US 9,793,021 B2Granted

Transfer cask system having passive cooling

AssigneeNAC International, Inc.

InventorsGeorge C. Carver, Vadim Z. Shtylman, Michael Yaksh, Holger Pfeifer

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Abstract

A transfer cask system for cooling spent nuclear fuel during the transfer from a spent nuclear fuel pool to a storage or transfer cask is disclosed. A canister containing spent nuclear fuel is inserted into a transfer cask. The transfer cask includes spacing components which define an annular region between the transfer cask and the canister. The transfer cask includes air inlets near a bottom end that permit air to flow through the defined annular region and exit at the open top of the transfer cask, thereby cooling the fuel within the canister. The transfer cask further comprises a neutron shield configured to absorb additional heat and shield radiation that may be generated within the canister. The transfer cask includes a transfer door that can open and close and has support rails that can support a spent nuclear fuel canister located in the transfer cask.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A transfer cask system that implements passive cooling, the transfer cask system comprising:

a first cylindrical container having a first side wall that defines a first interior channel extending from a first top to a first closed bottom, the first interior channel containing spent nuclear fuel;
a second cylindrical container having a second side wall that defines a second interior channel extending form a second top to a second bottom end, the second interior channel containing the first cylindrical container, the second side wall being spaced from the first side wall to define an annular air passage, the second cylindrical container having air inlets near the second bottom end and an opening at the second top that permit air to flow from the air inlets, through the annular air passage, and to the opening to thereby remove heat by convection from the first cylindrical container;
and
a transfer door situated at the second bottom end of the second cylindrical container, the transfer door being configured to open and close, and the transfer door comprising one or more support rails configured to support the first cylindrical container resting on the one or more support rails.

1 more element

A transfer cask system that implements passive cooling, comprising:

a first elongated cylindrical container having a first annular side wall that defines a first interior extending from a first top to a first closed bottom, the first interior containing spent nuclear fuel;
a second elongated cylindrical container having a second annular side wall that defines a second interior extending from a second top to a second bottom end, the second interior containing the first elongated cylindrical container, the second annular side wall being spaced from the first annular side wall to define an elongated cylindrical annular air passage, and the second elongated cylindrical container having air inlets near the second bottom end and an opening near the second top that permit air to flow from the air inlets, through the elongated cylindrical annular air passage, and to the opening to thereby remove heat by convection from the first elongated cylindrical container;
an annular neutron shield associated with the second annular side wall, the annular neutron shield designed to absorb heat produced by the first elongated cylindrical container;
and
a transfer door positioned at the second bottom end of the second elongated cylindrical container, the transfer door being configured to open and close, and the transfer door comprising one or more support rails configured to support the first elongated cylindrical container resting on top of the one or more support rails.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 14/160,833Filed 22 Jan 2014
Published: US 2015/0206610 A123 Jul 2015
Granted: 17 Oct 2017
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification3 codes

G21F 5/10
Details of, or accessories to, the containers: heat-removal systems, e.g. using circulating fluid or cooling fins
G21F 5/008
Containers for solid radioactive wastes, e.g. for ultimate disposal: containers for fuel elements
G21F
Protection against x-radiation, gamma radiation, corpuscular radiation or particle bombardment