Handling system for nuclear fuel casks
AssigneeMPR Associates, Inc.
InventorSterling J. Weems
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A heavy shielded nuclear fuel cask is lowered into and removed from a water filled spent fuel pool by providing a vertical guide tube in the pool, affixing to the bottom of the cask a base plate that approximates the transverse dimension of the guide tube, and lowering and elevating the cask and base plate assembly into and out of the pool by causing it to traverse within the guide tube. The guide tube and base plate coact to function as a dashpot, thereby cushioning and controlling the fall of the cask in the pool should it break loose while being lowered into or raised out of the pool. A specified approach path to the guide tube insures that the cask assembly will not fall into the pool, should it break loose on its approach to the guide tube.
Claims18
In a system for inserting and removing a nuclear fuel cask into and out of a water filled fuel pool of a nuclear power plant:
- a pool structure, a substantially vertical guide tube positioned in the pool and extending substantially from the bottom to the top of the pool and supported therein in fixed position, a cask, a base plate on the bottom of the cask, dimensioned to approximate the transverse dimension of at least a part of the guide tube, and means for lowering and raising said cask in said guide tube, whereby said base plate and guide tube coact upon accidental dropping of the cask in said tube to provide a dashpot for the descent of said cask into said pool, and said guide tube having an axial dimension substantially greater than that of said cask, and said guide tube having a slot opening in its wall in the upper portion thereof extending from the top downwardly, whereby nuclear fuel assemblies can be brought by a crane from a remote section of said pool and introduced into said guide tube through said slot opening for introduction into the top of a cask lowered to the bottom of said guide tube.
In a system for inserting and removing a nuclear fuel cask into and out of a water filled fuel pool of a nuclear plant, a substantially vertical guide tube positioned in the pool and supported therein in fixed position, a cask, a base plate on the bottom of said cask dimensioned to approximate the transverse dimension of at least a part of the guide tube, means for lowering and raising said cask in said guide tube, whereby said base plate and guide tube coact upon accidental dropping of the cask in said tube to provide a dashpot for the descent of said cask into said pool, and said guide tube having an axial extending channel opening in its wall in the upper portion thereof to fascilitate the introduction of fuel assemblies into the top of a cask lowered into the bottom portion of said guide tube. pg,19
In a system for inserting and removing a nuclear fuel cask into and out of a water filled fuel pool of a nuclear plant, a pool structure including a main pool section, a guide tube formed as a part of said pool structure and adjacent said main pool section, a channel area extending from the top of the pool down a portion of the depth of said guide tube and interconnecting said guide tube and said main pool section, a cask, a base plate on the bottom of said cask dimensioned to approximate the transverse dimension of at least a part of the guide tube, means for lowering and raising said cask in said guide tube, whereby said guide tube and base plate coact upon accidental dropping of said cask in said tube to provide a dashpot for the descent of said cask into said pool, and fuel assemblies may be transferred between said cask when lowered in said guide tube and said main pool section through said channel area.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.