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US 9,724,790 B2Granted
Systems and methods for canister inspection, preparation, and maintenance
AssigneeTN Americas LLC
InventorsRobert Grubb, Aleksandr Kofman
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A travel system (20) for a canister storage, transfer, or transport system generally includes a support structure (22), at least one traveling device (24) for preparing, inspecting, and/or repairing the canister, and a base ring (26) for supporting the traveling device and providing for rotational movement of the traveling device relative to the support structure.
Claims18
A method of preparing, inspecting, and/or repairing a canister containing radioactive material in a canister storage system, the method comprising:
- (a) mounting a travel system on a surface of a fixed canister storage module configured for storage of only a single closed canister containing radioactive material, wherein the canister storage module is an overpack designed for storage of the canister, wherein the travel system includes a support structure, at least one traveling device, and a base for supporting the traveling device and providing for rotational movement of the traveling device relative to the support structure, wherein the surface of the module includes an opening to a containment area of the module, and wherein the travel system is mounted on the surface of the module such that the base is aligned with the opening;
- (b) rotating the base and the traveling device relative to the support structure and a fixed canister and moving the base to move the positioning of the traveling device relative to the support structure to travel along a circumferential path of the cylindrical body of the canister;
- and
- (c) fixing the base and moving the canister relative to the fixed base and the traveling device.
1 more element
A method of preparing, inspecting, and/or repairing a canister containing radioactive material in a canister storage system, the method comprising:
- (a) mounting a travel system on a surface of a fixed canister storage module configured for storage of only a single closed canister containing radioactive material, wherein the canister storage module is a horizontal canister storage module comprising an overpack designed for storage of the canister, wherein the travel system includes a support structure, at least one traveling device, and a base ring for supporting the traveling device and providing for rotational movement of the traveling device relative to the support structure, wherein the surface of the module includes an opening to a containment area of the module, and wherein the travel system is mounted on the surface of the module such that the base ring is aligned with the opening, and moving the traveling device in multiple degrees of freedom relative to the base ring, including forward and back movement relative to the base ring, radial rotation relative to the base ring, and pivotable movement relative to the base ring;
- (b) rotating the base ring and the traveling device relative to the support structure and a fixed canister;
- and
- (c) fixing the base ring and moving the canister relative to the fixed base ring and the traveling device.
1 more element
A method of preparing, inspecting, and/or repairing a canister containing radioactive material in a canister storage system, the method comprising:
- (a) mounting a travel system on a surface of a fixed canister storage module configured for storage of only a single closed canister containing radioactive material, wherein the fixed canister storage module is an overpack designed for storage of the canister, wherein the travel system includes a support structure, at least one traveling device, and a base ring for supporting the traveling device and providing for rotational movement of the traveling device relative to the support structure, wherein the surface of the module includes an opening to a containment area of the module, and wherein the travel system is mounted on the surface of the module such that the base ring is aligned with the opening;
- (b) moving the canister from a stored position in the module to a protruding position, wherein at least a portion of the canister protrudes from the opening of the module;
- (c) rotating the base ring and the traveling device relative to the support structure and a fixed canister and moving the positioning of the base ring and the traveling device relative to the support structure to travel along a circumferential path of the cylindrical body of the canister, wherein the traveling device is a preparation device;
- (d) rotating the base ring and the traveling device relative to the support structure and a fixed canister and moving the positioning of the base ring and the traveling device relative to the support structure to travel along a circumferential path of the cylindrical body of the canister, wherein the traveling device is a sensing or repairing device;
- (e) fixing the base ring and moving the canister relative to the fixed base ring and the traveling device, wherein the traveling device is a preparation device;
- and
- (f) fixing the base ring and moving the canister relative to the fixed base ring and the traveling device, wherein the traveling device is a sensing or repairing device.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.