Double-Shell Uranium Transport Container with Wood Shock Damper
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing transport packaging kits for fission materials lack radiation and nuclear safety, particularly during air transportation, due to design limitations that can lead to leakage, dispersion, and ignition, and require complex loading/unloading procedures.
Innovation Solution
A double-shell container design with a shock damper made of solid wood impregnated with a flame retardant and steel cladding, filled with neutron shielding material, and featuring hermetically sealed lids to prevent leakage and ignition, along with a case with slots for spaced vessel placement, ensuring safety and ease of use.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a single-shell container design is used, then the device complexity is reduced, but the radiation and nuclear safety is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The container is divided into an outer shell and an inner shell, creating a double-shell structure. The outer shell provides mechanical strength and shock protection, while the inner shell contains the fission material and provides neutron shielding. This segmentation allows each shell to be optimized for its specific function, achieving high radiation and nuclear safety without requiring a single overly complex structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The inner shell is nested within the outer shell, with the inner shell containing vessels with fission material and the outer shell providing additional protection. This nested configuration allows the container to meet stringent safety requirements for air transport of fission materials by providing multiple layers of protection while maintaining a compact and manageable overall structure.
2Reliability
If removable shock dampers are mounted on the container, then the shock protection is improved, but the ease of operation deteriorates due to installation/removal requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The shock damper is merged with the outer shell structure, forming an integrated design where the shock damper becomes a permanent part of the container assembly. This eliminates the need for separate installation and removal operations, allowing the container to be loaded and unloaded as a complete unit while maintaining effective shock protection throughout transportation.
3Reliability
If vessels with fission material are placed close together, then the container volume is reduced, but the radiation safety and material spacing is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
Neutron shielding material is applied locally in specific regions between the vessels containing fission material. This localized shielding approach provides the necessary radiation safety and maintains proper material spacing without requiring the entire container to be oversized. The shielding is concentrated where it is most needed, optimizing both safety and volume utilization.
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 design enhances radiation and nuclear safety, prevents leakage and redistribution of fission materials, and simplifies the loading/unloading process, meeting IAEA standards and improving operational efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
the damper (7) made, for example, of solid wood impregnated with a flame retardant composition
Implementation Method 2
filled with a neutron shielding material
Implementation Method 3
A refractory material (9) is placed between the shock damper (7) and the steel sheet (8)
Implementation Method 4
A sealing gasket (12) is installed between the casing (1) and the lid (2), which prevents the loss of the transported contents
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~4
AI summary
The invention relates to packaging kits intended for the transport and storage while in transit of radioactive materials. The kit comprises a container, provided with a shock damper and a double-shell assembly, each shell thereof being in the form of a barrel with a sealed lid thereon, which is arranged facing the bottom of an external reinforced casing, an inner shell of the container comprises a case with slots for placing vessels with a uranium-containing fission material, while free cavities in the case are filled with a neutron shielding material, the shock damper is located on the outer surface of the external reinforced casing of the container, said damper is made of solid wood impregnated with a flame retardant composition with an outer cladding of steel sheet, and a refractory material is laid between the damper and the cladding.