Cooling Element Base for Radioactive Package Welding
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing packages for transporting and storing radioactive materials face risks of damaging or severing cooling elements during welding, and potential deformation of the outer wall elements due to intense heat input from methods like laser or electron beam welding.
Innovation Solution
The package design features a cooling element with a base that extends on either side of the fin, allowing the weld metal zone to be moved away from the fin base, reducing the risk of damage and deformation, and includes a housing for improved heat conduction, with the base and fin often made of copper for enhanced thermal conductivity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If welding methods with intensive and localised heat input (laser beam or electron beam welding) are used to attach cooling elements to wall elements, then the attachment strength is improved, but the risk of damaging or severing the cooling elements increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling element is segmented into a base portion and a fin portion, allowing the welding process to be localized to the base portion only. This segmentation enables the use of intensive heat input welding methods while protecting the fin portion from thermal damage, as the weld is performed at a distance from the fin base.
2Reliability
If welding methods with intensive and localised heat input are used, then the attachment reliability is improved, but the risk of irreversibly deforming the wall element by plastic shrinkage increases
Solution Approach 1:
The base of the cooling element acts as an intermediary component between the wall element and the fin. By performing the weld on the base rather than directly on the fin or wall element, the intensive heat input is localized to the base, which serves as a buffer that prevents direct thermal damage to the wall element while ensuring reliable attachment.
3Temperature
If the base height is increased to improve heat conduction, then the thermal performance is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The base height is optimized as a critical parameter to achieve sufficient heat conduction without excessive complexity. By carefully selecting the base height to be at least half the fin thickness, the patent achieves effective thermal contact with the wall element while maintaining manufacturability and avoiding unnecessary geometric complexity.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This design reduces the risk of damaging the cooling elements and limits deformation of the wall elements during welding, while improving heat conduction and manufacturing ease through better attachment and thermal interfaces.
Implementation Method 1
The heat conduction between the base and the wall element is thereby facilitated
Implementation Method 2
each of the side ends being attached to the wall element via a weld
Implementation Method 3
when using known welding methods with an intensive and localised heat input such as a laser beam or electron beam welding
Data Source
AI summary
The invention concerns a package for transporting and/or storing radioactive materials. The package comprises a wall element (26) and a cooling element (31, 32) attached to the wall element (26) and protruding from the wall element (26) towards the outside of the package. The cooling element (31, 32) comprises a base (40) and at least one fin (35) rigidly connected to the base (40). The base (40) extends to either side of the fin (35) respectively towards two opposing lateral ends of the base, each of the lateral ends being attached to the wall element (26) via a weld.