A spent fuel storage rack and storage system

Abstract

The present application provides a kind of spent fuel storage rack, including at least one storage sleeve, the storage sleeve is cylindrical structure, the inner hole surface of storage sleeve is equipped with two groups of limiting parts, wherein, the first group of limiting parts includes four first limiting angles, each first limiting angle is evenly distributed around the axis of storage sleeve, as four top corners, a square storage area is surrounded, to be positioned to square assembly at four top corners of square storage area, the second group of limiting parts includes six second limiting angles, each second limiting angle is evenly distributed around the axis of storage sleeve, as six top corners, hexagonal group storage area is surrounded, to be positioned to hexagonal assembly at six top corners of hexagonal group storage area.The spent fuel storage rack of the present application can take into account the storage needs of square assembly and hexagonal assembly, improve equipment use efficiency, reduce economic cost.The present application also provides a kind of spent fuel assembly storage system.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of nuclear power, specifically relating to a spent fuel storage rack and storage system. Background Technology

[0002] Because current nuclear power plants use a variety of fuel assemblies, primarily square and hexagonal in shape, square assemblies are columnar structures with a square cross-section, while hexagonal assemblies are columnar structures with a regular hexagonal cross-section. With the rapid development of nuclear power, the reprocessing demand for both square and hexagonal fuel assemblies is significant. Typically, square and hexagonal fuel assemblies are stored using specially designed and manufactured storage racks. Therefore, reprocessing plants often need to equip themselves with two types of storage racks in large quantities, resulting in high manufacturing and economic costs. Furthermore, when only one type of fuel assembly needs to be stored at a given time, the storage racks for the other type of fuel assembly become idle, leading to reduced equipment efficiency. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The technical problem to be solved by this invention is to address the aforementioned shortcomings in the prior art by providing a spent fuel storage rack that can accommodate both square and hexagonal components, thereby improving equipment efficiency and reducing economic costs. This invention also provides a spent fuel component storage system.

[0004] This invention provides a spent fuel storage rack, including at least one storage sleeve. The storage sleeve has a cylindrical structure, and two sets of limiting parts are provided on the inner surface of the storage sleeve. The first set of limiting parts includes four first limiting angles, each of which is evenly distributed around the axis of the storage sleeve, forming a square storage area at the four vertices of the square storage area to limit the square components. The second set of limiting parts includes six second limiting angles, each of which is evenly distributed around the axis of the storage sleeve, forming a hexagonal storage area at the six vertices of the hexagonal storage area to limit the hexagonal components.

[0005] Furthermore, the inner hole of the storage sleeve has an irregular cross-section with multiple bends on its surface, and each first limiting angle and each second limiting angle is a ridge obtained by bending the surface of the inner hole of the storage sleeve.

[0006] Furthermore, the distance between each vertex and the center of the cross-section of the inner hole of the storage sleeve is 11.0cm to 17.0cm.

[0007] Furthermore, the limiting part also includes component guide rail supports and connecting plates. Multiple component guide rail supports are provided and arranged along the axial direction of the storage sleeve, and are all connected to the inner surface of the storage sleeve. Each first limiting angle and each second limiting angle are strip-shaped structural members with a folded cross section. Each first limiting angle and each second limiting angle are respectively connected to the connecting plate, thereby forming a square component guide rail and a hexagonal component guide rail, respectively. Each connecting plate is embedded in the component guide rail supports so that the square component guide rail and the hexagonal component guide rail can move along the component guide rail supports.

[0008] Furthermore, the inner hole of the storage sleeve is a round hole with a diameter of 30.0 cm to 33.0 cm.

[0009] Furthermore, in a cross section perpendicular to the axis of the storage sleeve: the first limiting angle is a right angle, and the center line of the right angle passes through the axis of the storage sleeve; the second limiting angle is a 120° angle, and the center line of the 120° angle passes through the axis of the storage sleeve; the distribution positions of each first limiting angle and each second limiting angle do not coincide.

[0010] Furthermore, the storage sleeve has a multi-layered cylindrical structure, with each layer made of ordinary structural materials or neutron poison materials. The ordinary structural materials include stainless steel, and the neutron poison materials include one or a combination of several of the following: metallic cadmium, metallic gadolinium, gadolinium oxide, boron carbide, borosilicate materials, boron-containing aluminum-based composite materials, boron-containing organic materials, boron-containing stainless steel, cadmium-containing stainless steel, and gadolinium-containing stainless steel.

[0011] Furthermore, the spent fuel storage grid also includes a grid frame, and multiple storage sleeves are provided, with each storage sleeve parallel to the others and evenly distributed in the grid frame.

[0012] Furthermore, the storage sleeves are arranged in layers in the grid frame, with the position of each storage sleeve in one layer corresponding to the gap position between each storage sleeve in another layer, so that the storage sleeves of adjacent layers are arranged alternately.

[0013] The present invention also provides a spent fuel assembly storage system, including a spent fuel storage tank and the aforementioned spent fuel storage racks. Multiple spent fuel storage racks are provided and placed in the spent fuel storage tank for loading square assemblies and / or hexagonal assemblies. The spent fuel storage tank is filled with pure water or boron-containing water.

[0014] The spent fuel storage rack of this invention uses a storage sleeve to store fuel assemblies. The fuel assemblies are fixed and positioned by a limiting angle set at the apex of the storage area inside the storage sleeve. Specifically, during storage, the limiting angle contacts and positions the fuel assembly at the edge of its outer surface. This apex-angle limiting method represents a significant difference in technical approach compared to traditional surface-to-surface limiting methods. Furthermore, because the limiting points uniformly surround the fuel assembly, it achieves a completely consistent or even superior limiting effect.

[0015] More importantly, because the apex corner limiter replaces the surface contact limiter, the structural size requirement of the limiter is reduced, and the limiter stability is no longer determined by the size of the contact area. Furthermore, the storage area inside the storage sleeve is further expanded, and the limiter itself no longer needs to form a specific cross-sectional structure that tightly surrounds the outer contour of the fuel assembly. Thus, the two sets of limiters enable the storage sleeve to simultaneously form a coexisting square storage area and a hexagonal storage area.

[0016] Because both square and hexagonal storage areas exist within the same storage sleeve, the storage sleeve can be used to store both square and hexagonal components. This storage rack has a wide range of applications, high equipment efficiency, and can meet the storage needs of both square and hexagonal components. Post-processing plants no longer need to equip storage racks separately according to category, thus reducing manufacturing and economic costs. Attached Figure Description

[0017] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the spent fuel storage rack in Embodiment 2 of the present invention;

[0018] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the storage sleeve of the spent fuel storage rack in Embodiment 2 of the present invention;

[0019] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the three-layer storage sleeve of the spent fuel storage rack in Embodiment 3 of the present invention;

[0020] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a single-layer storage sleeve of the spent fuel storage grid in Embodiment 3 of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the installation of the first limiting angle of the spent fuel storage grid in Embodiment 3 of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the installation of the second limiting angle of the spent fuel storage grid in Embodiment 3 of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the spent fuel storage rack in Embodiment 3 of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 8 yes Figure 7 A magnified view of a portion of the image;

[0025] Figure 9 This is another structural schematic diagram of the spent fuel storage rack in Embodiment 3 of the present invention.

[0026] In the figure: 1. Storage sleeve; 11. First limiting angle; 12. Second limiting angle; 13. Component guide rail support; 14. Connecting plate; 15. Square tube; 16. Poison plate; 161. Poison plate cladding; 17. Inner cylinder; 18. Interlayer; 19. Outer cylinder; 2. Grid frame. Detailed Implementation

[0027] The technical solutions of the invention will now be clearly and completely described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the invention, not all of them. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of the invention without creative effort are within the scope of the invention.

[0028] In the description of this invention, it should be noted that the terms "upper" and "lower" indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are only for the convenience and simplification of the description and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on this invention.

[0029] In the description of this invention, the terms "first," "second," and "third" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0030] In the description of this invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "connection," "setting," "installation," "fixing," etc., should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; and they can refer to the internal communication between two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this invention according to the specific circumstances.

[0031] Example 1

[0032] like Figure 2 , 3 4, 5 and Figure 6As shown, the spent fuel storage rack of this embodiment is used to store spent fuel assemblies. It includes at least one storage sleeve 1, which has a cylindrical structure. The inner surface of the storage sleeve 1 is provided with two sets of limiting parts. The first set of limiting parts includes four first limiting angles 11, which are evenly distributed around the axis of the storage sleeve 1, forming a square storage area at the four vertices of the square storage area to limit the square assembly. The second set of limiting parts includes six second limiting angles 12, which are evenly distributed around the axis of the storage sleeve 1, forming a hexagonal storage area at the six vertices of the hexagonal storage area to limit the hexagonal assembly at the six vertices of the hexagonal storage area.

[0033] The spent fuel storage rack in this embodiment can store either square or hexagonal fuel assemblies. Specifically, a storage sleeve 1 is used to store the fuel assemblies. The fuel assemblies are fixed and positioned by setting a limiting angle at the apex of the storage area inside the storage sleeve 1. That is, when storing fuel assemblies, the limiting angle contacts and positions the fuel assembly at the edge of its outer surface. This apex-corner limiting method is significantly different from the traditional surface-to-surface limiting method in terms of limiting technology. Furthermore, because the limiting points are evenly distributed around the fuel assembly, it can achieve a completely consistent or even superior limiting effect.

[0034] More importantly, because the apex corner limiter replaces the surface contact limiter, the structural size requirement of the limiter is reduced, and the limiter stability is no longer determined by the size of the contact area. Furthermore, the storage area inside the storage sleeve 1 is further expanded, and the limiter itself no longer needs to form a specific cross-sectional structure that tightly surrounds the outer contour of the fuel assembly. Thus, the two sets of limiters enable the storage sleeve 1 to simultaneously form a coexisting square storage area and a hexagonal storage area.

[0035] Because both square and hexagonal storage areas exist within the same storage sleeve 1, the storage sleeve 1 can be used to store both square and hexagonal components. This storage rack has a wide range of applications, high equipment efficiency, and can meet the storage needs of both square and hexagonal components. Post-processing plants no longer need to equip storage racks separately according to category, thus reducing manufacturing and economic costs.

[0036] Since the number of fuel assemblies stored is large and the installation environment is in a spent fuel storage pool, the storage sleeve 1 in this embodiment, as a container device, does not require complicated installation and disassembly operations during use, which obviously saves a lot of operations. Moreover, compared with surface contact type limiting structures and filling material type limiting structures, the limiting method in this embodiment is not prone to misalignment and deformation under transportation, vibration or earthquake conditions, which is more conducive to ensuring that the position of the spent fuel assemblies in the storage sleeve 1 does not move or undergo large displacement.

[0037] Example 2

[0038] This embodiment includes all the technical solutions in Embodiment 1. In addition, in this embodiment, such as... Figure 2 As shown, the inner hole of the storage sleeve 1 has an irregular cross-section with multiple bends on its surface. Each first limiting angle 11 and each second limiting angle 12 is a ridge obtained by bending the surface of the inner hole of the storage sleeve 1.

[0039] In this embodiment, the distance between each vertex (or inner cavity vertex) in the cross-section of the inner hole of the storage sleeve 1 and the center of the cross-section is 11.0cm to 17.0cm.

[0040] In this embodiment, in a cross section perpendicular to the axis of the storage sleeve 1: the first limiting angle 11 is a right angle, and the center line of the right angle passes through the axis of the storage sleeve 1; the second limiting angle 12 is a 120° angle, and the center line of the 120° angle passes through the axis of the storage sleeve 1; the distribution positions of each first limiting angle 11 and each second limiting angle 12 do not coincide.

[0041] The cross-sectional structure of the storage sleeve 1 is essentially a polygonal structure obtained by superimposing a square component cross-section and a hexagonal component cross-section, with a total of ten corners, of which six corners are 120° and four corners are 90°.

[0042] In this embodiment, the storage sleeve 1 can be configured as a single-layer structure or a multi-layer structure. When it is a single-layer structure, the structure is a square tube 15 (the "square" in square tube does not mean that the cross-section is square, but that the cross-section is the polygonal cross-section mentioned above). When it is a multi-layer structure, the storage sleeve 1 is a multi-layer cylindrical structure, and each layer is made of ordinary structural materials or neutron poison materials. Ordinary structural materials include stainless steel, and neutron poison materials include one or a combination of several of the following: cadmium metal, gadolinium metal, gadolinium oxide, boron carbide, borosilicate materials, boron-aluminum-based composite materials, boron-containing organic materials, boron-containing stainless steel, cadmium-containing stainless steel, and gadolinium-containing stainless steel.

[0043] Specifically, the storage sleeve 1 is configured with a three-layer structure, consisting of a square tube 15, a poison plate 16, and a poison plate cladding 161 from the inside out. The square tube 15 and the poison plate cladding 161 of the storage sleeve 1 can be made of ordinary structural materials or neutron poison materials. The poison plate 16 is made of neutron poison material.

[0044] In this embodiment, the storage rack also includes a rack frame 2, and multiple storage sleeves 1 are provided. The storage sleeves 1 are parallel to each other and evenly distributed in the rack frame 2. The storage sleeves 1 can be arranged in a certain center distance pattern within the rack frame 2, and the arrangement pattern can be a square arrangement or a triangular arrangement.

[0045] In this embodiment, when the arrangement is square, the storage sleeve 1 can be arranged in an array; when the arrangement is triangular, such as... Figure 1 As shown, the storage sleeves 1 are arranged in layers within the grid frame 2. The position of each storage sleeve 1 in one layer corresponds to the gap position between each storage sleeve 1 in another layer, so that the storage sleeves 1 in adjacent layers are staggered. This layout can maximize the use of space in the grid frame 2, increase the space ratio of fuel assemblies, and improve equipment utilization efficiency.

[0046] The spent fuel storage rack in this embodiment can specifically store 67 spent fuel assemblies. The storage sleeves 1 are arranged in a triangular pattern, as shown below. Figure 2 As shown. The storage sleeve 1 has a three-layer structure, consisting of a square tube 15, a poison plate 16, and a poison plate sheath 161 from the inside out. The distance between the apex of the inner cavity of the storage sleeve 1 and the center of the storage sleeve 1 is 15.5 cm. The square tube 15 is 0.2 cm thick and made of stainless steel; the poison plate 16 is 0.4 cm thick and made of boron-containing polyethylene; the poison plate sheath 161 is 0.1 cm thick and made of stainless steel.

[0047] From an engineering application perspective, there is currently a significant demand in my country for the reprocessing of both square and hexagonal spent fuel modules. Given the current state of the field, the reprocessing design needs to consider both square and hexagonal modules. Therefore, a spent fuel storage rack that can accommodate both square and hexagonal modules is required. The storage rack in this embodiment can comprehensively consider the storage needs of both square and hexagonal modules while ensuring critical safety. It has a wide range of applications, effectively improves equipment utilization efficiency, and reduces economic costs.

[0048] Example 3

[0049] This embodiment is basically the same as embodiment 2, except that, as Figures 3 to 6As shown, in this embodiment, the limiting part also includes component guide rail support 13 and connecting plate 14. Multiple component guide rail supports 13 are provided and arranged along the axial direction of the storage sleeve 1, and are all connected to the inner hole surface of the storage sleeve 1. Each first limiting angle 11 and each second limiting angle 12 is a strip structure with a folded cross section. Each first limiting angle 11 and each second limiting angle 12 is connected to the connecting plate 14, thereby forming a square component guide rail and a hexagonal component guide rail respectively. Each connecting plate 14 is embedded in the component guide rail support 13 so that the square component guide rail and the hexagonal component guide rail can move along the component guide rail support 13.

[0050] Specifically, the component guide rail support 13 can also be divided into two groups, which are arranged at 90° and 60° intervals respectively inside the storage sleeve 1. (Square component guide rail and hexagonal component guide rail) The component guide rail can be installed on the component guide rail support and is detachable. Depending on the storage object, it can be replaced with a square component guide rail or a hexagonal component guide rail.

[0051] In this embodiment, the inner hole of the storage sleeve 1 is a circular hole with a diameter of 30.0 cm to 33.0 cm. The storage sleeve 1 is an annular sleeve, which can be configured as a single-layer structure or a multi-layer structure. The material of the storage sleeve 1 can be a common structural material, such as stainless steel, or a neutron poison material.

[0052] This embodiment provides two sets of solutions. In the first set of solutions:

[0053] like Figure 7 As shown, the spent fuel storage rack can store 80 spent fuel assemblies. The storage sleeves are arranged in a square pattern. A partial view is shown below. Figure 8 As shown.

[0054] like Figure 3 As shown, the storage sleeve 1 has a three-layer structure, consisting of an inner cylinder 17, a sandwich layer 18, and an outer cylinder 19 from the inside out. The inner diameter of the storage sleeve 1 is 31.0 cm. The inner cylinder 17 is 0.5 cm thick and made of stainless steel; the sandwich layer 18 is 0.3 cm thick and made of cadmium; and the outer cylinder 19 is 0.5 cm thick and made of stainless steel. A square component guide rail is mounted on the component guide rail support 13. If hexagonal components need to be stored, the square component guide rail must be disassembled and the hexagonal component guide rail installed, as detailed below. Figure 5 As shown.

[0055] In the second set of options:

[0056] like Figure 9 As shown, the spent fuel storage rack can store 104 spent fuel assemblies. The storage sleeves 1 are arranged in a triangular pattern.

[0057] Specifically, such as Figure 4As shown, the storage sleeve 1 is a single-layer structure. The inner diameter of the storage sleeve 1 is 32.0 cm, the sleeve thickness is 0.8 cm, and the material is boron-containing stainless steel. A hexagonal component guide rail is mounted on the component guide rail support 13. If square components need to be stored, the hexagonal component guide rail must be disassembled and the square component guide rail installed, as detailed below. Figure 6 As shown.

[0058] Example 4

[0059] The spent fuel assembly storage system of this embodiment includes a spent fuel storage pool and spent fuel storage racks as described in embodiments 1 to 3. Multiple spent fuel storage racks are provided and placed in the spent fuel storage pool for loading spent fuel assemblies. Each rack holds several assemblies, including square and hexagonal assemblies. The spent fuel storage pool is filled with pure water or boron-containing water. This system is mainly used in nuclear power plants and reprocessing plants. In nuclear power plants, it is primarily used to store spent fuel assemblies discharged from the reactor. Once the spent fuel storage racks are full, other storage systems or equipment can be built for spent fuel storage, or the spent fuel assemblies can be transported to a reprocessing plant for processing. When the spent fuel assemblies from the nuclear power plant arrive at the reprocessing plant, they are first received and stored in the spent fuel storage racks. During processing, the spent fuel assemblies are removed from the racks and sent to a shearing system to begin the spent fuel assembly reprocessing process.

[0060] It is understood that the above embodiments are merely exemplary implementations used to illustrate the principles of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited thereto. For those skilled in the art, various modifications and improvements can be made without departing from the spirit and essence of the present invention, and these modifications and improvements are also considered to be within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0061] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the structure of this patent is not limited to the details of the exemplary embodiments described above, and that this patent can be implemented in other specific forms without departing from its spirit or essential characteristics. Therefore, the embodiments should be considered exemplary and non-limiting in all respects, and the scope of this patent is defined by the appended claims rather than the foregoing description. Thus, it is intended that all variations falling within the meaning and scope of equivalents of the claims be included within this patent. No reference numerals in the claims should be construed as limiting the scope of the claims.

[0062] Furthermore, it should be understood that although this specification describes embodiments, not every embodiment contains only one independent technical solution. This narrative style is merely for clarity. Those skilled in the art should consider the specification as a whole, and the technical solutions in each embodiment can also be appropriately combined to form other embodiments that can be understood by those skilled in the art.

Claims

1. A spent fuel storage rack characterized by: It includes at least one storage sleeve (1), the storage sleeve (1) has a cylindrical structure, and two sets of limiting parts are provided on the inner surface of the storage sleeve (1). The first set of limiting parts includes four first limiting angles (11), each of which is evenly distributed around the axis of the storage sleeve (1), forming a square storage area at the four vertices, so as to limit the square component at the four vertices of the square storage area. The second set of limiting parts includes six second limiting angles (12), each second limiting angle (12) is evenly distributed around the axis of the storage sleeve (1), forming a hexagonal storage area as six vertices, so as to limit the hexagonal component at the six vertices of the hexagonal storage area.

2. The spent fuel storage rack of claim 1, wherein: The inner hole of the storage sleeve (1) has an irregular cross-section with multiple bends on its surface. Each first limiting angle (11) and each second limiting angle (12) are ridges obtained by bending the inner surface of the storage sleeve (1).

3. The spent fuel storage rack according to claim 2, characterized in that: The distance between each vertex and the center of the cross-section of the inner hole of the storage sleeve (1) is 11.0cm to 17.0cm.

4. The spent fuel storage rack according to claim 1, characterized in that: The limiting part also includes a component guide rail support (13) and a connecting plate (14). Multiple component guide rail supports (13) are provided, arranged along the axial direction of the storage sleeve (1), and all are connected to the inner surface of the storage sleeve (1). Each first limiting angle (11) and each second limiting angle (12) is a strip-shaped structural component with a folded cross-section. Each first limiting angle (11) and each second limiting angle (12) is connected to the connecting plate (14) to form a square component guide rail and a hexagonal component guide rail, respectively. Each connecting plate (14) is embedded in the component guide rail support (13) so that the square component guide rail and the hexagonal component guide rail can move along the component guide rail support (13).

5. The spent fuel storage rack according to claim 4, characterized in that: The inner hole of the storage sleeve (1) is a round hole with a diameter of 30.0cm to 33.0cm.

6. The spent fuel storage rack according to claim 2 or 4, characterized in that, In a section perpendicular to the axis of the storage sleeve (1): The first limiting angle (11) is a right angle, and the center line of this right angle passes through the axis of the storage sleeve (1). The second limiting angle (12) is 120°, and the center line of this 120° angle passes through the axis of the storage sleeve (1). The positions of each first limiting angle (11) and each second limiting angle (12) do not overlap.

7. The spent fuel storage rack according to claim 2 or 4, characterized in that: The storage sleeve (1) has a multi-layered cylindrical structure. Each layer is made of either ordinary structural materials or neutron poison materials. The common structural materials include stainless steel. The neutron poison material includes one or a combination of several of the following: metallic cadmium, metallic gadolinium, gadolinium oxide, boron carbide, borosilicate materials, boron-containing aluminum-based composite materials, boron-containing organic materials, boron-containing stainless steel, cadmium-containing stainless steel, and gadolinium-containing stainless steel.

8. The spent fuel storage rack according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a lattice frame (2), The storage sleeves (1) are provided in multiple ways, and each storage sleeve (1) is parallel to the others and evenly arranged in the grid frame (2).

9. The spent fuel storage rack according to claim 8, characterized in that: The storage sleeve (1) is arranged in layers within the grid frame (2). The position of each storage sleeve (1) in one layer corresponds to the gap position between each storage sleeve (1) in another layer, so that the storage sleeves (1) of the two adjacent layers are arranged alternately.

10. A spent fuel assembly storage system, characterized in that: Includes a spent fuel storage pool and a spent fuel storage rack as described in any one of claims 1 to 9. Multiple spent fuel storage racks are provided, all placed in spent fuel storage pools, for loading square and / or hexagonal components. The spent fuel storage pool is filled with pure water or boron-containing water.

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