Suspension Nuclear Fuel Rack Design
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional storage racks for nuclear fuel assemblies suffer from internal deformation due to weight, leading to eccentricity and potential issues during storage and use, as they are typically stored upright, causing inclination and deformation over time.
Innovation Solution
A suspension type high-density storage rack design where each nuclear fuel assembly is suspended from a cap part inserted into the upper portion of basket cells, preventing deformation and inclination, with cap flanges to absorb impact energy from handling or disasters.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If nuclear fuel assemblies are stored upright on the lower end inside square tubes, then storage capacity is increased, but the fuel assemblies become eccentric and deform internally due to their own weight
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the conventional storage approach by suspending fuel assemblies from the upper cap part downward into the basket cell, rather than supporting them from the bottom upward. This inversion eliminates the eccentric inclination caused by upright storage and prevents internal deformation while maintaining high storage capacity.
Solution Approach 2:
The suspension mechanism from the cap part acts as a counterweight system, with the fuel assembly's weight being balanced by the structural support from above. This prevents the fuel assembly from inclining or deforming under its own weight, solving the stability problem while maintaining storage density.
2Ease of manufacture
If conventional storage racks are used, then manufacturing cost is reduced, but the fuel assemblies undergo internal deformation and eccentricity over time
Solution Approach 1:
The storage rack is segmented into modular components including cap parts, basket cells, and connection plates that can be independently manufactured and assembled. This segmentation maintains manufacturing simplicity while enabling the suspension mechanism that prevents fuel assembly deformation, thus improving reliability without significantly increasing manufacturing cost.
3Quantity of substance
If neutron absorber is added to increase storage capacity, then the distance between fuel assemblies is decreased, but the risk of impact damage is increased
Solution Approach 1:
The cap part is designed with a cushioning structure that absorbs impact energy before it can reach the fuel assemblies. This beforehand cushioning protects the fuel assemblies from impact damage during handling or disasters, allowing the storage rack to maintain high density without increasing the risk of harmful impacts.
Data Source
AI summary
A suspension type high-density storage rack for nuclear fuel assemblies may include a plurality of body parts each having a basket cell storing the corresponding nuclear fuel assembly and having a generally square tube-like shape elongated in a height direction thereof, a plurality of connection plates integrally connecting the basket cells adjacent to each other, while maintaining them at a predetermined distance, and a base plate fixedly coupling the undersides of the basket cells thereto; and a plurality of cap parts each closing the opened upper portion of the corresponding body part and suspending the corresponding nuclear fuel assembly therefrom.