Hexagonal Spent Fuel Storage Container with Integrated Cooling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Storing spent nuclear fuel assemblies in hermetically sealed containers is challenging due to high temperatures, requiring costly buildings with high shielding and earthquake resistance, and existing storage methods are inefficient in terms of space and radiation shielding.
Innovation Solution
Designing a spent nuclear fuel assembly storage container with a hexagonal tubular shape, featuring a concave portion for external cooling and internal cooling passages, made of neutron shielding concrete, which allows for efficient cooling and radiation shielding, enabling outdoor storage in a honeycomb structure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If metal casks are stored in hermetically sealed containers, then radiation shielding is improved, but cooling capability deteriorates due to high temperature
Solution Approach 1:
The storage container is divided into multiple functional sections: a hermetic storage chamber for radiation shielding and a separate cooling passage system. The cooling passage is segmented into multiple channels that allow coolant circulation without compromising the hermetic seal, enabling both radiation shielding and active cooling to coexist.
Solution Approach 2:
A hermetic seal with integrated cooling passages acts as an intermediary structure. This seal allows the metal cask to be isolated from the external environment for radiation shielding while simultaneously permitting coolant flow through the integrated passages for thermal management, resolving the contradiction between sealing and cooling.
2Temperature
If metal casks are stored with gaps and horizontal positioning, then cooling is improved, but space utilization and shielding capability deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The invention merges the cooling function with the storage structure by integrating cooling passages into the walls and floor of the storage chamber. This allows metal casks to be stored in a compact arranged configuration while maintaining efficient cooling through the integrated passages, eliminating the need for large gaps and horizontal positioning.
3Area of stationary object
If storage containers are arranged in a honeycomb structure, then space utilization is improved, but cooling capability deteriorates due to limited access
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling system transitions from external surface cooling to internal volume cooling by integrating cooling passages within the three-dimensional structure of the storage container walls and floor. This allows the honeycomb arrangement to maintain cooling capability through internal passage networks rather than relying on external surface access.
4Object-affected harmful factors
If concrete casks are used for storage, then radiation shielding is improved, but impact resistance and cooling capability deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The storage container employs a composite structure combining concrete (for radiation shielding) with metal reinforcement elements and integrated cooling passages. This composite design provides both radiation shielding capability and impact resistance while maintaining effective cooling through the metal-reinforced passage system.
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
The solution allows for efficient cooling of metal casks, reduces radiation emission to safe levels, and enables dense storage in a small area without the need for expensive shielding buildings, improving both radiation shielding and impact resistance.
Implementation Method 1
the concave portion forms an external cooling passage for a cooling gas when an outer surface of the container body is joined to an outer surface of another container body
Implementation Method 2
made of neutron shielding concrete, which allows for efficient cooling and radiation shielding
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention provides a spent nuclear fuel assembly storage including a metal cask which stores a spent nuclear fuel assembly and a container body which stores the metal cask and has a substantially hexagonal tubular shape, and an assembly of the spent nuclear fuel assembly storage containers, and a method of assembling the spent nuclear fuel assembly storage container.