US 5,245,641 AGranted

Spent fuel storage rack

AssigneeWestinghouse Electric Corp.

InventorsOctavio J. Machado, Clifford W. Henry, Ray L. Congleton, William M. Flynn

Life of this patent

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Abstract

A spent fuel rack for storing fresh fuel assemblies, or spent fuel assemblies removed from a nuclear reactor, which includes a base plate having multiple cells of modular construction welded at their bottom ends to the plate. The cells are formed of L-shaped sections having walls which support neutron absorbing material, and the walls of one cell are common to the adjacent cells. The base plate includes openings primarily for receiving the bottom nozzle of a fuel assembly, but they further serve as access openings for apparatus used for leveling the base plate. There is also means for receiving and locking the engaging mechanism of lifting apparatus which means is wholly within the periphery of the base plate.

Claims3

Dependent claims

For use in a storage pool for nuclear fuel assemblies, said pool containing a coolant and having a pool floor, a fuel rack module comprising a base plate to be disposed generally horizontally on said floor, a plurality of cells welded to said base plate, each said cell having elongated wall means for defining a transverse cross-sectional area for receiving a fuel assembly and a volume for accommodating said received fuel assembly, the outer walls of said cells of said plurality being wholly within the boundaries of said base plate, and a plurality of receptacles structured uniquely to accommodate the plate-engaging mechanism of lifting apparatus, said receptacles being spaced uniformly on said base plate for receiving and locking said plate-engaging mechanism for lifting the base plate alone or the base plate with said cells secured thereto, said receptacles being wholly within the periphery of said base plate and each said receptacle including a hole in said base plate having a contour such as to receive the lower end of a fuel assembly with slots extending from the periphery of said hole and a block secured to the underside of said base plate having a hole and slots coextensive with the hole and slots in said base plate, said hole and slots being dimensioned to pass said plate-engaging mechanism to the underside of said block, and said receptacle also having means in said block angularly displaced from said slots for locking said engaging mechanism, the blocks of all said receptacles being wholly within the boundary of said base plate.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 07/427,168Filed 26 Oct 1989 · division
Priority: 22 Dec 1981
Granted: 14 Sep 1993
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification7 codes

G21C 19/40
Arrangements for treating, for handling, or for facilitating the handling of, fuel or other materials which are used within the reactor, e.g.…:…
G21C 19/07
Magazines for holding fuel elements or control elements: storage racks; Storage pools
F16B 2200/20
Constructional details of connections not covered for in other groups of this subclass: connections with hook-like parts gripping behind a blind…
Y02E 30/30
Energy generation of nuclear origin: nuclear fission reactors

Family

Serial333,544Parent of this continuation · filed 22 Dec 1981
Serial570,406Parent of this continuation · filed 12 Jan 1984
Serial728,141Parent of this continuation · filed 26 Apr 1985
Serial149,982Parent of this division · filed 29 Jan 1988
US 4,900,505 AParent of this division · filed 13 Feb 1990
US 5,245,641 AThis patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.