuclear fuel, the fuel rack comprising:

• a base plate having an upper surface and a lower surface configured to be positioned on a floor of a fuel pool;
• a plurality of fuel storage tubes coupled to and extending vertically upward from the upper surface of the base plate, the storage tubes arranged in a side-by-side arrangement to form an array of the storage tubes, each of the storage tubes extending along a longitudinal axis and comprising:
• an outer tube of rectangular cross-sectional shape and comprising a plurality of orthogonally intersecting straight walls defining an internal cavity enclosed on all sides for a majority of a height of the outer tube, the outer tube defining a longitudinal axis;
• a longitudinally elongated first chevron plate comprising a first angled wall, a first neutron absorbing plate coupled to an outer surface of the first angled wall, a second angled wall oriented at an obtuse angle to the first angled wall, and a second neutron absorbing plate coupled to an outer surface of the second angled wall, the first angled wall and the second angled wall adjoined at a first apex edge, the first chevron plate inserted in the internal cavity such that the first apex edge engages a first one of the straight walls of the outer tube;
• a longitudinally elongated second chevron plate comprising a third angled wall, a third neutron absorbing plate coupled to an outer surface of the third angled wall, a fourth angled wall oriented at an obtuse angle to the third angled wall, and a fourth neutron absorbing plate coupled to an outer surface of the fourth angled wall, the third angled wall and the fourth angled wall adjoined at a second apex edge, the second chevron plate inserted in the internal cavity such that the second apex edge engages a second one of the straight walls of the outer tube which is parallel to the first one of the straight walls;
• the first chevron plate being spaced horizontally apart from the second chevron plate such that the first and second chevron plates do not contact each other;
• wherein a plurality of flux trap spaces are defined in the internal cavity of each outer tube by the the first and second chevron plates, and wherein the first neutron absorbing plate, the second neutron absorbing plate, the third neutron absorbing plate and the fourth neutron absorbing plate are each disposed within one of the plurality of flux trap spaces.

A fuel rack apparatus for storing spent nuclear fuel, the fuel rack apparatus comprising:

• a base plate having an upper surface;
• a plurality of fuel storage tubes coupled to and extending vertically upward from the upper surface of the base plate, the storage tubes arranged in a side-by-side arrangement to form an array of the storage tubes, each of the storage tubes extending along a longitudinal axis and comprising:
• an outer tube of rectangular cross-sectional shape and comprising a plurality of orthogonally intersecting straight walls defining an internal cavity enclosed on all sides for a majority of a height of the outer tube, the outer tube defining a longitudinal axis;
• a first chevron plate comprising a first angled wall, a first neutron absorbing plate coupled to an outer surface of the first angled wall, a second angled wall oriented at an obtuse angle to the first angled wall, and a second neutron absorbing plate coupled to an outer surface of the second angled wall, the first angled wall and the second angled wall adjoined at a first apex edge, the first chevron plate inserted in the internal cavity such that the first apex edge engages a first one of the straight walls of the outer tube;
• a second chevron plate comprising a third angled wall, a third neutron absorbing plate coupled to an outer surface of the third angled wall, a fourth angled wall oriented at an obtuse angle to the third angled wall, a fourth neutron absorbing plate coupled to an outer surface of the fourth angled wall, the third angled wall and the fourth angled wall adjoined at a second apex edge, the second chevron plate inserted in the internal cavity such that the second apex edge engages a second one of the straight walls of the outer tube which is parallel to the first one of the straight walls;
• a fifth neutron absorbing plate coupled to an outer surface of a first straight wall of the plurality of orthogonally intersecting straight walls;
• a sixth neutron absorbing plate coupled to an outer surface of a second straight wall of the plurality of orthogonally intersecting straight walls, the second straight wall plate opposing the first straight wall;
• wherein the first neutron absorbing plate extends along a first reference plane, the second neutron absorbing plate extends along a second reference plane, the third neutron absorbing plate extends along a third reference plane, and the fourth neutron absorbing plate extends along a fourth reference plane, the first and second reference planes intersecting the fifth neutron absorbing plate, and the third and fourth reference planes intersecting the sixth neutron absorbing plate.