# US 9,040,946 B2 · Thermal-conduction element for improving the manufacture of a package for transporting and/or storing radioactive materials > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 9,040,946 B2 - Document ID: US9040946B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 14/111,598 - Filed: 2012-03-30 - Published: 2014-02-06 - Granted: 2015-05-26 - Earliest claimed: 2011-04-18 - Assignees: Tn International - Applicants: Herve Ripert; Emmanuel Mercier; Sylvain Lauret - Inventors: Herve Ripert; Emmanuel Mercier; Sylvain Lauret - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9040946B2 ## CPC - G21F 5/10: Heat-removal systems, e.g. using circulating fluid or cooling fins - F28F 3/00: Plate-like or laminated elements; Assemblies of plate-like or laminated elements (specially adapted for movement F28F5/00) - G21F 5/008: Containers for fuel elements - G21F: PROTECTION AGAINST X-RADIATION, GAMMA RADIATION, CORPUSCULAR RADIATION OR PARTICLE BOMBARDMENT; TREATING RADIOACTIVELY CONTAMINATED MATERIAL; DECONTAMINATION ARRANGEMENTS THEREFOR (radiation protection by pharmaceutical means A61K8/00, A61Q17/04; in cosmonautic vehicles B64G1/54; combined with a reactor G21C11/00; combined with X-ray tubes H01J35/16; combined with X-ray apparatus H05G1/02) - F28F: DETAILS OF HEAT-EXCHANGE AND HEAT-TRANSFER APPARATUS, OF GENERAL APPLICATION (water and air traps, air venting F16) ## Abstract The invention relates to a thermal conduction element (20) for a package for transporting and/or storing radioactive materials, comprising: an internal part (30) intended to be in contact with a lateral body (14) of the package; an external part (34) intended to form a portion of an external envelope (24) of said package, holding radiological protection means (22); an intermediate part (32) arranged between the internal and external parts, the internal, external and intermediate parts being produced from copper and one of the alloys thereof. According to the invention, the external part (34) is equipped, at each of its two opposite ends, with an area (36) for connection by welding to another thermal conduction element (20), each connection area (36) being produced from steel. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A thermal conduction element (20) for a package holding radiological protection means (22) for transporting and/or storing radioactive materials, the element (20) comprising: an internal part (30) in contact with a lateral body (14) of the package; an external part (34) forming a portion of an external envelope (24) of said package; and an intermediate part (32) connecting the internal part to the external part, wherein the internal, external and intermediate parts are integrally formed from copper and one of the alloys thereof, and wherein steel connection areas (36) are positioned at two opposite ends of said external part (34), each of the steel connection areas (36) being welded to a steel connection area positioned on an external part of an adjacent thermal conduction element, the welded steel connection areas being configured to connect the external part (34) of the thermal conduction element (20) to external parts of adjacent thermal conduction elements. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The thermal conduction element according to claim 1, wherein each connection area (36) is produced from carbon steel or stainless steel. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The thermal conduction element according to claim 1, further comprising a transverse section roughly in the shape of a U or S. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The thermal conduction element according to claim 1, wherein each steel connection area (36) extends over a circumferential length (l) lying between 5% and 15% of the circumferential length (L) of its associated external part. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) A package (2) holding radiological protection means (22) (2) for transporting and/or storing radioactive materials, further comprising a plurality of thermal conduction elements (20) corresponding to the thermal conduction element (20) and the adjacent thermal conduction elements of claim 1. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The package according to claim 5, wherein any adjacent two of the thermal conduction elements (20) define a cavity (50) housing the radiological protection means (22). ### Claim 7 A method for manufacturing a package (2) holding radiological protection means (22) for transporting and/or storing radioactive materials, the package (2) comprising a lateral body 14) and a plurality of thermal conduction elements (20), each of the thermal conduction elements (20) comprising an internal part (30), an external part (34), and an intermediate part (32), the internal part (30) being in contact with the lateral body (14) of the package (2), the external part (34) forming a portion of an external envelope (24) of said package (2), the intermediate part (32) connecting the internal part (30) to the external part (34), the internal, external, and intermediate parts being integrally formed from copper and one of the alloys thereof, where steel connection areas (36) are positioned at two opposite ends of said external part (34), each of the steel connection areas (36) being welded to a steel connection area positioned on an external part of an adjacent one of the thermal conduction elements, the welded steel connection areas being configured to connect the external part (34) of the thermal conduction element (20) to external parts of adjacent ones of the thermal conduction elements, the method comprising pouring a radiological protection material into one of two of the thermal conduction elements (20a) defining a cavity (50) in which the radiological protection means (22) is to be housed, the pouring being carried out with the one thermal conduction element (20a) being assembled on the package (2). ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The method according to claim 7, further comprising successively assembling the other one of the two of the thermal conduction elements (20b). ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The method according to claim 8, wherein said cavities (50) are filled successively, one by one, with said package oriented horizontally and by introducing the radiological protection material from above. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The method according to claim 9, wherein the pouring of the radiological protection material takes place directly in said one of said two of the thermal conduction elements (20a) defining the cavity in which said radiological protection means (22) is being housed. ### Claim 11 (depends on 9) The method according to claim 9, wherein the pouring of the radiological protection material takes place through at least one orifice (70) provided on a tool (72) mounted above said one of said two of the thermal conduction elements (20a) defining the cavity (50) in which said radiological protection means (22) is housed, the other one of said two of the thermal conduction elements (20b) being assembled on the package after the removal of said tool (72). ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) The method according to claim 10, wherein the pouring of the radiological protection material takes place through at least one orifice (70) provided on the intermediate part (32) of said other one of said two of the thermal conduction elements (20b), mounted temporarily above said one of said two of the thermal conduction elements (20a) defining the cavity (50) in which said means (22) is housed, the other of said two of the thermal conduction elements (20b) then being removed and then reassembled definitively on the package. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The method according to claim 12, wherein welding of the steel connection areas (36) in pairs is carried out after the radiological protection means (22) of the package has been poured in the cavity (50) respectively associated with the thermal conduction elements (20) on which the pairs of the steel connection areas (36) are disposed.