GB1583303A - Apparatus for the storage of irradiated fuel elements - Google Patents

Apparatus for the storage of irradiated fuel elements Download PDF

Info

Publication number
GB1583303A
GB1583303A GB9537/78A GB953778A GB1583303A GB 1583303 A GB1583303 A GB 1583303A GB 9537/78 A GB9537/78 A GB 9537/78A GB 953778 A GB953778 A GB 953778A GB 1583303 A GB1583303 A GB 1583303A
Authority
GB
United Kingdom
Prior art keywords
air
ducts
cans
storage
fuel elements
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired
Application number
GB9537/78A
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Nukem GmbH
Original Assignee
Nukem GmbH
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Nukem GmbH filed Critical Nukem GmbH
Publication of GB1583303A publication Critical patent/GB1583303A/en
Expired legal-status Critical Current

Links

Classifications

    • G—PHYSICS
    • G21—NUCLEAR PHYSICS; NUCLEAR ENGINEERING
    • G21C—NUCLEAR REACTORS
    • G21C19/00—Arrangements for treating, for handling, or for facilitating the handling of, fuel or other materials which are used within the reactor, e.g. within its pressure vessel
    • G21C19/02—Details of handling arrangements
    • G21C19/06—Magazines for holding fuel elements or control elements
    • G21C19/07—Storage racks; Storage pools
    • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
    • Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
    • Y02E—REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION
    • Y02E30/00—Energy generation of nuclear origin
    • Y02E30/30—Nuclear fission reactors

Landscapes

  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Plasma & Fusion (AREA)
  • General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • High Energy & Nuclear Physics (AREA)
  • Fuel Cell (AREA)
  • Monitoring And Testing Of Nuclear Reactors (AREA)
  • Gasification And Melting Of Waste (AREA)
  • Filling Or Discharging Of Gas Storage Vessels (AREA)
  • Solid Fuels And Fuel-Associated Substances (AREA)

Abstract

For storage purposes, the fuel elements located in appropriately shaped sleeves (4) are arranged vertically in a concrete chamber (1) and cooled with air. The concrete chamber has at least one horizontal grid plate (3) for accommodating the sleeves vertically, and is provided with supply-air and exhaust-air ducts (5, 6) which open into a common vent stack (7) having separate air guidance. Owing to the complete elimination of storage in water basins, the previously high consumption of cooling water and the environmental stress due to cooling towers are also eliminated, with the result that storage is simplified and reduced in cost. <IMAGE>

Description

(54) AN APPARATUS FOR THE STORAGE OF IRRADIATED FUEL ELEMENTS (71) We, NUKEM GMBH, a body corporate organised under the laws of Germany, of 6450 Hanau 11, Postfach 110080, Germany, do hereby declare the invention, for which we pray that a patent may be granted to us, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement: This invention relates to an apparatus for the storage of irradiated fuel elements having different degrees of burn up from high pressure water and boiling water nuclear reactors, in particular for the storage of highly burnt up fuel elements.
Burnt up fuel elements from power reactors have in the past been temporarily stored exclusively in water tanks until the irradiated fuel material is reprocessed. The radio-activity of the fission and activation products decreases during this period of storage. The water simultaneously acts as a coolant for the hot fuel elements and as a shield from radioactive radiation.
It is necessary to cool the fuel elements so as to carry off the after-heat liberated, the magnitude of which depends upon the burnup in the reactor and upon the cooling period already elapsed.
From the cooling water, the heat in external coolers is led into the environment by means of a secondary cooling water cycle and a wet cooling tower. Relatively large throughputs of cooling water and large cooling surfaces result from the low heating up times available. The interim storage of burnt up fuel elements from power reactors in water tanks therefore has the disadvantages that it requires a large amount of cooling water, the environment is obstructed by the cooling towers and the purification of the water and the intermediate and final treatment of the separated radioactive waste is expensive.
In addition, a high outlay is required for sealing the water tanks and making them safe since the water is radioactively contaminated by impurities which cannot be completely avoided in the sheathing of the fuel elements and, moreover, the unavoidable radiolysis of the water in the tank must also be controlled.
In all, water tanks entail very high expenses in terms of investment and operation.
An object of the present invention is thus to find an apparatus for the storage of irradiated fuel elements from high pressure water and boiling water nuclear reactors until the fuel elements are reprocessed which obviates the disadvantages of interim storage in water tanks, in particular with respect to the environmental problems.
According to the present invention the fuel elements arranged vertically in a concrete chamber and located in correspondingly shaped cans are cooled with air.
Accordingly, the present invention provides an apparatus for the storage of irradiated or burn-up fuel elements from high pressure water and boiling water nuclear reactors comprising a concrete chamber provided with an upper, and optionally one or more lower, grids for vertically receiving the fuel elements located in correspondingly shaped cans, and with at least one air inlet duct and at least one air outlet duct for the cooling of the fuel elements by means of a natural draught, the air inlet duct or ducts being provided in a lateral chamber wall below and to the side of the cans and the air outlet duct or ducts being provided in a lateral chamber wall above the air inlet duct or ducts and below the upper grid, all said ducts opening into the concrete chamber.
In contrast to the earlier ideas that it was absolutely essential to store the burnt up fuel elements in water for reasons of safety and shielding, it has surprisingly been found that the irradiated and burnt up fuel elements from nuclear reactors can be stored dry in concrete chambers without danger even after relatively short radioactivity decay periods of, for example, one year, if they are cooled with air in accordance with the invention. For this purpose, the fuel elements are placed in correspondingly shaped cans and arranged vertically in the concrete chamber. This arrangement and the elevated temperature of the fuel elements causes the external air flowing in through ducts to be drawn in automatically, to pass along the cans and to leave the con crete chamber again via separate air ducts. The inlet and outlet of air and thus cooling there fore take place automatically in a natural way.
The external air flows into the storage cell at a maximum of 40"C (summer conditions) and leaves the cell at a temperature of be tween 150 and 250"C. The temperature in the interior of the fuel elements is about 400"C.
A particularly advantageous embodiment of an apparatus for the storage according to the invention of irradiated fuel elements is shown diagrammatically in Figures 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawings.
Fig. 1 shows diagrammatically a side view and Fig. 2 shows a cross-section each of a fuel element storage means according to the invention.
In the drawings a storage chamber consists of a concrete chamber 1 containing two grids 2,3 for vertically receiving irradiated fuel elements which are enclosed in correspondingly shaped cans 4. The concrete chamber 1 is also provided with air inlet ducts 5 and air outlet ducts 6 which open into a stack 7 from and into which the inlet air and outlet air are fed separately. The air inlet ducts 5 are preferably located in a lateral chamber wall 8 and end below or to the side of the cans 4 in the concrete chamber 1. The air outlet ducts 6 are also located in a lateral chamber wall, normally in the same chamber wall, and open below the uppermost grid 3 into the concrete chamber 1. The grids are designed in such a way that the critical distance is always guaranteed during the storage of the fuel elements.
A lower region 9 in which the cooling air circulates and an upper region 10, which are sealed from each other to a certain extent, are formed in the concrete chamber 1 by the uppermost grid 3 whose unused openings for receiving fuel element cans 4 are sealed with lids. Cooling air does not therefore flow through the upper region 10 but rather a slight vacuum is produced in this region so that radioactive gases from the fuel are able to leave through the top of the cans 4 which are not hermetically sealed and these gases are not mixed with the large volume of cool ing air.
A transfer station with the corresponding sluices and operating rooms, from which the transfer and storage processes taking place exclusively in air may be monitored and ob ;served through windows protected from radiation, is joined to the storage chamber.
The entire installation is shielded from the environment by concrete walls providing pro tection against irradiation and exueme natural or man-made phenomena.
The upper region 10 of the storage chamber together with transfer unit and operating rooms are provided with a ventilation installa tion which prevents uncontrolled emission of activity to the external atmosphere. For this purpose, these chambers are kept under vacuum and an oriented flow to chambers with a high risk of contamination is produced by graduating the vacuum. This outgoing air is then discharged into the external atmosphere, filtered in accordance with the legal and official regulations.
It has proved particularly advantageous to arrange the air inlet ducts 5 and air outlet ducts 6 in such a way that the air is also able to flow past the fuel element cans 4 trans versely to their vertical arrangement (in addition to a vertical air flow). It is also ad vantageous to provide the grids with open ings in such a way that the cans 4 are offset relative to each other for the storage of the fuel elements.
The cans 4 for the fuel elements must be composed of corrosion-resistant materials which can withstand high temperatures.
Materials which also absorb neutrons are preferable. Boron steel is therefore preferably used for the fuel element cans.
WHAT WE CLAIM IS:- 1. An apparatus for the storage of irradiated or burnt-up fuel elements from high pressure water and boiling water nuclear reactors com- prising a concrete chamber provided with an upper, and optionally one or more lower, grids for vertically receiving the fuel elements located in correspondingly shaped cans, and with at least one air inlet duct and at least one air outlet duct for the cooling of the fuel elements by means of natural draught, the air inlet duct or ducts being provided in a lateral chamber wall below and to the side of the cans and the air outlet duct or ducts being provided in a lateral chamber wall above the air inlet duct or ducts and below the upper grid, all said ducts opening into the concrete chamber.
2. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the air inlet duct or ducts and the air outlet duct or ducts are arranged in such a way that the cans are supplied with air transversely to their vertical arrangement in addition to a vertical air flow.
3. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the air inlet duot or ducts and the air outlet duct or ducts open into a common stack with separate control of inlet air and outlet air.
4. An apparatus as claimed in any of claims 1 to 3, wherein the concrete chamber is divided into an upper region and a lower region by the upper grid so that only the lower region is drawn into the cool air cycle and a vacuum is maintained in the upper region.
5. An apparatus as claimed in any of claims
**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims (7)

  1. **WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **.
    in through ducts to be drawn in automatically, to pass along the cans and to leave the con crete chamber again via separate air ducts. The inlet and outlet of air and thus cooling there fore take place automatically in a natural way.
    The external air flows into the storage cell at a maximum of 40"C (summer conditions) and leaves the cell at a temperature of be tween 150 and 250"C. The temperature in the interior of the fuel elements is about 400"C.
    A particularly advantageous embodiment of an apparatus for the storage according to the invention of irradiated fuel elements is shown diagrammatically in Figures 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawings.
    Fig. 1 shows diagrammatically a side view and Fig. 2 shows a cross-section each of a fuel element storage means according to the invention.
    In the drawings a storage chamber consists of a concrete chamber 1 containing two grids 2,3 for vertically receiving irradiated fuel elements which are enclosed in correspondingly shaped cans 4. The concrete chamber 1 is also provided with air inlet ducts 5 and air outlet ducts 6 which open into a stack 7 from and into which the inlet air and outlet air are fed separately. The air inlet ducts 5 are preferably located in a lateral chamber wall
    8 and end below or to the side of the cans 4 in the concrete chamber 1. The air outlet ducts
    6 are also located in a lateral chamber wall, normally in the same chamber wall, and open below the uppermost grid 3 into the concrete chamber 1. The grids are designed in such a way that the critical distance is always guaranteed during the storage of the fuel elements.
    A lower region 9 in which the cooling air circulates and an upper region 10, which are sealed from each other to a certain extent, are formed in the concrete chamber 1 by the uppermost grid 3 whose unused openings for receiving fuel element cans 4 are sealed with lids. Cooling air does not therefore flow through the upper region 10 but rather a slight vacuum is produced in this region so that radioactive gases from the fuel are able to leave through the top of the cans 4 which are not hermetically sealed and these gases are not mixed with the large volume of cool ing air.
    A transfer station with the corresponding sluices and operating rooms, from which the transfer and storage processes taking place exclusively in air may be monitored and ob ;served through windows protected from radiation, is joined to the storage chamber.
    The entire installation is shielded from the environment by concrete walls providing pro tection against irradiation and exueme natural or man-made phenomena.
    The upper region 10 of the storage chamber together with transfer unit and operating rooms are provided with a ventilation installa tion which prevents uncontrolled emission of activity to the external atmosphere. For this purpose, these chambers are kept under vacuum and an oriented flow to chambers with a high risk of contamination is produced by graduating the vacuum. This outgoing air is then discharged into the external atmosphere, filtered in accordance with the legal and official regulations.
    It has proved particularly advantageous to arrange the air inlet ducts 5 and air outlet ducts 6 in such a way that the air is also able to flow past the fuel element cans 4 trans versely to their vertical arrangement (in addition to a vertical air flow). It is also ad vantageous to provide the grids with open ings in such a way that the cans 4 are offset relative to each other for the storage of the fuel elements.
    The cans 4 for the fuel elements must be composed of corrosion-resistant materials which can withstand high temperatures.
    Materials which also absorb neutrons are preferable. Boron steel is therefore preferably used for the fuel element cans.
    WHAT WE CLAIM IS:- 1. An apparatus for the storage of irradiated or burnt-up fuel elements from high pressure water and boiling water nuclear reactors com- prising a concrete chamber provided with an upper, and optionally one or more lower, grids for vertically receiving the fuel elements located in correspondingly shaped cans, and with at least one air inlet duct and at least one air outlet duct for the cooling of the fuel elements by means of natural draught, the air inlet duct or ducts being provided in a lateral chamber wall below and to the side of the cans and the air outlet duct or ducts being provided in a lateral chamber wall above the air inlet duct or ducts and below the upper grid, all said ducts opening into the concrete chamber.
  2. 2. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the air inlet duct or ducts and the air outlet duct or ducts are arranged in such a way that the cans are supplied with air transversely to their vertical arrangement in addition to a vertical air flow.
  3. 3. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the air inlet duot or ducts and the air outlet duct or ducts open into a common stack with separate control of inlet air and outlet air.
  4. 4. An apparatus as claimed in any of claims
    1 to 3, wherein the concrete chamber is divided into an upper region and a lower region by the upper grid so that only the lower region is drawn into the cool air cycle and a vacuum is maintained in the upper region.
  5. 5. An apparatus as claimed in any of claims
    1 to 4, wherein the grids are provided with openings for the cans in such a way that the fuel elements are offset relative to each other.
  6. 6. An apparatus as claimed in any of claims 1 to 5, wherein the cans are made of a neutronabsorbing material.
  7. 7. An apparatus for the storage of irradiated or burnt-up fuel elements substantially as described with particular reference to the accompanying drawings.
GB9537/78A 1977-03-16 1978-03-10 Apparatus for the storage of irradiated fuel elements Expired GB1583303A (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
DE19772711405 DE2711405A1 (en) 1977-03-16 1977-03-16 METHOD AND DEVICE FOR STORING IRRADIATED OR. BURN-OUT FUEL ELEMENTS FROM PRESSURE WATER AND BOILING WATER NUCLEAR REACTORS

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
GB1583303A true GB1583303A (en) 1981-01-21

Family

ID=6003773

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
GB9537/78A Expired GB1583303A (en) 1977-03-16 1978-03-10 Apparatus for the storage of irradiated fuel elements

Country Status (9)

Country Link
JP (1) JPS53134196A (en)
AT (1) ATA184378A (en)
BR (1) BR7801532A (en)
CH (1) CH628176A5 (en)
DE (1) DE2711405A1 (en)
ES (2) ES467874A1 (en)
FR (1) FR2384325A1 (en)
GB (1) GB1583303A (en)
SE (1) SE7803015L (en)

Cited By (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP0061819A2 (en) * 1981-03-30 1982-10-06 The English Electric Company Limited Storage arrangements for nuclear fuel elements
US4459260A (en) * 1981-03-03 1984-07-10 National Nuclear Corporation Limited Dry storage of irradiated nuclear fuel
US4737336A (en) * 1986-04-04 1988-04-12 The United States Of America As Represented By The United States Department Of Energy Core assembly storage structure
US4832903A (en) * 1984-02-01 1989-05-23 The English Electric Company Limited Dry storage arrangements for nuclear fuel

Families Citing this family (12)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE2906629C2 (en) * 1979-02-21 1986-01-23 Nukem Gmbh, 6450 Hanau Device for storing heat-emitting radioactive materials
DE2913520C2 (en) * 1979-04-04 1983-10-06 Alfa Laval Industrietechnik Gmbh, 2056 Glinde Method and device for removing heat from a storage room for the interim storage of spent nuclear fuel elements
DE2915376C2 (en) * 1979-04-14 1984-02-02 Transnuklear Gmbh, 6450 Hanau Container combination for the transport and storage of spent fuel elements from nuclear reactors
EP0028442A3 (en) * 1979-10-31 1981-10-21 The English Electric Company Limited Storage arrangements for nuclear fuel elements
DE3037178A1 (en) * 1980-10-02 1982-04-29 Transnuklear Gmbh, 6450 Hanau METHOD AND DEVICE FOR STORING CONTAINERS FOR RADIOACTIVE SUBSTANCES
DE3207308A1 (en) * 1981-03-03 1982-11-18 National Nuclear Corp. Ltd., London Method and device for drying and dry storing spent nuclear fuel or highly radioactive waste
JPS5867337U (en) * 1981-10-30 1983-05-07 日本電気株式会社 Recording paper removal mechanism of pressure fixing device
JPS5972596U (en) * 1982-11-08 1984-05-17 日立造船株式会社 cask storage
FR2601809B1 (en) * 1986-07-17 1988-09-16 Commissariat Energie Atomique DEVICE FOR THE DRY STORAGE OF MATERIALS GENERATING HEAT, PARTICULARLY RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS
JPH01119799A (en) * 1987-11-04 1989-05-11 Nippon Gennen Service Kk Storage method of fissionable material
FR2721430B1 (en) * 1994-06-17 1996-09-13 Cogema Device and method for bag storage of materials releasing heat.
US6519307B1 (en) * 2000-05-30 2003-02-11 Holtec International Ventilated overpack apparatus and method for storing spent nuclear fuel

Family Cites Families (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE2300620A1 (en) * 1973-01-08 1974-07-11 Transnuklear Gmbh Shielded transport flask - for plutonium nitrate or uranyl nitrate solutions

Cited By (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4459260A (en) * 1981-03-03 1984-07-10 National Nuclear Corporation Limited Dry storage of irradiated nuclear fuel
EP0061819A2 (en) * 1981-03-30 1982-10-06 The English Electric Company Limited Storage arrangements for nuclear fuel elements
EP0061819A3 (en) * 1981-03-30 1982-12-08 The English Electric Company Limited Storage arrangements for nuclear fuel elements
US4832903A (en) * 1984-02-01 1989-05-23 The English Electric Company Limited Dry storage arrangements for nuclear fuel
US4737336A (en) * 1986-04-04 1988-04-12 The United States Of America As Represented By The United States Department Of Energy Core assembly storage structure

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
ES470682A1 (en) 1979-05-01
CH628176A5 (en) 1982-02-15
ES467874A1 (en) 1979-02-01
JPS53134196A (en) 1978-11-22
DE2711405A1 (en) 1978-09-21
ATA184378A (en) 1981-01-15
BR7801532A (en) 1978-10-31
FR2384325B1 (en) 1982-07-02
FR2384325A1 (en) 1978-10-13
SE7803015L (en) 1978-09-17

Similar Documents

Publication Publication Date Title
GB1583303A (en) Apparatus for the storage of irradiated fuel elements
US3111586A (en) Air-cooled shipping container for nuclear fuel elements
US20150206610A1 (en) Systems and methods for passive cooling during nuclear fuel transfer
JPH0569395B2 (en)
EP0151035A2 (en) Storage arrangements for nuclear fuel
US4057464A (en) Nuclear reactor installation
DE3141892A1 (en) CORE REACTOR INSTALLED IN A CYLINDRICAL STEEL PRESSURE TANK WITH A GAS-COOLED HIGH TEMPERATURE REACTOR
US4863676A (en) Inherently safe, modular, high-temperature gas-cooled reactor system
KR101599744B1 (en) Cylindrical Modular Type Dry Storage System and method for Pressurized Water Reactor Spent Nuclear Fuel
EP2515310B1 (en) Shielded protective tent assembly
US20190156960A1 (en) Reactor Containment Building Spent Fuel Pool Filter Vent
JPH02201297A (en) Absorption casing for radiation source, especially,nuclear reactor
EP0028222B1 (en) Process for transporting and storing radioactive materials
US3105028A (en) Apparatus for removing contaminated coolant from reactor system
US3141828A (en) Nuclear reactor equipment
GB2096937A (en) Storage arrangements for nuclear fuel
Sakharov et al. Evaluation of the Radiological Consequences of Beyond Design Basis Accident for IRT MEPhI
Lahr et al. Interim storage of spent KNK II breeder fuel elements
DE7708071U1 (en) DEVICE FOR STORING IRRADIATED OR. BURN-OUT FUEL ELEMENTS FROM PRESSURE WATER AND BOILING WATER NUCLEAR REACTORS
Iotti et al. Cost-benefit of the bubble tower concept as a containment passive safety system
GB897443A (en) Improvements in or relating to nuclear reactors
Breant The Orphee reactor current status and proposed enhancement of experimental capabilities
Higgy A hot cell for the reprocessing of spent fuel samples
Guay et al. The cascad spent fuel dry storage facility
Demmeler et al. Decommissioning of the Neuherberg Research Reactor (FRN)

Legal Events

Date Code Title Description
PS Patent sealed
PCNP Patent ceased through non-payment of renewal fee